RE: DEBIAN 3.0 on a SPARC Classic X
Thanks for the help. I got it working. For whatever reason the Classic X's didn't like external SCSI devices (I tried a JAZ drive but that didn't work either). Also they didn't seem to like networking with my 10/100 switch or the 10/100 network cards in my PC's but the 'test net' command passed when they were connected to each other with a cross-over cable. So what I did was - 1. got hold of a 10BaseT (only) hub so that they could communicate with my network. 2. downloaded the tftboot.img (from the URL in the Debian 3.0 install guide for SPARC) 3. setup a tftp server (I used SolarWinds on a PC) 4. booted via tftp > boot net:192.168.0.40,tftpboot.img,192.168.0.99 [192.168.0.40 is the IP of the PC, and I used a fixed IP for the Classic X since I don't have a DHCP or ARP/RARP server configured] 5. watched the boot occur Then I needed to configure the hard drive. I didn't know the CHS geometry (its not on the drive, and I didn't bother searching for it) so I used the 'Sun 1.0Gb' option which hasn't caused any grief so far ;) Since it was a 1Gb HDD I don't think I'm losing any/much space. I also left it with two partitions - root & swap. I didn't know I could install via ftp, but I tried it out and it worked [I kinda expected that I'd need to copy the contents of the debian CD's to the tftp server, or something]. 6. I used the ftp://www.au.debian.org/debian/ mirror (the US mirror & the 'non-us software' sites caused some trouble [like timeouts on downloads] so I skipped them) 7. did the base install. 8. got the X software & python software using tasksel Unfortunately I have a problem with X. I din't know what xserver to chose so I randomly chose one (all the choices seemed pretty cryptic and there was no 'auto detect' option). Also [not being a SUN freak] I didn't know the screen resolution so I chose 1024x768 (I wanted more than 800x600!) 'startx' fails - the server dies for some reason, not clear from the messages displayed. I've tried using a tool to reconfigure (I'm used to Xconfigurator) but I can't find a useful one. 'xf86cfg' brings up a graphics screen for configuration (only), but kills the mouse and assumes a PC keyboard (all the key codes are up the creek). If I try to set the keyboard for SUN/Type 5 (which is what I'm using) the key codes are better but still seem to be out by 1 position [ie the '8' on the numeric keypad works like the '7' and the '9' like the '8', and so on...] In any case I can't get the mouse working so I've given up on that app. If someone could be so nice as to tell me what the debian/sparc X configuration tool is called I might fare better. Alternatively if someone could tell me what I should put in the XF86 config file that'll do. cheers Jonathan Pratt -Original Message- From: Thomas 'Mike' Michlmayr [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, 2 September 2002 18:34 To: debian-sparc@lists.debian.org Subject: Re: DEBIAN 3.0 on a SPARC Classic X On Sun, Sep 01, 2002 at 05:30:36 +0930, woodsend <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: [...] > to) have no trouble by itself. Its when the boot sequence looks at the SCSI > bus that the whole thing falls down. I can't imagine that anything different > would happen if I removed the CDROM (and left the HDD in place), so I > wouldn't be able to save the system on the HDD in any case. doesn't have to be. friend of mine has a voyager, which has the same problems when an external CDROM is installed. internal disk works just fine. i have no idea what the problem actually is, the same SCSI chain works fine on other machines, just not on the voyager. could be that the external port is b0rken, or something. i wouldn't discount the possibility that the internal disk might work if left alone on the SCSI chain. > Also this would be pushing the limit of my experience. (but hey I've > obviously got some spare time, right) tftp is actually fairly simple to setup, and quite well documented in a number of places. and _so_ much better that all the cdrom/floppy install crap. -- Thomas 'Mike' Michlmayr | ignorami: n: The BOFH art of folding problem <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> | lusers into representational shapes.
Re: DEBIAN 3.0 on a SPARC Classic X
On Sun, Sep 01, 2002 at 05:30:36 +0930, woodsend <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: [...] > to) have no trouble by itself. Its when the boot sequence looks at the SCSI > bus that the whole thing falls down. I can't imagine that anything different > would happen if I removed the CDROM (and left the HDD in place), so I > wouldn't be able to save the system on the HDD in any case. doesn't have to be. friend of mine has a voyager, which has the same problems when an external CDROM is installed. internal disk works just fine. i have no idea what the problem actually is, the same SCSI chain works fine on other machines, just not on the voyager. could be that the external port is b0rken, or something. i wouldn't discount the possibility that the internal disk might work if left alone on the SCSI chain. > Also this would be pushing the limit of my experience. (but hey I've > obviously got some spare time, right) tftp is actually fairly simple to setup, and quite well documented in a number of places. and _so_ much better that all the cdrom/floppy install crap. -- Thomas 'Mike' Michlmayr | ignorami: n: The BOFH art of folding problem <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> | lusers into representational shapes. pgpeA2CEt4QsV.pgp Description: PGP signature
RE: DEBIAN 3.0 on a SPARC Classic X
OK, Now I get it. But I hadn't established that the CDROM was the problem. The CDROM (seems to) have no trouble by itself. Its when the boot sequence looks at the SCSI bus that the whole thing falls down. I can't imagine that anything different would happen if I removed the CDROM (and left the HDD in place), so I wouldn't be able to save the system on the HDD in any case. Also this would be pushing the limit of my experience. (but hey I've obviously got some spare time, right) cheers Jonathan Pratt -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, 31 August 2002 19:36 To: debian-sparc@lists.debian.org Subject: Re: DEBIAN 3.0 on a SPARC Classic X On Sat, 31 Aug 2002 19:19:34 +0930, "woodsend" writes: >This isn't a bad idea (ie it would work), but I really wanted these machines >to be stand-alone. you'd boot from tftp *once*, install stuff on disk and boot from there later on...duh. az -- + Alexander Zangerl + [EMAIL PROTECTED] + DSA 42BD645D + (RSA 5B586291) Cmdmt. XI: Thou shalt not inflict upon me thy useless prattlings, for I thy God am a busy God. -- Joe Thompson
Re: DEBIAN 3.0 on a SPARC Classic X
On Sat, 31 Aug 2002 19:19:34 +0930, "woodsend" writes: >This isn't a bad idea (ie it would work), but I really wanted these machines >to be stand-alone. you'd boot from tftp *once*, install stuff on disk and boot from there later on...duh. az -- + Alexander Zangerl + [EMAIL PROTECTED] + DSA 42BD645D + (RSA 5B586291) Cmdmt. XI: Thou shalt not inflict upon me thy useless prattlings, for I thy God am a busy God. -- Joe Thompson signature.ng Description: PGP signature
RE: DEBIAN 3.0 on a SPARC Classic X
This isn't a bad idea (ie it would work), but I really wanted these machines to be stand-alone. cheers Jonathan Pratt -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Behalf Of Robert Waldner Sent: Saturday, 31 August 2002 17:08 To: debian-sparc@lists.debian.org Subject: Re: DEBIAN 3.0 on a SPARC Classic X On Sat, 31 Aug 2002 09:42:01 +0930, "woodsend" writes: >I got hold of a couple of Sparc Classic X's which I've converted to >"Classic"s by modifying the contents of the NVRAM. Now I can boot from a >CDROM. <...> >For all intents and purposes the boot sequence has hung. <...> >any ideas on how to overcome this problem? If you have another machine on the LAN you can try booting via TFTP. cheers, &rw -- -- <...> Violent Non-Smokers, who _make_ -- smoking bad for your health. -- Jan Ingvoldstad, OOC
Re: DEBIAN 3.0 on a SPARC Classic X
On Sat, 31 Aug 2002 09:42:01 +0930, "woodsend" writes: >I got hold of a couple of Sparc Classic X's which I've converted to >"Classic"s by modifying the contents of the NVRAM. Now I can boot from a >CDROM. <...> >For all intents and purposes the boot sequence has hung. <...> >any ideas on how to overcome this problem? If you have another machine on the LAN you can try booting via TFTP. cheers, &rw -- -- <...> Violent Non-Smokers, who _make_ -- smoking bad for your health. -- Jan Ingvoldstad, OOC signature.ng Description: PGP signature
DEBIAN 3.0 on a SPARC Classic X
Hi. I got hold of a couple of Sparc Classic X's which I've converted to "Classic"s by modifying the contents of the NVRAM. Now I can boot from a CDROM. I'm trying to install Debian 3.0 onto a SCSI HDD I've procured. I have the following setup: One machine has 24Mb RAM, the other 48Mb RAM The CDROM is external (an old Appple 1x - set to ID 6) The HDD is an internal Seagate 1Gb set to ID3 (I've tried others) - what's on this already is anyone's guess. Here's the problem - when I try: > boot cdrom I get the CDROM booting which comes up with boot screen and I type in to install the OS (load & uncompress RAM DISK). The ramdisk is loaded and the machine is identified. It finds the SCSI port and identifies the CDROM then the HDD, but immmediately after that point in the boot sequence I get: ESP0: Disconnect, resetting bus ESP0: Resetting SCSI bus ESP0: SCSI bus reset interrupt ESP0: SCSI bus reset interrupt For all intents and purposes the boot sequence has hung. This also happens without the HDD on the SCSI bus, and I don't have another CDROM to try out. It doesn't seem to matter whether I use a terminator, and where I put it (before or after the CDROM) any ideas on how to overcome this problem? cheers Jonathan Pratt
