Subject: Newbie - please help - Console update
To: #List Alpha <port-alpha@netbsd.org>
From: Paul Goyette <paul@whooppee.com>
List: port-alpha
Date: 05/18/1999 04:07:29
OK, I'm not a NetBSD newbie, but I am an Alpha newbie, so please bear
with me a bit.

I just got my new AlphaPC 164 system, but unfortunately it came with
that _other_, non-BSD variant of Un*x installed.  So, I'm trying to get
NetBSD up on  it.

First thing I noticed is that it came with what appears to be ARC
console firmware (at start-up, if I press F2 for Set-Up, I get a window 
with title AlphaBIOS 5.66). So I went to the DEC web page and downloaded
the firmware upgrade, formatted a FAT floppy, and put the upgrade image
on the floppy, renamed appropriately to fwupdate.exe.

Then, I select the AlphaBIOS Upgrade... option from the menu and press
Enter.  It goes off and frobs the floppy for a bit, then it appears to
reload/reboot, displays some text about my video card and then "BIOS
Emulation V1.15a".

Then, it goes to a totally blank, blue screen with an underline cursor
in the upper left corner and just sits there.  No more floppy frobbing,
nothing.  I've waited at least ten minutes in this state, and nothing
seems to have any effect.

So, if any of you kind souls could shed a little light on what I'm doing
wrong (I'm certain it's pilot error!) I'd appreciate it.

Upgrade URL used:

	ftp://gatekeeper.dec.com:/pub/DEC/Alpha/firmware/readmes/v5.4/
		alphapc164lx/lx164_v5_4.exe

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| Paul Goyette      | PGP DSS Key fingerprint:   | E-mail addresses:     |
| Network Engineer  |   BCD7 5301 9513 58A6 0DBC |  paul@whooppee.com    |
| and kernel hacker |   91EB ADB1 A280 3B79 9221 |  pgoyette@juniper.net |
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