[rescue] Sparc Classic Resurrection for Newbie

[Joshua Johnston]

Thanks for the comments.

	I know that the Classic is really low powered compared to a lot
of the newer systems out there that're available dirt cheap,
unfortunately I'm pretty close to dirt poor most of the time.  Also, the
Classic is one of those machines that I wanted to have simply because it
was a Classic and I remember lusting after a chance to fool with one
when they were new.  For me, collecting the older machines isn't as much
a matter of utility as it is just the appreciation of the gear.  My
budget for getting any new machine I don't plan on shifting a
significant portion of my workload to is, well, under a hundred bucks in
total expenses, so the Classic seemed like a good start.  

	I've had a nice offer of a source for keyboards and mice, and am
looking into how much that'll run me now.  As to a monitor, I'm probably
going to get an SVGA adapter and use a PC monitor I have kicking around.
Being a part-time tech at my school has given me access to a whole pile,
literally, of monitors and old '486 level hardware that's been scrapped
out on the books and is just kicking around waiting to be taken home.  

	It turns out that I realized my old Macintosh Quadra 610 has a
SCSI CD-ROM drive that I might be able to use with the Sparc somehow,
and that not only do the two 100M SCSI-2 HD's that I have look like
they'll work with the Sparc, but that they're even the same physical
dimensions so they stack wonderfully.

	What I'm looking for now is information on where I can download
a relatively small version of an OS that will run on the Sparc, and how
on Earth I can find a way to get it onto the box.  I'm going to get a
gender-bender so I can connect via console port with my PC or my Quadra
tonight, and will be looking at getting into the BIOS if I can figure
out how to send the Stop key without having a Sun keyboard.  It seems
though that a lot of the information I've been able to find sorting
through hits on Google is rather dated, and many sites and reference
links are no longer working. 

	The two 100M drives do work, though they're formatted with HFS
so I'll need to get the OS on the Sparc somehow before I can use them, I
expect.  So right now, I think I'm left with just a couple questions to
ask.

Can I send the Stop sequence to get into the BIOS using a PC or Mac over
the Console connection?

Can I install the OS over the Internet with an NFS or FTP share directly
from the BIOS, and if so, where from?

Can I format the external SCSI HD's in the BIOS and somehow mount them
back on the Mac as a way to get an installable HD transferred over?

And if by any chance someone here has experience with orphaned MIT
machines, how can I get into whatever OS may exist on the drive
currently?

	Assuming I get this baby up and running, I just may be able to
get out there and look at newer machines in the near future.  Right now,
I just want to get some experience tinkering with Sparc hardware under
my belt.  Here, for reference, is what I have on my LAN right now.

Athlon 1Ghz - Windows XP
iBook 500 - Mac OS X.1
Pentium 100 - Linux (SmoothWall - even if the developer is a twit)
'486-120 - Windows 95 (Until I can get Novell going on it)
IBM ThinkPad 1420 - Windows 98:SE
Apple Macintosh Quadra 610 - Mac OS 7.5.2

	My next dream-box is an SGI Indy or a NeXT Cube. Those were the
next machines that really impressed the hell out of me, and my goal is
to collect one of each.

Yes, I'm a collector, probably even a dilettante.  At least I try and
learn. :)

- Josh