> I just obtained an Personal DECStation 5000/25.  I did not get the 
> keybord with it yet.  I try to power up the machine and all I get is 
> an solid block cursor at the bottom left of the screen.  Is this 
> normal behavor, because the unit does not have a keyboard or does this 
> indicate a hardware problem?

You hit it right on the nose.  If no keyboard is detected, it assumes the
machine is headless and boots to the serial port.  If you have a terminal
connected to the serial port, you should be able to use the machine without
a keyboard (or monitor).

If you ever see this behavior when you actually have a keyboard plugged in,
try blowing the dust out of the keyboard connector and plug.  It is sometimes
a little over-sensitive.

--Tim