RE: SPARC packages availability for 9.0 and install report

[<ideafix%ideafix.name@localhost>]

Hi.

SPARC port is actually in TIER 2,5 state. 2019Q4 packages was built partially and it was impossible to build openssl and some other important packages for 2019Q4.

I have some sparc32 machines, but build 2019Q3 for netbsd8 myself in quemu. 2019Q4 have unbuildable openssl and 2020Q1 is enough fresh... I does not tried it.

You can use an external cd/dvd (scsi id 6) to install OS, make a right (!) termination. You should own one, if you want to use sparc32 :) It is possible to get old external streamer (LTO) ant replace streamer to scsi dvd.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odJF81RPca0 - it is possible to use modern SATA BLURAY even on 286.... еруку шы тщ зкщидуьы цшер ызфкс32 😊 You just need some adapters...

Best regards, Alex.

P.S. I use SparcClassic because it is very small. It is possible to change framebuffer, add ram (I have 96mb now) and fresh idprom chips (common, not from sun, from ebay). Do you have a top snus framebufers or may be 2*32mb fpm parity simms?


-----Original Message-----
From: port-sparc-owner%NetBSD.org@localhost <port-sparc-owner%NetBSD.org@localhost> On Behalf Of Riccardo Mottola
Sent: Tuesday, May 5, 2020 4:20 PM
To: port-sparc%netbsd.org@localhost
Subject: SPARC packages availability for 9.0 and install report

Hi all!

I sucesfully installed NetBSD 9.0 on a SparcStation 20 (nothing exciting, single CPU, no cache, since the nice HyperSPARC Dual CPU with Cache "fried" giving errors at boot... I think the cache/cache controller is gone) [*]

It has been hard, the PROM is "flakey" probably just about to die.

I had issues with booting: CD-ROMs had issues... with several drives, the old ones do not CD-RW but for some reasons I fought also with a newer drive Plextor which reads then: I was able to boot NetBSD, but then couldn't load the tarballs, getting SCSI erros on esp0.
An attempt to use an external drive which I did not use since 5 years failed, the PSU exploded after 10 minutes :-P

So well, solution was to get another drive, dump miniroot on it.... and I was finally able to work.

I hope the esp0 errors are not endemic to the new kernels. Old NetBSDs were rock-stable on SPARC.

Then I had damn partition issues, the machine was running OpenBSD before, labels and disks were "similar" so they were picked up, but I got overlapping partitions, couldn't delete them.. confusing Using "configure partitions" segfaulted repeatedly!

The solution was to "dd" the disklabel as seen in the FAQ.. and so I was able to fdisk/disklabel/news and the SS20 is up and running! I currently just the the serial to set the boot due to PROM, then it works.


pkgin addition failed and it is now clear to me: there are no packages for 9.0! only for 8.x series....

Are there issues? do we need to be patient?


Thank you.

Riccardo



[*] Anyone has spares? I have also some small items to trade in case