der Mouse <mouse@Collatz.McRCIM.McGill.EDU> writes:
> (1) I have been unable to get logins working on /dev/ttya.  I turn it
>     on in /etc/ttys, HUP init, and the login prompt shows up fine.
>     Then I type a username and RETURN (which echo correctly), and it
>     says, instead of the Password: prompt I would expect, @8@@@@9w
>     (with no newline after it).  Nothing I type at this point has any
>     effect I can discern, until some timeout expires, at which point it
>     utters the cryptic string @@@@@@]@@PW@P8@@@(@@@@9\@@^@~ and prints


At one of my client sites they have a number of SPARC Classic's
(sun4m) which have no console - ie. plug a terminal into ttya for
console when needed.

We have similar problems to the above, with both SunOS and Solaris.
It is a parity issue (for us anyway).

Basically (until the NVRAM,ttytab or inittab etc all agree), it is a
case of flipping back and forth from 8N to 7E on the terminal or
nothing will work.  It is interesting to watch the output change from
text to gibberish as the machine goes from monitor to SunOS, and back
to text again when getty takes over.

The garbage you are seeing is very likely just the normal (login
incorrect and login timeout messages).

> cflags: cread cs8 -parenb -parodd -hupcl -clocal -cstopb -crtscts -mdmbuf

That's ok, 8N on the terminal will work fine.

> cflags: cread cs7 -parenb -parodd hupcl -clocal -cstopb -crtscts -mdmbuf

that is a bit tricky, you may not be able to set a terminal to match that.
If you can get it to cs8 -parenb ok, but otherwise you are better off
with cs7 parenb.

At least you have the source :-)
Good luck.

--sjg

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