[SunHELP] OpenBoot Prom for an Axil 320

sunhelp at sunhelp.org sunhelp at sunhelp.org
Tue Dec 26 18:50:58 CST 2000


> >On Tue, 26 Dec 2000, Big Endian wrote:
> >>  2.25 for them so that I can take advantage of the SM71s that are
> >
> >You only need 2.22 to support SuperSparc-II (SM71/SM81).
> >
> >>  installed or get faster ROSS cpus.  Does anybody know where to get
> >>  the prom image?  Can I use one from a regular Sun SS20?  Thank you
> >
> >I believe but am not certain that the 320 uses the same PROM image.
> >-James

> I only have 2.19 so it doesn't help.  My cpus report as sm51s.. do 
> you have a link to Craig's archive?  I know there isn't an SX 
> framebuffer in them so they must have SOME difference in the prom 
> image.  If that is one that will make the machine unuseable I don't 
> know.  Is the OBP just like a BIOS on intel systems?  Does it hold 
> the actual device tree?  Or is that scanned at boot time?

 The lack of an onboard SX framebuffer has nothing to do with the OBP and
doesn't mean that there must be anything different as a result. I'm a bit 
confused by you stating that your processors "report" as sm51s. Are these
the same processors that you stated were sm71s earlier? If so, what is
reporting them as sm51s? You could have some misconfigured jumpers.
 A web search on "Craig Dewick" will bring up links to his web site, but note
that his archive of OBP images isn't going to help you unless you have a
PROM burner (or access to one).

 As for "what is an Open Boot Prom?", you may want to look at the OBP FAQ. 
Basically it is much more than an x86 BIOS ever dreamed of being. Complete with
its own FORTH interpreter. It doesn't really care less about the systems' "device 
tree", in the way that an OS cares and it doesn't "store" the device tree nor scan
for a new listing on its own. At a basic level it stores "definitions" and, if you tell
it to, it can scan all connected devices and report those back to you.  An example
of it storing "definitions" would be a definition for the alias "cdrom" so that "boot
cdrom" works instead of "boot /iommu/sb...../esp/sd at 6,0". (Although this 
isn't always a good thing when you hear people say things like "Sun's _have_
to have cdrom's at Target 6, or they won't work". Just fix the alias to whatever
_works_ with the configuration.)
 But I digress... You shouldn't have any problem using any standard OBP (that
a SS20 can accomodate) in your Axil 320. I have a standard OBP version 2.19
in my Axil 320. I know Ross Technologies had a modified OBP (at least a
v2.25R, if not others), but Ross had nothing to do with the Hyundai/Axil 
systems. And their modified OBP's aren't necessary to drive my two HS90's.

 -david




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