Hi folks,

In my efforts to start a Imago port, i am first trying to get a minimal
RiscPC kernel working together with a serial (debugging) console
(COMCONSOLE) and memorydisc. Some devices like vidc and iomd however are
structurally needed by the machdep part or it won't compile, but can be
eliminated/replaced in the Imago's machdep.

The problems i run into are somewhat puzzling... it can (and I hope it
is!) all be due to a faulty serial cable but the kernel stops after the
coloured bars...  pretty normal i guess as the serial console would take
over from there.

However, i'm recieving zip on a Sparc and the RiscPC isn't responding
too... so it has to wait for something. I'll check a serial console on my
normal running NetBSD though tonight... just to see if it passes on
ignoring if has nothing to send/won't send. 

The cable is a (AFAIK) a 9-9 pins serial CROSS cable combined with a
male/male 9 -> 25 pins converter since the Sun Sparc (running NetBSD) has
a female connector.

When both systems are running a full fledged NetBSD, running minicom on
both sides results in strage behaviours...

1) minicom @ Sparc -> hearsay @ RiscOS :
   only the Acorn recieves... but will not send

2) minicom @ Sparc -> minicom @ NetBSD :
   Acorn will recieve but will hold when recieving a couple of bytes. Have
   to kill program to free it...  Really makes me wonder the cable is ok.. 
   The Spark will recieve ok.

3) minicom @ sparc -> getty @ NetBSD :
   No login prompt... once it succeeded by also starting minicom on the
   RiscPC too.. and finally it went off.. and gave me a working prompt. 

4) minicom @ sparc -> serial debugging console RiscPC (COMCONSOLE)
   minicom is recieving zip.... this could be a serial problem but maybe
   also be a memory problem? i.e. memory mapped wrong and crashing the
   machine when the vidc console isn't initiated? 

The 3rd case looks like the cable is ok... but... the port isn't
initialised the correct way? 

All settings were 9600, 8N1, no flow control. Changing matching flow
control for the minicom interchange didn't do a thing either... only
selecting Xon/Xoff on the RiscPC resulted in less characters to be
recieved by the RiscPC in case 2.

Bit puzzled... any help or sugestions apreciated!

Thanks in advance,

Reinoud