cd-rom / net booting netbsd-5 on v120

[David Young <dyoung%pobox.com@localhost>]

I had the hardest time booting 5.0 on my Sun Fire V120.  I did
eventually get it to work, so consider this a "state of NetBSD/sparc64
report" from a new-ish user of that port.  I tried both to boot an
ISO9660 image and to netboot.

CD-ROM Boot
------ ----

An "official" sparc64cd-5.0.iso boots fine.  Sysinst has some problems,
though: I cannot navigate lists such as the one for timezones with
up-/down-arrow, ^P/^N, j/k.  Even with sysinst broken in this way, I was
eventually able to install the system.

An "unofficial" ISO9660 image that I built from the netbsd-5 branch with
'./build.sh tools distribution release iso-image' does not boot:

  ok boot cdrom

  LOM event: +21h37m35s host reset
  Resetting ...


  Sun Fire V120 (UltraSPARC-IIe 548MHz), No Keyboard
  OpenBoot 4.0, 1024 MB memory installed, Serial #51802521.
  Ethernet address 0:3:ba:16:71:99, Host ID: 83167199.



  Executing last command: boot cdrom
  Boot device: /pci@1f,0/pci@1,1/ide@d/cdrom@0,0:f  File and args:
  Can't read disk label.
  Can't open disk label package
  Evaluating: boot cdrom

  Can't open boot device

I have also tried 'boot cdrom:a' through 'boot cdrom:g'.  No luck.

Net Boot
--- ----

I got close to net-booting the V120 using DHCP.  OpenBoot eventually
found and loaded ofwboot.net with DHCP/TFTP.  It only got a DHCP reply
after four tries---is that normal?  (On the DHCP server, TCPDump only
showed the fourth request.)

  ok boot net:dhcp

  LOM event: +21h46m13s host reset
  Resetting ...


  Sun Fire V120 (UltraSPARC-IIe 548MHz), No Keyboard
  OpenBoot 4.0, 1024 MB memory installed, Serial #51802521.
  Ethernet address 0:3:ba:16:71:99, Host ID: 83167199.



  Executing last command: boot net:dhcp
  Boot device: /pci@1f,0/pci@1,1/network@c,1:dhcp  File and args:
  Timeout waiting for BOOTP/DHCP reply. Retrying ...
  Timeout waiting for BOOTP/DHCP reply. Retrying ...
  Timeout waiting for BOOTP/DHCP reply. Retrying ...
  >> NetBSD/sparc64 OpenFirmware Boot, Revision 1.13
  bootp: no reply
  No response for RARP request
  open netbsd: Unknown error: code 60
  Failed to load 'netbsd'.
  : trying netbsd.gz...
  bootp: no reply
  No response for RARP request
  open netbsd.gz: Unknown error: code 60
  Failed to load 'netbsd.gz'.
  : trying netbsd.old...
  bootp: no reply
  No response for RARP request
  open netbsd.old: Unknown error: code 60

(et cetera)


Dave

-- 
David Young             OJC Technologies
dyoung%ojctech.com@localhost      Urbana, IL * (217) 278-3933