Subject: Re: Here comes the Suns
To: Davyd Norris <Davyd.Norris@fcollins.com.au>
From: Jukka Marin <jmarin@teeri.jmp.fi>
List: current-users
Date: 03/21/1996 16:03:18
> Motorola 68020 and 68888 processors (they were CAD stations, so I got =
> FPUs !!)

68020 and 68881, you mean. :-)

> That's it.  I hope that answers the flame wars over 24bit - I don't =
> think it looks 24 bit to me, and when I picked them up, they were not as
> sure as they were over the phone, but a box is a box is a box...

Sounds like cg4 to me.  256 colors + an extra plane four mouse pointer.
> 
> Now the hairy bit.  I put 8x1Meg SIMMs from a PC into the box.  These =
> looked two different types in 4x2 lots, so I grouped them.

Put the first SIMMs in the sockets closest to the front of the machine.

> Does
> parity count on the Suns?

Yes.

> I plugged everything in and put a t-piece =
> terminator on the Ethernet, stood back and fired up. NADA. Except
> for a fan.  I half expected *some* screen activity but I don't know if I =
> got the sync line on the right connector, or the switches right.  I also
> noticed some diagnostic leds on the back, and a switch that can be set =
> to norm or diag, so I played with that, but the LEDs do the same
> thing each way.  They seem to be counting singly from right to left, =
> then the first (left) led and the last three stay on.

Get the Sun hardware FAQ.  It describes the LEDs (among other things).
I can't seem to find my copy. :-(

You need to have keyboard and mouse connected to the machine if you want
to use the local display.  Console may have been configured to serial
port A as well (check with a terminal set to 9600 bps or 19200 bps).
If so, you'll need to change the settings in EEPROM using the Sun eeprom
command (or the boot monitor, I think).

BTW, the boot monitor runs even _without_ any RAM installed.  That's the
way things should be... :-)))


  -jm