Re: Netboot E250 -- tftp problem, cables and IDE

[Geert Stappers <stappers@stappers.nl>]

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Op 23-01-2008 om 10:30 schreef Hero_xbd!.RRR:
> Martin wrote:
>> PC in dorm <--> ... some network ... <--> switch <--> server
>>                                              ^
>>                                              |
>>                                              |
>>                                              V
>>                                             E250
>>
>> (Where arrows are ethernet cables)
>>
>> then you will have tested all but the cable that goes from the switch to
>> the E250.  If your topology is different then what you have tested will
>> be different.
>>   
> Hmm, I think I can interchange the cable of E250 and server to test(The 
> Switch is not accessible to me now)

In another posting there was stated to not use a switch.
My advice is to NOT got there. Even if you have a UTP cross cable,
there is still the risk that it fails due no link single.

I recomment to use some home office switch, one of those simple eight
port devices. And replug UTP cable when debian-installer is netbooted.

Start:
univeristy       core       small
network         switch     switch
                           ^    ^
                          /     |
                         /      |
                        /       |
                       v        V
                    E250        startsrv

Replugged:
univeristy       core       small
network         switch     switch
                    ^
                    |
                    |
                    |
                    v
                 E250        startsrv

That way you have only to install rarpd & tftp programs
on the start server, only configure /etc/ethers
and only the sparc boot image in the tftpboot directory
( no http server, no debian archive mirror )
				

>> PS If you get really stuck netbooting, you could pull the disks, dump a
>> minimal filesystem on them and then boot from disk.
>>   
> E250 is using an old scsi interface. Here in my university you can rarely 
> see scsi, and if there is one, it is of new interface...
>
> I myself is not fimilar with scsi, I do not know the specification of the 
> bus(I know they're different, one is old one is new)

Is the CDROM driver also a SCSI device? ( It might be IDE ... )

> Oh, perhaps I can have an IDE PCI card on E250 use an IDE HDD to boot. 

The original idea[1] of PCI was, to put machine independent program code
in the ROMs of the cards. So when you have IDE PCI card with bootROM,
that boots for an i386, your changes are good that it boots on Sparc.

> While I am still curious about what is blocking me from netbooting...

Me too


Cheers
Geert Stappers


[1] Actual it is in the specification of PCI.

PS If you get _really stuck_ netbooting, you could consider serial
download. ( might even work for a firmware upgrade )
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