Re: NetBSD 8.1 / Sun Ultra5 install crash during initial kernel device autosizing

[Michael <macallan%netbsd.org@localhost>]

Hello,

On Tue, 3 Dec 2019 18:54:56 -0500
Jacob Ritorto <jacob.ritorto%gmail.com@localhost> wrote:

> Hi folks!
>   I have a 360MHz CPU, 512MB RAM Sun Ultra5 that, when booting from
> the NetBSD 8.1 install CDROM and working through the kernel's initial
> autosizing of devices, gets to mentioning the discovery of its m64
> graphics card, very briefly distorts the screen as if changing into
> some other frame buffer mode and abruptly goes black right then and
> there.  Even the monitor (Sun GDM-21) switches off and there's no more
> activity from the cdrom (which leads me to believe it's crashed,
> though I haven't tried a serial console yet.

Hmm, that's odd.

> Is that a known issue?

No.

> Any guesses known workarounds?

Do you have a different monitor to try? This looks like machfb tries to
program a video mode and for some reason screws up. My initial thought
is that maybe the monitor's EDID block describes a mode machfb can't
support for whatever reason. 

> P.S. It does the exact same thing on my other Ultra5 with 256MB RAM,
> so unlikely just a broken hardware.

I suspect the monitor, or rather machfb's interaction with it.

have fun
Michael