On Sat, 6 Nov 1999, Walter Keeler wrote:
> Here's a basic question: > > What happens when you unplug the serial cable and then power up the IPX? > Does it spin up and make disk access noises? Unplugged cable, powered on IPX. Disk spins up. > > If so, it sure sounds like a cabling issue of some sort. > > It would make the debugging job a whole lot easier to fire up the IPX with > a head, if only to make sure it runs properly to begin with. Adding a head would put me back about $150 unless I could find a less expensive supplier for the keyboard and video converters, and then I wouldn't need serial console. Maybe that would be a better track? Sun sells a ps2 keyboard and mouse converter for $75, and Blackbox has a 13W3/VGA converter for about $45. I would love a head on this thing if it wouldn't be quite so expensive. Oh, and I have no desk/counter/shelf space for a second keyboard and mouse at this time. However, I did finally chase up a pinout for the serial port, and I might have ended up with either the wrong cable (might need a modem cable instead of a printer cable) or I might need a straight instead of a null modem cable. Unfortunately I wont be able to test any of those for the next two or three days. -- Ferret no baka > > --Walter Keeler > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] ******************************* > Walter Keeler * If my words did glow... * > San Francisco, CA ******************************* > > On Sat, 6 Nov 1999 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > > > > > Okay, following reccomendations and my own best guessing I went out and > > purchased a 'Mac to serial printer' cable and a null-modem adapter. I plug > > the cables in, fire up minicom on the Lintel (set to 9600N81 as I remember > > seeing in the IPX firmware), and turn on the IPX. Power comes on, the > > drive spins up, but I get nothing. > > > > Now, what comes to mind is: > > > > Wrong cabling. > > > > Wrong serial port settings on the Lintel. > > > > Bad serial ports on the IPX. > > > > IPX not using serial console. > > > > > > The null-modem adapter is a standard Laplink-comatible cable. The mac > > cable is a Fellowes part # 99519 (no idea about the pinout on it) > > > > I have no 'normal' console on the IPX so I can't change settings unless I > > get serial console working at this point. If I can rule out the serial > > cabling I'll probably go ahead and get the keyboard and video adapters > > instead. > > > > Oh yeah, I assume the serial cable should go in port 'A', but I tried it > > in 'B' anyway and didn't get anything there either. > > > > On Fri, 5 Nov 1999, Will Lowe wrote: > > > > > > > One more question. If it doesn't have a keyboard and monitor plugged > > > > > in, > > > > > will it put the console out the serial port automagically? > > > > > > > > It should. I know Suns do that automagically, and I know solaris does, > > > > and > > > > I know Debian is supposed to, but I haven't tried it yet, so I can't > > > > say for certain under Debian. > > > > > > yes, this works. It's a sun hardware thing, rather than a software > > > issue, methinks. > > >
