Subject: Re: VS2000 hardware questions
To: None <port-vax@netbsd.org>
From: Kevin Schoedel <schoedel@kw.igs.net>
List: port-vax
Date: 09/14/1998 22:53:17
On 9/12/98 at 6:16 PM -0400, you wrote:
>| When I first started the machine, it booted (Ultrix) from its ST506, but
>| since then, it has completely failed to access the disk. Question: can I
>| assume that only the old drive has died, and that I can still expect to
>| be able to run the machine diskless? The startup test reports
>|
>| 	??  7  0090  7720.7720
>
>When you first power the box up, do you hear the disk spin up, reach
>what sounds like operating speed, then after a few seconds, spin down,
>then spin up, ditto, then spin down and stay down?  If so or similar,
>that is likely the dreaded RD53 spin-up-spin-down disease.

Yes, that's it. Many thanks -- now that I know what it is, I can deal
with it independently of other problems.

I've tried running this machine diskless, and it boots happily enough,
but sooner or later -- usually sooner -- I get a message on the console:

	nfs server tide:/usr/vax/root: not responding

I don't think there is a problem with the NFS server, since other
machines can talk to it perfectly well. At the same time, traffic on the
cable drops to a brief burst every six seconds or so.

After a short time, or immediately if I ping or otherwise try to contact
the Vaxstation, it displays

	le0: dropping chained buffer

several times (not always the same number, but typically between 5 and 25
times), sometimes with an

	le0: receive buffer error

in the middle somewhere.

I've searched the archive of this list but found no reference to either
of the above messages. Can anyone shed any light on this, or tell me
where I might better ask about it?

(The machine, to recap, is a Vaxstation 2000 with 4M RAM, dormant RD53,
thin-only ethernet controller for which "T 50" reports "NI 0000.0001
V1.1", and NetBSD 1.3.2, running off a MIPS DECstation also with 1.3.2)

--
Kevin Schoedel
schoedel@kw.igs.net