From owner-freebsd-sparc64@FreeBSD.ORG  Thu Mar 10 07:55:02 2005
Return-Path: <owner-freebsd-sparc64@FreeBSD.ORG>
Delivered-To: freebsd-sparc64@freebsd.org
Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125])
	by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id CCE9216A4CE
	for <freebsd-sparc@FreeBSD.org>; Thu, 10 Mar 2005 07:55:02 +0000 (GMT)
Received: from carver.gumbysoft.com (carver.gumbysoft.com [66.220.23.50])
	by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A231D43D1F
	for <freebsd-sparc@FreeBSD.org>; Thu, 10 Mar 2005 07:55:02 +0000 (GMT)
	(envelope-from dwhite@gumbysoft.com)
Received: by carver.gumbysoft.com (Postfix, from userid 1000)
	id 935C572DD4; Wed,  9 Mar 2005 23:55:02 -0800 (PST)
Received: from localhost (localhost [127.0.0.1])
	by carver.gumbysoft.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 8E0EA72DCB;
	Wed,  9 Mar 2005 23:55:02 -0800 (PST)
Date: Wed, 9 Mar 2005 23:55:02 -0800 (PST)
From: Doug White <dwhite@gumbysoft.com>
To: Phil Stracchino <phil.stracchino@speakeasy.net>
In-Reply-To: <4229781B.1040609@speakeasy.net>
Message-ID: <20050309235118.I53915@carver.gumbysoft.com>
References: <4229608E.3040903@speakeasy.net>
	<20050305000429.A4084@carver.gumbysoft.com>
	<4229781B.1040609@speakeasy.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
cc: freebsd-sparc@FreeBSD.org
Subject: Re: Terminal question for U5
X-BeenThere: freebsd-sparc64@freebsd.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1
Precedence: list
List-Id: Porting FreeBSD to the Sparc <freebsd-sparc64.freebsd.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-sparc64>,
	<mailto:freebsd-sparc64-request@freebsd.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-sparc64>
List-Post: <mailto:freebsd-sparc64@freebsd.org>
List-Help: <mailto:freebsd-sparc64-request@freebsd.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-sparc64>,
	<mailto:freebsd-sparc64-request@freebsd.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 10 Mar 2005 07:55:02 -0000

On Sat, 5 Mar 2005, Phil Stracchino wrote:

> Doug White wrote:
> > On Fri, 4 Mar 2005, Phil Stracchino wrote:
> >
> >
> >>I hope this is a quickie question:  What can I do to get a usable
> >>terminal for sysinstall on a Sun Ultra5, using the default built-in
> >>framebuffer attached to a Sun 365-1343 17" color monitor?  I have a
> >>perfectly good FreeBSD 5.3 sparc64 CD here which I can't install from
> >>because I can't see what I'm doing in sysinstall, because all the
> >>available terminal types appear to assume my screen is 80x25.
> >
> >
> > Use a serial console. Plug in a null-modem cable into the serial port,
> > connect the other end to a system of choice, and unplug the sun keyboard
> > from the U5. Fire up a terminal emulator on the other system. Boot the U5
> > from CD and follow the prompts. If you have another FreeBSD or Linux
> > machine you can typically get the color menus to work :)
>
> Thanks.  I suspected something like that might be the case.
> Unfortunately, I don't have a working serial-console cable here with me.

A decent null modem cable, or parts to make one, should be US$10-$20 at
any computer shop. An essential part of any sysadmin's toolkit.  I have
one with 9 and 25-pin plugs on both ends, and a male-male gender changer
to plug into Suns. I've had it for well over 10 years.

> > Note that you can't run X on the builtin display anyway so unless you
> > particularly like the slow OBP console you'll want to use some other
> > method of communication.
>
> Well, I was figuring the box would run headless.  It's tasked to be a
> nameserver and not much else at present.  But by the sound of things,
> unless I can come up with a working serial console cable, I may have to
> rethink what to put on it.

Solaris still works and is a free download for personal use. :)

-- 
Doug White                    |  FreeBSD: The Power to Serve
dwhite@gumbysoft.com          |  www.FreeBSD.org