SPARC SunBlade 2000 fails to find disks: ql2200_fw.bin not found, "Firmware image unavailable." (kernel 2.6.26, Debian lenny)

[Joost van Baal <joostvb-debian-sparc-20100203-2@mdcc.cx>]

Hi,

I'm installing Debian lenny on a SunBlade 2000 sparc for demo-ing at the FOSDEM
conference debian booth.  ql2200_fw.bin is not found by my kernel, while it
_is_ included in the initrd.  Booting the system from a Debian installer CD,
and supplying ql2200_fw.bin via an USB-stick works just fine: I've installed
the complete OS on the system's disks this way.

The kernel on disk is vmlinuz-2.6.26-2-sparc64 from
linux-image-2.6.26-2-sparc64 package, version 2.6.26-21.
/usr/sbin/update-initramfs is from initramfs-tools (0.92o).

Any clues on how to get this system to find it's disks is very much
appreciated.  Unfortunately little time is left for me: the conference is gonna
happen in 3 days, while the system is scheduled to get shipped there even
earlier....

Thanks, Bye,

Joost