Path: utzoo!utgpu!cunews!bnrgate!brtph3!brchh104!brchs1!bnr.ca!rice.edu!sun-spots-request
From: jle@cfm.brown.edu (Jon  Elion)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun
Subject: Reset command crashes the system
Keywords: Hardware
Message-ID: <729@brchh104.bnr.ca>
Date: 9 Dec 90 17:46:36 GMT
Sender: news@brchh104.bnr.ca
Organization: Sun-Spots
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Approved: Sun-Spots@rice.edu
X-Sun-Spots-Digest: Volume 9, Issue 396, message 11
X-Note: Submissions: sun-spots@rice.edu, Admin: sun-spots-request@rice.edu

Many thanks to all those responding to my problem "SunOS 4.1 crashes
exiting SunView or OpenWindows".  I received many helpful suggestions, and
one definitive solution.  I had discovered on my own that the problem was
in the use of the "reset" command, included in shell scripts that invoked
the windowing environments.  It was suggested that when running X-Windows
(or OpenWindows), instead of using "reset", one should check out "kbd_mode
-a" to clear up the console.

The correct analysis and solution came from a kind soul at Sun.COM.  Since
I have heard a rumor that Sun employees are discouraged from replying to
network queries directly, I will not mention his name -- you know who you
are and I thank you for your help.

The problem with "reset" crashing the system turns out to be an EEPROM
configuration problem. There's a location which identifies what type of
frame buffer you have.  I haved a cgsix (GX), and it was set to a be a
routine color monitor (as if you had said "eeprom console=color").  Then,
"reset" tries to talk to the board that is there, but it isn't.

The byte to be configured is location 0x1f:
	00 - monochrome monitor
	10 - ttya
	11 - ttyb
	12 - color monitor and 3/60 plug-in color frame buffer
	20 - P4 Color frame buffer

Get to the PROM monitor (for example, "shutdown -hf now").  At the ">"
prompt, change the value with the "q" command: >q 01f Your current value
will be displayed.  Enter "20", then a "." to end the patches.  Reboot,
and "reset" will be working correctly.