> Date: Sun, 24 Mar 1996 15:10:52 -0500
> From: "Mark W. Eichin" <eichin@kitten.gen.ma.us>

> >> However, this console starts doing things at the same time that the
> >> video would.
> 
> Perhaps on a 4/260; on a 3/50, the PROM selftests, MMU tests and page
> map tests get dumped to serial, as does the overall memory test, but
> they don't go to video. (This can be distressing on a 12M sun3, as the
> memory test for 12M takes a *long* time...)

Yes, the memory test is slow.  I always set the eeprom "memtest"
variable to 4MB so I don't wait so long for memory tests.  Then,
if I get suspicious of the RAM, just boot in diagnostic mode to
test the remaining RAM.

Leaving the memtest permanently at 4MB also means you have less
chance of running out of EEPROM write cycles (which are limited).

Gordon