Re: mlx on sparc?

[Andrew Doran <ad%NetBSD.org@localhost>]

On Tue, May 27, 2008 at 09:44:46PM +0200, Jan-Hinrich Fessel wrote:

> Am 27.05.2008 um 14:33 schrieb Andrew Doran:
> 
> >On Tue, May 27, 2008 at 02:24:59PM +0200, Jan-Hinrich Fessel wrote:
> >
> >>Does anyone have docs on the drive config commands for the
> >>controller?  In case it is working, I might invest some time to make
> >>it useable...
> >
> >I can't remember finding any, but there's a good chance you'll find  
> >the
> >information on the web somewhere.
> >
> >See mlxreg.h, struct mlx_sys_drv_span, mlx_sys_drv.
> >
> >Andrew
> >
> Actually, after having built the appropriate kernel, I'm stuck.   
> mlxctl finds the firmware is too old for most commands, but then i  
> will have to hunt down someone with appropriate EEPROM programming  
> gear to get this controller equipped with a new firmware - or someone  
> with a machine capable of booting dos and having at least one pci  
> slot...

My memory of this isn't good because it has been a while, but I think that
the version 3 firmware implements the commands you want, and I think that it
needs two EEPROMs instead of the one required for the v2 firmware.

> To put it differently, I will send the controller to anyone who can  
> make some use of it and is willing to pay for shipment. If it will be  
> used for NetBSD development I will take care of shipment costs within  
> the EU.

An alternative is to put the card into a PC, configure it using the Mylex
tools, and then put it back into the sparc machine. If the card is a DEC
rebadge, the BIOS component will not be enabled and it will not work in a
PC, but that can be fixed with a once-off patch in mlx.c to reenable the
BIOS. I don't know where you got it, but chances are it will work in a PC.

Andrew