Subject: Re: SparcStation ipx versus Sparc Classic
To: PORT-SPARC <Port-SPARC@NetBSD.org>
From: Don Yuniskis <auryn@GCI-Net.com>
List: port-sparc
Date: 05/04/2002 22:33:49
> "Charles Shannon Hendrix" <shannon@widomaker.com> wrote:

> On Fri, May 03, 2002 at 09:13:21AM -0700, Don Yuniskis wrote:
>
> > You missed the point.  I don't *use* serial consoles because THEY are
> > problematic (for these reasons).  So, turning off the oscillator in the
> > "clock chip" means I have to drag out a device to act as a serial
console
> > *just* for the purpose of shutting off the oscillator.
>
> For what it's worth, I have a DEC vt510 terminal, and can plug and unplug
> at will from both of my Sun SS5 machines.  I'm fairly certain the vt310

Have you tried various "conditions" (powered, off, etc.)?  Or, do
you tend to always connect/disconnect following the same "routine"?

> behaves the same way, but I ran out of room for it and it's sitting idle.
> These terminals are dirt cheap now.

Space is at a premium -- hence the reason I run everything headless.
I could just as easily drag a monitor and keyboard around as needed
(same size as a terminal, no?).  I want to leave the monitor/keyboard
in the garage (storage) and drag something smaller around -- something
that also has other uses (besides just being a "terminal")

> The only serial problems I have with NetBSD is the shell prompts are
> still garbled.  I spent a lot of time trying to figure out why, and
> while sometimes I thought I had it down, I was never convinced that any
> one suggested problem was really the cause.
>
> It's annoying as hell that I can run perfectly with Linux and Solaris
> at up to 76800 to either of my DEC terminals, and NetBSD spews garbage
> in my prompts. :(

Hmmm....  smells like something is wrong in the UART driver...

> Ideally I'd have a terminal server, but they are expensive.

Think "surplus"  :>