Trevor,

I just checked to see what the AXPpci board sends to the serial console
when booting from floppy. Answer: Nothing until it has loaded the image
and starts to run it. It doesn't even reset the graphic card (the screen
goes blue when it does).

On powerup, with the jumper set to boot from floppy, the board accesses
the floppy disk straight away. Then nothing seems to happen for a while
other than the noise of the floppy drive reading. And when the read finishes,
there is finally some output to the serial console.......

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
*** keyboard not plugged in...
starting console on CPU 0
initialized idle PCB
initializing semaphores
initializing heap
initial heap 1c0c0
memory low limit = 700000
heap = 1c0c0, 17fc0
initializing driver structures
initializing idle process PID
XDELTA not enabled.
initializing file system
initializing 8259s
initializing timer data structures
lowering IPL
CPU 0 speed is 6.00 ns (167MHz)

Powerup process has started
CPU ID = 0
Initialize configuration locks etc.
Configure the memory
Initialising ISA/PCI interrupts.
Configure the PCI Bus
Start tt class, port (graphics, keyboard, then serial) drivers
entering idle loop
change stdin/out/err channels from nl to tt
Memory size = 32Mbytes
testing memory from 800000 to 1816000 ...
Start driver phase 4
access NVRAM
Build this processor's slot in the hwrpb
Backup Cache size = 0Kb
Init SCSI class driver
AXPpci33 Common Console X4.3-3114, built on Sep 13 1995 at 04:15:18

CPU 0 booting

(boot dk*0.0.0.6.0 -file netbsd -flags -a)
failed to open dk*0.0.0.6.0

Retrying, type ^C to abort...

(boot dk*0.0.0.6.0 -file netbsd -flags -a)
failed to open dk*0.0.0.6.0
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

The boot configuration 'boot dk*0.0.0.6.0 -file netbsd -flags -a' comes
from my SRM console setup. I did this test with the SCSI cable disconnected.

When I type ^C the board outputs....

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
echo: No such command
>>>echo: No such command
^C
>>>(boot pmem:180000 -file netbsd -flags -a)
bootstrap code read in
base = 180000, image_start = 0, image_bytes = 800000
initializing HWRPB at 2000
initializing page table at 700000
initializing machine state
setting affinity to the primary CPU
jumping to bootstrap code



**********************************************************************
**********************   Firmware Update V135   **********************
**********************   System Type: AXPpci33  **********************
**********************************************************************


                        Update
                        Verify
                        Help

Apu->
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

The disk I booted from is 'SRM Console Firmware V4.3-3114 for AXPpci33'.


With the jumper back in the flash ROM position, keyboard and SCSI disconnected,
the board spits out to the serial console....

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
*** keyboard not plugged in...
starting console on CPU 0
initialized idle PCB
initializing semaphores
initializing heap
initial heap 1c0c0
memory low limit = 100000
heap = 1c0c0, 17fc0
initializing driver structures
initializing idle process PID
XDELTA not enabled.
initializing file system
initializing 8259s
initializing timer data structures
lowering IPL
CPU 0 speed is 6.00 ns (167MHz)

Powerup process has started
CPU ID = 0
Initialize configuration locks etc.
Configure the memory
Initialising ISA/PCI interrupts.
Configure the PCI Bus
Start tt class, port (graphics, keyboard, then serial) drivers
entering idle loop
change stdin/out/err channels from nl to tt
Memory size = 32Mbytes
testing memory from 800000 to 1e16000 ...
Start driver phase 4
access NVRAM
Build this processor's slot in the hwrpb
Backup Cache size = 0Kb
Init SCSI class driver
Start driver phase 5
AXPpci33 Common Console X4.3-3114, built on Sep 13 1995 at 04:15:18

CPU 0 booting

(boot dka0.0.0.6.0 -file netbsd -flags -a)
failed to open dka0.0.0.6.0
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

and resets the screen as it does so.

If you can't find anything wrong with your serial setup, it might be time
to get another board from DEC. I've got spare boards here, but since I'm
at the other end of the world and I have neither a super sonic jet nor a
tardis...

Regards,

-- 
John Birrell                                CIMlogic Pty Ltd
jb@cimlogic.com.au                          119 Cecil Street
Ph  +61  3 9690 6900                        South Melbourne Vic 3205
Fax +61  3 9690 6650                        Australia
Mob +61 18  353  137