[rescue] howto make multiple main boards work on a Sun Sparc 670/MP

[Dave McGuire]

On June 15, Rob wrote:
> >  You need to be running relatively new boot ROMs, though I don't
> >recall which version in particular...if you do a "printenv" at the
> >"ok" prompt and you see an option called "vme-loopback?" then you ROMs
> >are new enough.  Set that option to "yes"...multiple boards can now
> >coexist in the same backplane.  I've seen this done with up to four or
> >five 4/600 boards in a 690 chassis.
> 
> *Kick*Ass*!  Thanks! 
> 
> I got it working so far with 2 boards and a 670 chasis.  For the record, 
> 'skip-vme-loopback?' was the name of the option, but I was all ready

  Oh, ok...brain parity failure...sorry 'bout that.

> So, the next big question is : where can I get more boards?  And potentially, 
> more ram?  ebay seems like a reasonable start, but presumably the members of 
> this list know where to get stuff cheap :)

  They're around...Mike Nicewonger has a few, I have a few...we're
both local to you...

> Also, ideas for an os?  Last I heard, linux didn't work on these things, but 
> I've never gotten a clear answer why?  I fancy myself kinda a kernel hacker, 
> so I would love to get this thing penguin powered.  I guess my other choices 
> are netbsd/openbsd and sunos/solaris.  For people out there who are running 
> these things, what are you using?  (Not trying to start/restart an OS flame 
> war :)

  Eh?  No way.  Unless they've *broken* support for the 4/600, Linux
sure does run on them.  My main desktop machine about three years ago
was a 4/600 with two SM61s and two CG6s in a 4/110 chassis running
a very early SparcLinux/SMP.  It was VERY zippy and quite stable,
surprisingly enough.

  But...for serious performance and much greater stability, I'd put
NetBSD on them.

           -Dave McGuire