"Douglas S. Meade" wrote:

> Here is another cable/connector question.  On the DECStation, to 
> boot "headless", it appears that the serial port to use is the 
> one on the far right, when the unit is right side up. ;)
>
> Looking at the NetBSD/Pmax web pages, I see that this is described
> as a MMJ-6 connector.  Where is the best place to purchase such 
> a serial cable?  

We've got cables made up by the local cable-maker just by giving them
the pinouts, but you should also be able to buy them from DEC resellers.
I'm guessing from below that it's a 3100 - you want the printer port
unless you've changed the console PROM environment variable.

> Reading through the archive of this mailing list is interesting,
> and provides valuable insights.  For example, several years back
> there was a thread on booting these 3100s headless, with the 
> exclamation that it had truly made it to "FAQ status".  Well ... ?
> Anyway, in those messages, a pointer was given to the Ultrix FAQ,
> which is fairly easy to locate on the net, and in the hardware section
> they talk about how to make a mouse loopback connector.  Someone, 
> ( I think Simon ) suggested using a paper clip.  Will this really 
> work, or is there something better I should try to get ahold of?

The paper-clip thing works.  What I've done for one machine around here
is cut the plug off a mouse and join the right two wires together.
However, paper-clips are more plentiful than spare mice around here.  Of
course, just leaving the mouse in too is ok.

I should add this and a few other things to the FAQ...  Even an xref to
the Ultrix FAQ would be a start.

Simon.