Subject: Re: Booting beige G3 w/ OF 2.4
To: None <port-macppc@netbsd.org>
From: Donald Lee <donlee_ppc@icompute.com>
List: port-macppc
Date: 10/27/1999 22:56:51
>> What I'd *like* is to be able to boot using the ROM that is supposed to
>> be in the machine.
>> 
>> I'm still planning on digging in and fixing ofwboot to work on this machine
>> if I get a free weekend or two...
>
>What problems is it giving you?

I have an external SCSI disk connected to the DB25 SCSI.  I installed
1.4 on it from a G3 that I borrowed (OF 2.0.x) and it ran fine.  I kept
the SCSI disk, but returned the G3.  I later bought this G3/266, and
found that I could not boot from the external SCSI disk.  It also
did not work with the boot floppy.  When I try, the boot process simply
hangs very early in the boot. (i.e. no output at all. I type in
"boot scsi/sd@1:0" and it sits there forever)

Through experimentation I discovered that if I replace the ROM stick in the
266 with a ROM stick from an earlier production G3, I can make it boot
from the external SCSI.  The floppy, internal video, and a few other
things are hosed, but it boots.  The problems are undoubtedly because the
ROM no longer matches the hardware.

More recently, I finally got my Open Firmware ref books from Firmworks, and
I'm getting ambitious, so I was experimenting again....

-dgl-

P.S. Is there a handy-dandy ELF=>XCOFF converter lying around on NetBSD?