i've got my hands on the first sparc in my life :-) - and now i have some
questions about that in general and in combination with NetBSD (i've no docs
for the hardware :-( ) - so i have a lot of questions about it - can someone
please help my to find out the answers ? - please send your answers not only
to the port-sparc list - please send also a copy to me
(graichen@physik.fu-berlin.de) - because i'm until now not subscibed to
port-sparc (but this will hopefully change if i'll get it running :-)

it's labelled "sparc classic x" - but it looks like it is extended a bit -
from www.sun.com i found out that the classic x doesn't have an scsi
controller - but mine has at least an external scsi connector on the back - or
does als ohave the machine without the controller the connector on the back ?

on which details i can find out what machine it exactly is - and what type of
sparc would it be - sun4, sun4c, sun4m ?

i currently don't have a monitor and keyboard + mouse for it - but it looks
like i can get them eventually - what is the story with all the sparc
keyboards and mouses - can i use type 4 or type 5 or both - can i use a type 4
mouse with a type 5 keyboard ?

when i don't connect a monitor and keyboard + mouse - and instead a serial
console - will it automatically detect it and show mit the console prompt on
the serail console ?

what is it for a serial port - it's named something like a/b or so - and looks
like a standard pc-style serial connector (the wider type of those) - can i
use standard serial cables for it - or has the sun a different cabling for it
?

in the installation instruction there is a section about netbooting a
NetBSD/sparc - there are also second stage bootloader mentioned - where can i
get them from - i don't have a sunos 4 machine around here - are they
publically available somethere ?

are there any second stage bootblocks on a solaris 2.5 sparc 5 to find for me
(this is the only sparc i have also access too) ?

the mainboard has 6 simm sockets and it looks like i can use standard pc simms
- do they have to be parity simms - or will no parirty be ok too ?


do i have to fill the simms bankwise (for instance only in numbers of 2, 4 or
6 simms like in pentium pc's) or can i also use a single one ?

will it work with all types of simms (4 mb, 8mb, 16mb and 32 mb - not mixed) ?

if someone has an equal machine - is it possible to put a disk inside of it
(if it really has an scsi controller) - it has the standard classic "little
shoe box" sizes ?

lots, lots of thanks in advance for your help

t

-- 
  thomas graichen    graichen@mail.physik.fu-berlin.de    graichen@FreeBSD.org

  perfection is reached, not when there is no longer anything to add, but when
      there is no longer anything to take away    antoine de saint-exupery