[SunRescue] SPARCserver+SSA Questions (lots :)

[sparcy]

<snip>

> > that sticker number
> > didn't bring anything but a search on the DP83257VF got me to the
> > National Semiconductor site which had a datasheet on this chip, saying
> > it's a "Player & Device Enhanced FDDI Physical Layer Controller"
> > right ..... err .... so what the heck is that then ?
> > (http://207.82.57.10/pf/DP/DP83257.html#General Description)
> > It doesn't tell me much in first instance so I'm gonna read up on
> > this chip and try to figure out what it does.
> 
> Sounds like a(n?) FDDI controller chip.  FDDI is a fiber based LAN, of some
> sort.  I don't know much about it.

Yeah I looked somewhat closer at the specs at that site in the meantime,
I still don't really get it tho, it seems to be some sort of UTP port

"Alternate PMD Interface (DP83256-AP/57) supports UTP twisted pair FDDI
 PMDs with no external clock recovery or clock generation functions
 required"

But it seems to be based on fibre ? ("Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI)
ANSI X3T9.5 standard")

huh? how the heck can Unshielded Twisted Pair be based on fiber ... ?

wierd ...

<snip>

> > /usr/src/linux-2.2.*/drivers/scsi/pluto.c, and 
> > /usr/src/drivers/fc4/*.c)
> > which calls a soc module to set up initial communication with 
> > the array
> > (sending&recieving packets over the FC) and then tries to communicate
> > with the array itself. I haven't had luck with actually using it, 
> > it keeps complaining about "too many continuations for port A", I'm
> > compiling it in debug mode as we speak to see what's going on.
> 
> I don't recall looking at those drivers (not that they'd mean anything to me
> if I had...), but they look to be drivers for the FC interconnect.  If you
> want to make RAID devices, be sure to patch your kernel yourself, don't run
> off of the originals.  There is a patch that deals with some endian issues
> on the SPARC, but I can't recall where the patch is, and I don't think it's
> integrated into any of the "current" patches.  It will probably be going
> into the 2.3.x kernels, but RAID support there is currently a little
> sketchy.  Things should solidify pretty soon here, but walk with caution on
> 2.3.x kernels.
> 	Greg
> 

I wasn't even comtemplating getting RAID up yet, getting communication
up between the server and array would be nice enough for now :)

As far as the 2.3.x kernels, yeah, I already tried 2.3.99-pre1 but it
doesn't want to boot on sparc-4d yet (it boots on my SS20 fine though)
so I guess I need to wait a little more before it's somewhat more
stable.

Cheers,
sparcy.