On Sat, 31 Jul 1999, J. David Blackstone wrote:

> Matt Simerson wrote:
> >    NetBSD/NetBSD-1.4/macppc/binary/kernel/netbsd-GENERIC_MD.gz
> > This one seems to be working a lot better. It did hang the first time I
> > tried booting right after probing my Adaptec 2930U SCSI card but after
> > removing the card, I get much further. It now asks me for a Terminal type.
> > After accepting the default vt100 it goes into an infinite loop asking for
> > (I)nstall, (S)hell or (H)alt ?
> > (I)nstall, (S)hell or (H)alt ?
> > (I)nstall, (S)hell or (H)alt ?
> > (I)nstall, (S)hell or (H)alt ?
> > (I)nstall, (S)hell or (H)alt ?
> > (I)nstall, (S)hell or (H)alt ?
> > 
> > and will not respond to keyboard input at all. This is as close as I've
> > gotten to having a working NetBSD system. Anyone got any suggestions for
> > getting this thing working (preferably with my SCSI card installed)?
> > 
> > Matt
> 
> Matt,
> 
>   I managed to boot this same kernel on my B&W this Wednesday night,
> and ran into the same problem.  When you accept the default, you
> pressed "return," and there is a bug in this kernel (at least), that
> takes the first keypress from a USB keyboard and repeats it over and
> over again.  To prevent the bug, press the right shift key before you
> press anything else.  Then you will find that it works (although I
> think there may be a short delay sometimes before you see any
> keypresses appear on the screen.)

I've tracked down the problem a bit. There's some timing race condition in
the USB controller. The problem is that it tries to update the led's on
the keyboard when you do that first keypress, and looses. It can happen
later when you actually hit the caps lock key. :-(

Unfortunatly it only seems to plague B&W macppc's. I'm not sure if that's
a goffyness of Apple's hardware, or that they're too fast. It seems like a
race condition, but I'm not sufficiently usb-clued to tell what.

>   As of Thursday night, I can boot my B&W G3 just fine!  (Although now
> I need a hard drive to install on...)
> 
>   Try the right shift key, and let us all know how it works.

I find left shift works too. Any non-character-generating key should be
fine.

>                J. David Blackstone
>                http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/1341/
> 
> P.S.  If it makes a difference, or if anyone's interested: I'm not
> netbooting, I saved netbsd-GENERIC_MD in the top level of my MacOS
> hard drive and typed "boot hd:5,nebsd-GENERIC_MD" from the ofw prompt.

I think that's what we're going to have to go to. The way we install the
boot code with installboot just doesn't work. :-(

Take care,

Bill