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From: alen@crash.cts.com (Alen Shapiro)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun
Subject: Re: Sparc won't boot w/ serial devs attached???
Keywords: Hardware
Message-ID: <1990Oct7.221528.25635@rice.edu>
Date: 7 Oct 90 21:30:00 GMT
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X-Sun-Spots-Digest: Volume 9, Issue 328, message 6
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In article <1990Aug23.225050.9705@rice.edu> david@msri.org (David Mostardi) writes:
>Is it *really* true that a Sparcstation 1 won't boot if there are any
>devices (say, modems) attached to the serial ports?  The techie at Sun
>believes this is true.  Is there any way around this incredible problem?

I found this to be true but only when my Microcom modem was connected.
The problem does not occur on an identically configured SS1+.  I did not
track the problem down with a breakout box but it did not occur when
either mac+ or Jasmine-Backpack modem were connected (to the SS1).  >From
what I remember, switching from ttya to ttyb made no difference.

The SS1 would break-out to the microcode monitor with the keyboard
disabled for further input during auto-boot at the point after the "dma0
at Sbus" message was printed. (obviously a new definition of auto-boot
that we have not yet come across :-))

When I reported the problem sun-800 did each of the following (in turn)

1) deny there was a problem
2) claim there was something wrong with my modem
3) suggest I disconnect the modem during boot
4) close the service request

I was less than happy with this response but that's another (longer)
story.

--alen the Lisa Slayer (trying to turn a SPARC into a flame)
    alen%shappy.uucp@crash.cts.com (a mac+ uucp host - what a concept!!)
    alen@crash.cts.com