Re: SparcStation 2 POST

[McGrude <mcgrude%gmail.com@localhost>]

Just an update in case anyone was curious.   With the right null-modem
cable I could see the SparcStation2 come alive and complete POST,
complained about dead NVRAM battery (as expected) set the diag-boot?
variable to true and started testing RAM.   It lives.   Now just need
to find the time to actually sit down to setup the a netbooting
environment.

 - Mike



On Wed, Jul 26, 2017 at 11:45 AM, McGrude <mcgrude%gmail.com@localhost> wrote:
>
> I've just come to acquire two SparcStation 2s.    One didn't have enough ram
> sticks (only 3 of the minimum 4), but the other had 8.
>
> I am trying to get either to at least give me some reassuring POST results
> (via the keyboard LEDs) and then hopefully I can move on to serial console
> and net-booting NetBSD.
>
> I've got the Sun (Oracle) SparcStation 2 Field Service manual PDF file but
> it isn't helping with determining what POST is trying to tell me.
>
> When I power either of them on (with the ram in the correct banks) the LEDs
> quickly move to a state of the CAPS LOCK being solid on, and the COMPOSE,
> SCROLL LOCK, and NUM LOCK, blinking in a repeating sequence one after the
> other.
>
> Does anyone know what it is trying to tell me?   I haven't yet got a console
> connected to ttya so I can't check for output there yet.   I was hoping to
> get a better indication of hardware health from POST before I spend much
> more time on these cute little buggers.
>
> Thanks a bunch,
>
>
>  - Mike
>
>



-- 
evil's blind spot is the arrogance of assuming nobody will resist you