Sunfire 280R no screen come up

Hi arthurjb,
Thank you for your comments, it is helpful.
i followed this site as you mentioned (http://docs.sun.com/source/806-4805/setup.htm) and done with it.

your comments about "Your serial cable is probably too good, and you may have to make one with less pins.  The sun and or the laptop get confused with all the control signals.  I have found that a simple cable using just gnd tx and rx  often does the job."

I am brand new with sys admin, would you please explain little more about "make one with less pins" how do i do that? and "cable using just gnd tx and rx " what do all that mean?

thank you once again,
KB


I am new on

The cable part of it requires some hardware knowledge, because Suns use non-standard cables.

If you can solder wires, the best thing is to make a cable with the proper ends, but using only the 3 wires that I mentioned

Also, I forgot to include this link in my original answer;
http://www.sunhelp.org/unix-serial-port-resources/serial-pinouts/

This shows the pinouts and how to build cables.

Turn off the power.
Plug in monitor, the keyboard and mouse.

press <Stop> N keys when you power on the box (keep pressing the 2 keys for a 10-20 seconds)

to reset the NVRAM

Guys,

Thank you for your comments, i appreciated.
Unfortunately, I have tried all of these possible solutions, but it still does not display anything.
I am wondering maybe hardware problem?

KB

It can be frustrating the first time you try to talk to a sun system using the serial port.

If you have built a cable like I suggested, you should still get output from the serial port, even if there is some other hardware problem.

You should make sure that the usb keyboard and mouse are not connected when trying to use the serial port.

Since the machine did not have a video card when you got it, you will not be able to use the video card until you can set it up through the serial port.

One thing that always seems to work, is an old dumb terminal and a null modem cable.

I don't think the 280R has a RSC, it uses the on board serial port  (port-A) for the serial console.

>>I don't think the 280R has a RSC, it uses the on board serial port  (port-A) for the serial console

I just have a look at my 280Rs, they all come with RSC (PCI) card!

This is a used machine. I bought it from ebay. the previous owner said that they tested it thruoght the video card and it worded.
But, so far I could not get into that system throught the video card.  I tried with RJ45 with the other end built in serial port (PS2) cable. I still did not anything.

Have you tried to take RSC (PCI) card out off the box. then plug the keyboard, mouse and monitor into the box.
hold down <Stop> N  (two keys) while you turn on the power, keep pressong down the keys for longer enoug (may be up up
30 secounds), to see if it works.  (also see if the memory, CPU
is sitting in the box properly, please refer to the 280R manual, before you touch the memory and CPU).

To conenct a PC (using Hyperterm) you will need a "null-modem" serial cable (crossed wires for receive and send)

We have already told him that.  But until he finds or makes a cable that works, he is not going to be able to change the nvram...

JustUNIX,
   I like your instructions in http:#19962727, easy to follow.

    But:
    a) Remove all (!) PCI cards (including RSC card)
    should change to:
    a) Remove all (!) PCI cards (including RSC card), except the grapgic card.

     Thank you!

I strongly disagree!

If this system was tested and working except for the video card, then you are likely to introduce other problems or conditions that will make this job even harder than it is now.

In my first post, I showed Sun's official way to talk to this box, and in my second, I showed how to build a cable that is a necessary part of the process.

Pulling boards is going to do nothing to help this situation.

One thing that may help is to triple check that the video card is installed into the same slot that it was in when the system worked.

If the memory, CPU does not siting properly (due to transport), you will
have trouble to boot up the box with any type of connections.

I agree.

Making sure that everything is seated properly, cpu memory, and anything else that can come loose is a good idea.

But a Sun system like this will send diag info to the serial port even if it is in bad shape, so getting the proper cable is the first course of action.

If a Sun has no keyboard connected, it will always send diag output to the console.
Usually, the console is serial port A
Unfortunately, it can be redirected to RSC -- but when you remove the RSC card it
will become serial port A again.
The only problem: When it has been redirected to port B, this will not help :-(

I ordered RJ45 cable with PS2 the other end connection.  I asked the saler test that cable with their SUNFIRE 280R and make sure it works before ship it to me. They did test it worked for them, they also sent me the instruction about  terminal configuation 9600/8/None/1/None.
I did everything include all instructions from you guys (except build the cable as arthurjb mentioned, be honest  I am not a cable experted, i don't know how to do that). The screen still does not display.
I will double check all connection include CPU, MEMORY..... and let you guys know about result.

thank you all.

checked and everything seems connected properly. still does not display anything!!

Whend you switch on the system, there is a yellow LED on the front which sould get lit
a few times and switch off after a while. The green (power) LED should be lit steadily.

Have you already tried to remove all (!) cards when connecting your terminal (or PC) to
serial port A ?

How is your memory populated? Wich slots/banks have SIMMs in it?

Memory configration rules:
- At least one memory group must be populated, either group 0 or 1
- Four DIMMs at a time must be added within the same group
- The DIMM capacity from one group to another can differ (e.g. 128 MB
   DIMMs in group 1 and 512 MB DIMMs in group 0)

The two groups in the DIMM slots are numbered as follows:
Group Slot-Name
 0        J0100
 1        J0101
 0        J0202
 1        J0203
 0        J0304
 1        J0305
 0        J0406
 1        J0407
Therefore, the four even or the four off slots must be populated with the
same DIMM types

I've just found another way to reset the system to it's default operating parameters (NVRAM):
- Switch on your system
- The yellow LED should be flashing rapidly for about three seconds during boot
- While the LED is flashing, press the power button twice quickly (like a "double click")

This will set the values for "diag-switch?" to "true" and "use-nvramrc?" to "false".
Also, the console and diag output device to serial port A with default settings.

As these changes are temporarily (until next power-on or reset), you will have to make
them permanent (except the value for diag-switch?) by entering
  set-defaults
at the ok-prompt.

Hi guys,
I bought DB25M/DB9F serial adapter and null moderm from MircoCenter. I was able  communicated to serial port A of sunfire 280R throught my windows Hyperterminal. I got to OK prompt. I follow instruction from JustUNIX such as :
1) from OK prompt I entered
       set-defaults (hit enter)
    2) then I entered
       reset-all (hit enter)

The sunfire is reseting (reboot) and it booted up again, this time it printed some warnings like: no screen found, no keyboard.

I turned the machine off. I unpluged the adapter from serial port A. I installed the video card into the slot and also connected monitor to it, keyboard, mouse are pluged in also. I hit the power again and hopes this time it will display something on monitor. But, the screen nerver come up. I  removed everything included video card, then i connect serial port A again, i can see the OK promp again from windows terminal.

My question is how do I redirect this system to video card, so i can use monitor to install OS? I don't want to install OS throught serial port. the terminal is painfull.

thank you very much,
KB


 

Great! you have half the problem solved!

Now you have to use the serial port and hyperterm do preform the steps on this page;
http://www.sun.com/products-n-solutions/hardware/docs/html/819-3290-12/chap2.install.html#41885

Once you do that, everything should work properly.

You should keep your (working) terminal connected, to verify the graphics is working.
When switching on the system,  you should NOT see "no screen found" and "no key-
board found" anymore. If you still do, verify your graphics card is OK and keyboard is
connected.
Also, verify that you have an supported graphics card installed.

Hi arthurjb,

Thanks. It is a great link.

I plugged the video card into the slot. Then I connect the serial port for sunfire thruoght windows terminal. This time, it did not do anything.  It did not display anythings on the windows Hyperterminal. So, I unplug the video card from sunfire, then i connected  it thruoght the serial port again, and this time it displayed the OK prompt.

I follow the link (http://www.sun.com/products-n-solutions/hardware/docs/html/819-3290-12/chap2.install.html#41885). But, when i enter:
at the OK promp:  show-displays (hit enter).
It returned nothing. I don't know what to do next since it did not get to the point that document (link above) show....please advices!!!

i cut and past the output of eeprom in case if you guys need it:

# eeprom        
test-args: data not available.                              
diag-passes=1            
enclosure-type: data not available.                                  
banner-name: data not available.                                
energystar-enabled?=true                        
pcia-probe-list=4,1                  
pcib-probe-list=5,6,1,2,3,4                          
local-mac-address?=false                        
fcode-debug?=false                  
silent-mode?=false                  
scsi-initiator-id=7                  
oem-logo: data not available.                            
oem-logo?=false              
oem-banner: data not available.                              
oem-banner?=false                
ansi-terminal?=true                  
screen-#columns=80                  
screen-#rows=34              
ttyb-rts-dtr-off=false                      
ttyb-ignore-cd=true                  
ttya-rts-dtr-off=false                      
ttya-ignore-cd=true                  
ttyb-mode=9600,8,n,1,-                      
ttya-mode=9600,8,n,1,-                      
output-device=screen                    
input-device=keyboard                    
load-base=16384              
auto-boot?=true              
boot-command=boot
diag-file: data not available.
diag-device=net
boot-file: data not available.
boot-device=disk net
use-nvramrc?=false
nvramrc: data not available.
security-mode=none
security-password: data not available.
security-#badlogins=0
#power-cycles=60
diag-script=none
diag-level=min
diag-switch?=false
error-reset-recovery=boot


thank you very much,
KB

With the video card installed, it is likely to take somewhat longer to boot.

The time it takes is usually lust a little longer than you expect. :-)


With the video card removed you will not get the proper response with the show-displays command.

Before you put the card back in, change the diag-switch?=false to true.

Then reset the box.  

You will see a lot of stuff scroll across the terminal.

Then shut it down and put in the video card.

When you start it up you should see a bunch of stuff scroll across the terminal, until it gets to the point where it stops.  The information there may give you a clue.

Make sure there is no keyboard connected to the box.

You can connect a monitor, since that doesn't get auto-sensed...

Let me know how it goes.

Hi arthurjb,

I followed the instruction and it stoped at this line (i cut and past a portion of the last lines):

/pci@8,700000/ebus@5: flashprom i2c bbc ppm i2c beep rtc gpio pmc floppy paralle                        
Sun Microsystems Inc.   SunOS 5.9       Generic May 20
l serial        
/pci@8,700000/ebus@5/i2c@1,2e: nvram idprom dimm-fru dimm-fru dimm-fru dimm-fru                
# eeprom        
test-args: data not available.              
dimm-fru dimm-fru dimm-fru dimm-fru      
enclosure-type: data not  
enclosure-type: data not  
/pci@8,700000: Device 5 network firewire usb
/pci@8,700000: Device 6 scsi disk tape scsi disk tape
/pci@8,700000: Device 1 TSI,gfxp
/pci@8,700000: Device 2 pci
/pci@8,700000/pci@2: Device 0 pci108e,1000 SUNW,qfe
/pci@8,700000/pci@2: Device 1 pci108e,1000 SUNW,qfe
/pci@8,700000/pci@2: Device 2 pci108e,1000 SUNW,qfe
/pci@8,700000/pci@2: Device 3 pci108e,1000 SUNW,qfe
/pci@8,700000/pci@2: Device 4 Nothing there
/pci@8,700000/pci@2: Device 5 Nothing there
/pci@8,700000/pci@2: Device 6 Nothing there
/pci@8,700000/pci@2: Device 7 Nothing there
/pci@8,700000/pci@2: Device 8 Nothing there
/pci@8,700000/pci@2: Device 9 Nothing there
/pci@8,700000/pci@2: Device a Nothing there
/pci@8,700000/pci@2: Device b Nothing there
/pci@8,700000/pci@2: Device c Nothing there
/pci@8,700000/pci@2: Device d Nothing there
/pci@8,700000/pci@2: Device e Nothing there
/pci@8,700000/pci@2: Device f Nothing there
/pci@8,700000: Device 3 Nothing there
/pci@8,700000: Device 4 Nothing there

thanks, please advices!!
kb

Did anything appear on the monitor?

Have you kept the keyboard unplugged?


Try a different pci slot.  In some suns, some of the pci slots are fast, and some are slow.  A good idea would be to use the same slot that the board was in in the working 280r.

There was no "ok " at the end?
In this case, the console would have been something else but your serial port (graphics display?)

Also, whre does the line
  Sun Microsystems Inc.   SunOS 5.9       Generic May 20
come from? Right in between
  /pci@8,700000/ebus@5: flashprom i2c bbc ppm i2c beep rtc gpio pmc floppy parallel serial        
  /pci@8,700000/ebus@5/i2c@1,2e: nvram idprom dimm-fru dimm-fru dimm-fru dimm-fru                

If you don't get an "ok " prompt on your serial console, the graphics card acts as a console already.

Did you connect a monitor to the graphics card's HD15 connector (don't use the DVI connector) ?

guys,

I tried all everythings included re-sit the video card. But, it still does not display anything. But, if i unplug the video card, and use the serial terminal through windows. then I can see OK promp from terminal.