I think I read somewhere that on these cheaper 64 bit Sun machines,
like the Ultra 5 or Ultra 10, the onboard IDE controllers are sort of
picky when connecting a hard drive.

Assuming this is the case, can I just plug in some supposedly
supported PCI IDE adapter, hook up any drive I want to it, and then
expect the firmware to know how to boot from it? I haven't messed
around too much with changing the boot path with IDE devices on Sun...
Well, I haven't done it at all. I have an Ultra5 box at work but I'd
like to put in a bigger hard drive, this is why the question comes up.

I also might try to find an Ultra 5 or Ultra 10 for home at some
point, and I'd like to be able to use a different drive if possible.

Thanks.

Andy