Re: SparcStation 4 serial console

[Riccardo Mottola <riccardo.mottola%libero.it@localhost>]

Hi,

Mouse wrote:

> You've got a cg14?  Nice!  (What does the SS4 have onboard?  It's been
> too long since I worked with one.)

Yes, I also have the VRAM card for the SS20 and SS10 (the half-RAM 
version though) but removed it to free up more RAM place since I use it 
without video. It was so slow anyay with NetBSD compared to Solaris. I 
think I have a spare one now if I didn't give it away... should I check 
for you?

The SS4 reports TCX vide.


> Yes, in general the ROMs will fall back to serial console when no
> keyboard is present.  (The kernel uses the ROM's console spec in my
> experience, but, even if that's changed in the versions you're using,
> you should get serial console for OBP at least.)

That is why I am puzzled.
> Okay, so that's not it.
>
> What do they have diag-switch? set to?  I think if diag-switch? is set
> true then OBP will talk to ttyb regardless of the ordinary console
> setting, so if you're using the B connector on your Y cable and the '10
> and '20 have diag-switch? set true but the '4 doesn't that might have
> some relevance.

diag-switch is false. Didn't check on SS10 and SS20, but if i remember 
with diag-switch it would not autoboot...

> Also, what are ttya-mode and ttyb-mode?  In general, the wrong baud
> rate just produces baud barf.  But, if the mismatch is extreme enough,
> you can get nothing but 0x00 or 0xff octets, which might look like no
> output.
ttyb-rts-dtr-off=false
ttyb-ignore-cd=true
ttya-rts-dtr-off=false
ttya-ignore-cd=true
ttyb-mode=9600,8,n,1,-
ttya-mode=9600,8,n,1,-


But this looks like classic 9600/8/N/1 setup

> Another possibility is that the serial output driver on the '4 is
> fried.  If you boot it and write to the serial ports from NetBSD, do
> you get any output?

No. No output... but the idea of Brian with getty gave me an idea.
I enabled getty on both ttya & ttyb

I tinkered to connect with that cable and a couple of other 
combinations, one never knows.
I noticed login appeared shortly and getty, like:

   0 575    1     0  85  0  5812 1528 ttyraw Ss+  ttyb  0:00.11 
/usr/libexec/getty std.9600 ttyb

With some patience and attempts, I could blindly login! and type a command.
So I can send data to the SS4, but not receive it.

I tried both serial port A and B! I can login in both, but get no output.

I think it is unlikely that both output drivers are fried...

However minicom reports me always offline, the cables probably don't 
carry DTR over correcly (or CD?)

I wonder if that could disturb the SS4.. but not the SS10 & SS20...



> Of particular relevance now, old video hardware such as the cg6 and
> cg14 have a very limited list of video modes they can run in.  (The
> cg14 is capable of more than the ROM-provided modes, but it's still
> fairly restricted as compared to the peecee video that the modern
> "monitor dictates the video parameters" model seems to be expecting.)

The SS4 has TCX:

[     1.000006] tcx0 at sbus0 slot 2 offset 0x800000 level 5 (ipl 9) 
(8-bit only TCX)
[     1.000006] tcx0: SUNW,tcx, 1152 x 900
[     1.000006] tcx0: id 0, rev 2, sense 0
[     1.000006] tcx0: autoconfiguration error: (console)
[     1.000006] tcx0: attached to /dev/fb0

and my monitor would like to do 1290x1024, it is a good old 4:3 LCD form 
IBM times. With dual-input VGA + HDMI!

Riccardo