More... Re: VS4000 hardware questions

From: Robert Schaefer <rschaefe_at_gcfn.org>
Date: Mon Dec 24 17:15:53 2001

----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Schneider" <ms_at_silke.rt.schwaben.de>
To: <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
Sent: Monday, December 24, 2001 05:46 PM
Subject: Re: More... Re: VS4000 hardware questions


> Hello,
>
> Just my 2 cents:
>
> It's only the 4000/9x that gets so confused by the NetBSD booter that it
> won't boot unattended anymore. It will throw a "SYS"-error (0200).

I can only verify that it does cause an error on the m90. A relief for
those with other models, I guess. It doesn't get too confused, tho-- just
enought that it doesn't want to boot alone, not to the point that it *can't*
boot. :/

>
> My 4000/60 is happy with NetBSD, booting all the way to whatever OS i
> throw at it. Just don't POWER DOWN your terminal while connected.
> This will be interpreted as a break on the console line, which throws
> you into the console monitor, just like a HALT.
> Disconnect your terminal.
> As a proof, this email is sent to the list via my 4000/60, running
> NetBSD without a console terminal attached. (Some proof, i know ... 8-)
> The 4000/vlc works just as well.

If you really want to keep a terminal attached and still want to be able to
power it up and down, the addition of a pulldown(up?) resistor on the rx pin
of the VAXstation should allow that. If it was done inside say a serial
breakout box, it would be easy to remove as well.

>
> To get the 4000/60 autobooting you have to have
>
> SET BOOT dka0 (or whatever your system disk is)
> SET HALT 1
> SET BFLG 0

I *knew* there were some more settings, but for the life of me I couldn't
remember!

>
> Most NetBSD's up to 1.5.2 garble the "HALT" setting on shutdown, so you
> should check this ("SHOW HALT"). Valid values are:
>
> 3: Machine halts on powerup (Manual boot)
> 2: Automatic reboot
> 1: Automatic restart
> 0: same as 2
>
> "Automatic restart" is usually the default, since it tells the VAX to
> try to quickly recover from e.g. a power failure. Try 0 or 2 as well.
>
> If all this does not help, you might have a dead battery. But you should
> get some error on powerup then.
>
> Hope this helps
>
> Michael Schneider (ms)

Bob

>
>
>
> On Mon, 2001-12-24 at 20:36, Robert Schaefer wrote:
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Doc" <doc_at_mdrconsult.com>
> > To: <classiccmp_at_classiccmp.org>
> > Sent: Monday, December 24, 2001 01:52 PM
> > Subject: Re: More... Re: VS4000 hardware questions
> >
> >
> > >
> > > It looks like you're saying that, having booted NetBSD, I can no
longer
> > > run the VS4000 headless? Right now, set to serial console, it won't
even
> > > post until I power up the serial terminal. And on this box, powering
> > > down the VT420 is a guaranteed halt. Have I misconfigured something,
or
> > > am I stuck with this?
> > > The 3100 m38 autoboots NetBSD quite happily with no console attached.
> > > Since the hardware notes at NetBSD didn't give any warnings, I sort
> > > ofexpected the same.
> >
> > >From what I have heard, seen, and possibly mis-remembered
or -understood,
> > having once run NetBSD on a VaxStation 4000-90 (and possibly similar
models
> > such as the -60 an -vlc) you will need to manually enter 'boot' at the
>>>
> > console prompt, as the SYS subsystem fails a minor (possibly checksum)
test.
> > I haven't experimented with this much at all, other than a test-boot of
VMS
> > to see if it would correct whatever might be wrong. I have not
attempted to
> > set any kind of automatic boot/halt/whatever flag to see if it really
*does*
> > halt the boot process. Chuck McManis may have a better idea of what is
> > going on, ISTR he was looking into it. There are a number of
knowlegable
> > people on port-vax_at_netbsd.org who will have better answers than I.
> >
> > I'm nearly in a position to bring my VAX cluster online (VAX 6000-320,
> > VAXstation 4000-90, VAXstation 3100-40, & soon a VAX 4000-200) so I will
be
> > more interested in making the m90 boot headless in the Not Too Distant
> > future, and I'll probably take a look at the code myself. Not that this
is
> > any indication of my programming skills (or lack thereof!), but more
eyes
> > can't hurt anything.
> >
> > >
> > > Doc
> >
> > Bob
> >
> >
> --
> Michael Schneider email: ms_at_silke.rt.schwaben.de
> Germany http://www.vaxcluster.de
>
> People disagree with me. I just ignore them.
> (Linus Torvalds)
Received on Mon Dec 24 2001 - 17:15:53 GMT

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