Re: Sun Sparc-Station 5 and Debian
>> First off, do you know what graphics card it is (probably a cg6 or a TCX)?
>>
>If i remember correctly it's a TCX (the Sparc's processor looks real
>tiny compared to the processor on this gfx card). I know that this is the
>card one uses when doing CAD on this machine because it's capable to show
>wireframes in real-time. I'll know in about 16 hours.
Hehe, the name microsparc certainly makes sense ;-)
>> Recent Sun graphics cards run at 1152x900@76Hz, however it's possible to
>Ah, yes... i remember watching the output of the first monitor we tried
>(was a Sun monitor - about a year old). I didn't mention this before. A
>message was written to the screen telling us that the card needs the
>res./freq. you mentioned above. BTW the monitor was specified for doing
>just that, but no goes.
>> change the resoltion and refresh rates on some (most?) either via the
>> monitor identity pins in the connector or by setting the output-device
>> variable in the NVRAM.
>Sun's docs are nice. They tell you how to open/close a machine, how
>to do this and that but i don't remember that they gave me that much
>information like you do - in none of their fool-proof docs :) [please
>don't flame me, just wondering why most of the docs ommit the real
>needed info's - in many systems - and: i like Sun and their machines]
I think that it's the general tendency to try and protect you from
yourself (or something like that). Though Sun tends to be better at
giving information than most (or used to at least).
>> If you have a recent Sun monitor and nothing in
>> the NVRAM, it should work.
>For now i do only have access to a few mostly high-end multisync
>monitors (17"-21") which all (even the 17") meet the needed
>res./freq. But i can get a real Sun monitor in a few days.
>Fortunately i have access to one - if (and this is the funny part) i
>am able to show that the card is working properly - so the weird
>thing is - i must establish this with a non Sun monitor. Should i say
>that financial reasons raise such situations :(
Well, from what it sounds like (with the SGI monitor and the fixed
frequency monitor you mentioned) the card is working, but you seem to
be having problems with getting the sync to the monitor.
>> >The first thing for me is to install Debian :) (stable enough?)
>> >
>> >The second thing may be to install Solaris (pro's, con's, suggestions?)
>>
>> Solaris is still more stable than Linux, but it has a significantly larger
>> memory footprint. If you plan on running X, 32MB isn't enough. Meanwhile
>> my sparc classic with 24MB doesn't swap too badly when I compile stuff with
>> it (though I generally don't run X on it, I just build it ;).
>So, min. 64MB or probably more should fit(?). So i hope the Gfx card
>will do what it's made for - then the Sun will be my terminal and the
>SMP-PC will be the background server (and more). If there may be no
>way to get the card up and running fine (what i don't expect), i'll
>have to put in some RAM and then the Sun will be the background
>server. BTW i'll try do do a more minimalistic debian install on the
>Sun, so i hope i won't hit too many bugs (and at least i don't expect
>to be hit that hard - i trust Debian:)
I realize I should have been a bit clearer. 32MB should be fine with X
on Linux, on Solaris you want more than that if you want to use X (64
and probably 48 should be enough). Though more memory can't hurt ;-)
>Anders, many thanks in the first place! You gave me more than enough
>hints and valuable info - so i'm quite confident to be able to come
>back to the list tomorrow (oh, today, hehe) with a sum of positive
>steps (which i hopefully may accomplish today). In any way, today
>i'll come back. Either with news or more specific info and questions
>;)
Please do, it's nice to know that we are a growing bunch :-)
>Ah, where do i get the pin-specs for the std RGB connector of the
>card? I tried Sun's homepage but didn't find anything. BTW i have to
>cables. One is std RGB connector <--> std VGA monitor connector and
>the other is std RGB connector <--> std RGB connector (which is
>probably useless for me)
>From the Sun Hardware FAQ by James Birdsall:
COLOR
"4BNC" connectors are, as might be expected, four BNC connectors:
red, green, blue, and sync. "13W3" is an unusual connector combining a
10-pin D-shell and analog three video conductors:
gray/ 1 gnd*
red * * green blue 2 vertical sync*
| 1o 2o 3o 4o 5o | | 3 sense #2
(O) (O) (O) 4 sense gnd
6o 7o 8o 9o 10o 5 composite sync
* * 6 horizontal sync*
7 gnd*
* Considered obsolete, may not be 8 sense #1
connected. 9 sense #0
10 composite gnd
The codes for the three monitor-sense bits are:
0 ??? 4 1152 x 900 76Hz 19"
1 reserved 5 reserved
2 1280 x 1024 76Hz 6 1152 x 900 76Hz 16-17"
3 1152 x 900 66Hz 7 no monitor connected
>My monitors supply std VGA monitor connectors and 5BNC (RGB and HV
>sync). Another cable with 5BNC connector <--> std VGA connector is
>here, too. So i have to buy another cable and/or an adapter - or to
>solder it myself.
Well my sparcclassic is hooked up to an ordinary multisync with half
of a 13W3 <--> 13W3 cable that has had 4BNC:s (RGB + C sync. Usually
one of H or V sync on the monitor doubles as C sync) inplanted on it.
Works fine ;-)
Regards,
/Anders--
-- Of course I'm crazy, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong.
Anders Hammarquist | Mud at Kingdoms | iko@netg.se
NetGuide Scandinavia | telnet kingdoms.se 1812 | Fax: +46 31 50 79 39
http://www.netg.se | | Tel: +46 31 50 79 40
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