SEO

A while back I picked up a Sparcserver 670MP. I had no idea if it worked
or not, but it was free so that wasn't much of a turnoff. It sat idle for
a while until I picked up a framebuffer card, and it fired up and tested
the memory without issue.
Now that I know that the thing works I want to go about getting some hard
disks in it and getting the old beast up and running, but I'm unable to
find a free (beer or speech) operating system that completely supports the
machine. As far as I know Linux supports SMP but not the VME bus. NetBSD
and OpenBSD supports the VME bus but not SMP.
Any suggestions?

On Mon, 19 Jan 2004, Enoch Zembecowicz wrote:

> Any suggestions?

Solaris 2.5.1 HW 11/97 is your best bet. It was the last
release of Solaris to support those old machines.

--
Rich Teer, SCNA, SCSA

President,
Rite Online Inc.

Voice: +1 (250) 979-1638
URL: http://www.rite-online.net

On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 20:27:30 +0000, Rich Teer wrote:

> On Mon, 19 Jan 2004, Enoch Zembecowicz wrote:
>
>> Any suggestions?
>
> Solaris 2.5.1 HW 11/97 is your best bet. It was the last
> release of Solaris to support those old machines.
Thanks for the info Rich.
Do you know if Sun has a program to give free/reduced cost licenses of
their old OS'es to hobbyists/students?

On Mon, 19 Jan 2004, Enoch Zembecowicz wrote:

> Thanks for the info Rich.
> Do you know if Sun has a program to give free/reduced cost licenses of
> their old OS'es to hobbyists/students?

The Solaris license is free for hobbyists students, but
even if it weren't I can tell you now (although IANAL
and don't speak for Sun) that Sun aren't going to try
to scare a license fee from you for this ancient stuff!

The hardest job will be finding a suitable media kit.
For that, Ebay is your best bet.

HTH,

--
Rich Teer, SCNA, SCSA

President,
Rite Online Inc.

Voice: +1 (250) 979-1638
URL: http://www.rite-online.net

If anyone reading has a media kit that they'd be willing to copy I would
gladly pay for the cost of media and shipping.
On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 22:13:43
+0000, Rich Teer wrote:

> On Mon, 19 Jan 2004, Enoch Zembecowicz wrote:
>
>> Thanks for the info Rich.
>> Do you know if Sun has a program to give free/reduced cost licenses of
>> their old OS'es to hobbyists/students?
>
> The Solaris license is free for hobbyists students, but
> even if it weren't I can tell you now (although IANAL
> and don't speak for Sun) that Sun aren't going to try
> to scare a license fee from you for this ancient stuff!
>
> The hardest job will be finding a suitable media kit.
> For that, Ebay is your best bet.
>
> HTH,

Enoch Zembecowicz wrote:

>If anyone reading has a media kit that they'd be willing to copy I would
>gladly pay for the cost of media and shipping.
>On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 22:13:43
>+0000, Rich Teer wrote:
>
It would be helpful (at least to me) if you said where you were located.

Bill K7NOM

>
>
>
>>On Mon, 19 Jan 2004, Enoch Zembecowicz wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>>Thanks for the info Rich.
>>>Do you know if Sun has a program to give free/reduced cost licenses of
>>>their old OS'es to hobbyists/students?
>>>
>>>
>>The Solaris license is free for hobbyists students, but
>>even if it weren't I can tell you now (although IANAL
>>and don't speak for Sun) that Sun aren't going to try
>>to scare a license fee from you for this ancient stuff!
>>
>>The hardest job will be finding a suitable media kit.
>>For that, Ebay is your best bet.
>>
>>HTH,
>>
>>
>
>
>

Enoch Zembecowicz <enoch@zembecowicz.org> writes:

>A while back I picked up a Sparcserver 670MP. I had no idea if it worked
>or not, but it was free so that wasn't much of a turnoff. It sat idle for
>a while until I picked up a framebuffer card, and it fired up and tested
>the memory without issue.
>Now that I know that the thing works I want to go about getting some hard
>disks in it and getting the old beast up and running, but I'm unable to
>find a free (beer or speech) operating system that completely supports the
>machine. As far as I know Linux supports SMP but not the VME bus. NetBSD
>and OpenBSD supports the VME bus but not SMP.
>Any suggestions?

I'm about to attempt getting Gentoo Linux running on my SS600 system. My
machine is an SS600 system board mounted in an old Sun 3/110 3-slot SunVME
enclosure which has the floor-standing tower kit fitted. Makes for a really
neat machine.

The question will be just how well Gentoo Linux supports the devices on the
system board...

Anyone have any experience with Gentoo on the SS600MP platform?

Craig.
--
SUN RIPENED KERNELS - Surplus Sun Microsystems Equipment, Parts + Accessories
Waterfall, NSW, Australia - Operated by Craig Dewick - Founded in 1996
Main site: www.sunrk.com.au - Ebay Shop: www.ebayshops.com.au/sunripenedkernels
Ph: +612-9520-2547 - Fax: +612-9520-2557 - Mobile: 04-2163-0547 (int. +614)

>>A while back I picked up a Sparcserver 670MP. I had no idea if it worked
>>or not, but it was free so that wasn't much of a turnoff. It sat idle for
>>a while until I picked up a framebuffer card, and it fired up and tested
>>the memory without issue.
>>Now that I know that the thing works I want to go about getting some hard
>>disks in it and getting the old beast up and running, but I'm unable to
>>find a free (beer or speech) operating system that completely supports the
>>machine. As far as I know Linux supports SMP but not the VME bus. NetBSD
>>and OpenBSD supports the VME bus but not SMP.
>>Any suggestions?

Actually, you can run Solaris 8 (maybe even 9) on a SPARCserver 670MP,
provided that your MBUS CPU modules are still supported (it's the same type
of modules used in the SS10/SS20/SS1000/SS2000). However, you won't get
VME support (that's ok, the 600-series also has SBus, and I doubt you'll
run across any VME cards you really need anyways). Basically, you just
have to hack the kernel to disable a section that essentially says "If this
is a 600MP series machine, don't boot". In reality, the 600MP series is
just a sun4m /w VME slots. So Solaris 8 will work just fine, albeit
without VME support.

http://lios.apana.org.au/~cdewick/su...sunos_6x0.html
(these instructions are for Solaris 2.6, but I've used them (albiet with
some poking around, as the addresses in the 8 kernel are different) to
successfully hack a Solaris 8 kernel)

However, as this involves a kernel hack, the actual installation isn't as
straightforward anymore. You basically have to either swap out the kernel
on the install CD (i.e. modify the ISO), or do a network install (where it
is easy to change anything).

-Derek Konigsberg <octo@logicprobe.org>

On Wednesday 25 February 2004 10:41 pm in comp.sys.sun.admin Derek
Konigsberg wrote:

>>>A while back I picked up a Sparcserver 670MP. I had no idea if it worked
>>>or not, but it was free so that wasn't much of a turnoff. It sat idle
>>>for a while until I picked up a framebuffer card, and it fired up and
>>>tested the memory without issue.
>>>Now that I know that the thing works I want to go about getting some hard
>>>disks in it and getting the old beast up and running, but I'm unable to
>>>find a free (beer or speech) operating system that completely supports
>>>the
>>>machine. As far as I know Linux supports SMP but not the VME bus.
>>>NetBSD and OpenBSD supports the VME bus but not SMP.
>>>Any suggestions?
>
> Actually, you can run Solaris 8 (maybe even 9) on a SPARCserver 670MP,
> provided that your MBUS CPU modules are still supported (it's the same
> type
> of modules used in the SS10/SS20/SS1000/SS2000). However, you won't get
> VME support (that's ok, the 600-series also has SBus, and I doubt you'll
> run across any VME cards you really need anyways). Basically, you just
> have to hack the kernel to disable a section that essentially says "If
> this
> is a 600MP series machine, don't boot". In reality, the 600MP series is
> just a sun4m /w VME slots. So Solaris 8 will work just fine, albeit
> without VME support.
>
> http://lios.apana.org.au/~cdewick/su...sunos_6x0.html
> (these instructions are for Solaris 2.6, but I've used them (albiet with
> some poking around, as the addresses in the 8 kernel are different) to
> successfully hack a Solaris 8 kernel)

It is rather simpler to use Solaris 2.5.1 which was the last to
properly support these machines.

--
My real address is crn (at) netunix (dot) com
WARNING all messages containing attachments or html will be silently
deleted. Send only plain text.

Chris Newport wrote:

>On Wednesday 25 February 2004 10:41 pm in comp.sys.sun.admin Derek
>Konigsberg wrote:
>
>
>
>>>>A while back I picked up a Sparcserver 670MP. I had no idea if it worked
>>>>or not, but it was free so that wasn't much of a turnoff. It sat idle
>>>>for a while until I picked up a framebuffer card, and it fired up and
>>>>tested the memory without issue.
>>>>Now that I know that the thing works I want to go about getting some hard
>>>>disks in it and getting the old beast up and running, but I'm unable to
>>>>find a free (beer or speech) operating system that completely supports
>>>>the
>>>>machine. As far as I know Linux supports SMP but not the VME bus.
>>>>NetBSD and OpenBSD supports the VME bus but not SMP.
>>>>Any suggestions?
>>>>
>>>>
>>Actually, you can run Solaris 8 (maybe even 9) on a SPARCserver 670MP,
>>provided that your MBUS CPU modules are still supported (it's the same
>>type
>>of modules used in the SS10/SS20/SS1000/SS2000). However, you won't get
>>VME support (that's ok, the 600-series also has SBus, and I doubt you'll
>>run across any VME cards you really need anyways). Basically, you just
>>have to hack the kernel to disable a section that essentially says "If
>>this
>>is a 600MP series machine, don't boot". In reality, the 600MP series is
>>just a sun4m /w VME slots. So Solaris 8 will work just fine, albeit
>>without VME support.
>>
>>http://lios.apana.org.au/~cdewick/su...sunos_6x0.html
>>(these instructions are for Solaris 2.6, but I've used them (albiet with
>>some poking around, as the addresses in the 8 kernel are different) to
>>successfully hack a Solaris 8 kernel)
>>
>>
>
>It is rather simpler to use Solaris 2.5.1 which was the last to
>properly support these machines.
>
>
>
If the original poster would say if the machine ;
a: Is in the USA
b; Does the machine have a tape drive
c: Does the machine have a CD reader.

I might have a copy of 2.5.1 that it could use.
Don't want the hassle of shipping to other countries

Bill K7NOM