[RndTbl] Need help with serial connection

[Kevin McGregor]

According to http://www.sun.com/servers/rsc.html, "You must install and
configure RSC on the supported platforms prior to using RSC."

This machine was not bought new from Sun, so I don't know how the boot PROM
is configured.

I booted the machine with one (or more) of my cable combinations and only
got some output once, with the cyan Cisco cable!

I tried all of the port and cable combinations I could think of, but I still
seem to get no response. I have what looks like a Sun cable (labelled
530-3623-01 Rev.53 MEI 0803) with an adapter (RJ-45 to RS-232 25-pin), but I
only have 9-pin ports available. I have a RJ-45 to 9-pin adapter, but it may
not have the required pins connected.

So, yeah, if you have a real Sun cable and it has a 9-pin connector, I would
love to try that!

Just to be clear, I haven't even seen any boot diagnostic output ever on
this machine, and there is no framebuffer installed. If I was even getting
the diagnostic output, I'd be thrilled.

Kevin

On Sat, May 28, 2011 at 11:58 AM, Daryl F <wyatt at prairieturtle.ca> wrote:

> On Fri, 27 May 2011, Kevin McGregor wrote:
>
>  Makes sense. I'll try it on Monday.
>>
>> On Fri, May 27, 2011 at 4:01 PM, Adam Thompson <athompso at athompso.net
>> >wrote:
>>
>>  Usually it's the other way 'round, as the mgmt port is used for remote
>>> "lights-out" installs.
>>> You can connect to a virtual console port through the sun mgmt port, so
>>> you
>>> should never need both.
>>>
>>>
>>> Kevin McGregor <kevin.a.mcgregor at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>  No frame buffer is present. I just want to manage the machine via serial
>>>> port for now. You can't use the management port until you've installed
>>>> the
>>>> OS and configured it, is my understanding.
>>>>
>>>
> An installed OS is not needed to use a Remote System Control card (RSC)
> that runs the LOM firmware. It is a complete "computer" of its own with
> RAM/CPU/etc completely separated from the SPARC system itself. Note this a
> card. If you do have one the jacks will be in the card slots, not on the
> chassis of the server itself. If you think you do have an RSC, rscadm(1M)
> can be used from the Solaris host to manipulate it.
>
> An RSC is not affected by rebooting the server through software or the
> hardware. It runs even when the server is powered off. A/C power must be
> removed on all chassis power supplies for at least 30 seconds to make it
> reset. rscadm can also reset it if you Solaris running.
>
> The serial port is a different critter altogether. The boot PROM uses it
> during boot initialisation right up to the point where the loaded OS is
> given control. What happens then depends on the boot PROM settings. It may
> direct the console to the serial port or the framebuffer.
>
> Any chance someone changed the boot PROM settings from factory default? It
> sounds like they've changed them to redirect the console to the framebuffer
> even if there isn't one installed. In that case you only see the hardware
> diagnostics, then when the loader passes control to the booting OS the
> console output may shifted to the framebuffer if the factory default has
> been changed.
>
>
>
>>>> On Fri, May 27, 2011 at 2:28 PM, Adam Thompson <athompso at athompso.net
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>  Not if there's a frame buffer installed.  And that sound like you're in
>>>>>
>>>> the
>>>
>>>> host serial port, not the management port.  Which do you want to be
>>>>> connected to?
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Kevin McGregor <kevin.a.mcgregor at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>  Do I have the wrong cable? I think it's one of those ones used to
>>>>>>
>>>>> attach
>>>
>>>> to
>>>>>
>>>>>> Cisco equipment, 9-pin RS-232 to RJ-45.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I had it working, briefly, but it stopped again. I think it had booted
>>>>>>
>>>>> from
>>>>>
>>>>>> the CD, and was pouring out messages about a buffer overflow plus a
>>>>>> language-selection menu (repeatedly) as fast as 9600 bps would allow.
>>>>>>
>>>>> Then
>>>
>>>> I
>>>>>
>>>>>> removed the CD and rebooted and now nothing. With a Sun Fire,
>>>>>> shouldn't
>>>>>>
>>>>> I
>>>
>>>> be
>>>>>
>>>>>> able to turn the front-panel switch to "Normal" and press the power
>>>>>>
>>>>> button?
>>>>>
>>>>>> I did that, and I'm getting nothing on the serial interface. I should
>>>>>>
>>>>> be
>>>
>>>> getting POST messages at least.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
> Cyan-colored Cisco cables don't work. The signal wires are not the same.
> They work for a bit but the first time the sending rate from the server gets
> too high the serial connection hangs.
>
> You need a DB9-to-RJ45 adapter and a plain RJ-45 ribbon cable (not twisted
> pair -- it freaks out RS-232). I have a ton of them at work if you need one.
> Oracle (nee Sun) ships one with each server but we use only the network
> management port these days.
>
>
>
>  On Fri, May 27, 2011 at 10:43 AM, Adam Thompson <athompso at athompso.net
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  Turn off hardware flow control (RTS/CTS or DTS/DSR) and use software
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> flow
>>>>>
>>>>>> control (XON/XOFF) instead.
>>>>>>> Also, if you don't want to use minicom, (the modem AT initialization
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> is
>>>
>>>> a
>>>>>
>>>>>> pain to turn off completely) just use screen instead:
>>>>>>> "screen /dev ttys0 9600"
>>>>>>> -Adam
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Kevin McGregor <kevin.a.mcgregor at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>  This is driving me nuts, since it was working and now it isn't and I
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> have
>>>>>
>>>>>> no
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> idea what has changed. I hope someone can help.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> I have a SunFire V490 at work. I also have a HP ProLiant server in
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> the
>>>
>>>> same
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> rack, which is running Ubuntu Server 10.04. I've got the weird cyan
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> serial
>>>>>
>>>>>> cable plugged in to the lone serial port on the ProLiant and the
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> other
>>>
>>>> end
>>>>>
>>>>>> plugged into the V490 port ("SERIAL"). I've got minicom running on
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> the
>>>
>>>> Linux
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> box configured for 9600, 8N1 on /dev/ttyS0. minicom's status line
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> reports
>>>>>
>>>>>> "OFFLINE", and I get no response to any keyboard input.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> What's wrong? I can freely power off/on the SunFire and anything
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> else I
>>>
>>>> want
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> to do with it. I have the keys for the front panel, too. Do I have
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> to
>>>
>>>> switch
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> it to diagnostics mode or something? We had it working before, and
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> it
>>>
>>>> was
>>>>>
>>>>>> quite easy.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
> Switching the key to diagnostics mode will only get you more diagnostics.
> Never run a production server in diagnostics mode. It greatly slows down
> system recovery in the event of a power outage/restoral. That assumes
> auto-boot? is set True in the boot PROM as it should be in a production
> server.
>
>
> HTH,
> -Daryl
>
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