This is a follow-up to my post re SparcStation LX, ROM 2.9, 32 MB, 850 MB Quantum HD --Burned CDROM with Base2_2.tgz with required file structure. (To find the required file structure I just load any CD and select Use CDROM for option ; When it tries to load the CD and fails it tells me what files and directories it is looking for and this is how I set up and burn the CD) --sun4cdm Rescue floppy, had to again create missing /target/sun4cdm/drivers.tgz directory. --Load Base System off CD, a lot faster than floppies. --install fails at creation of boot floppy after a brief flash of Formatting floppy.....at top left of screen. Vt2 show fd0 not mounted and all attempts at creating mount including suggested -n flag failed. Was stuck in loop always sent back to "Create Boot Floppy" --Stop-A and boot from sun4cdm rescue floppy with linux root=/dev/sda1 boots mostly from hard drive.( I need to play more here) --RARP search slowed boot about 3 minutes --Could not load Keymap; After Keymap selection, boot stops (hangs) with no message. ENTER for some reason sends it on its way. --As root; still could still not mount fd0! -- Attempt to format fd0 from superformat starts format for about 3 seconds( the same length of time in "Create Boot Floppy Stage" with mini core dump ending with message floppy 0, unexpected interrupt. repl[0]=0 repl[1]=0 repl[2]=0 repl[3]=2 repl[4]=1 repl[5]=0 repl[6]=0 format: input/output error. vt2 shows fd0 mounted during this brief time.
A success story; my most cantankerous system a SparcStation 1, ROM 1.0, 16 MB, 540 IBM HD finally works! --used sun4c Rescue floppy, as before added directory /target/sun4cdm/drives.tgz through vt2. --at Install Kernel & Module stage used sun4cdm Rescue disk-- during decompressing SS1 froze so used sun4c disk, then CDROM for Base2_2.tgz This SS1 generally does not like files on CDROM so this is great. --During "Select Times Zone Menu" a message at bottom of screen stated, "Cannot create /root/dbootstrap_setting :directory nonexistent" I created it manually on vt2, not sure if it helped. --Same problem during create boot floppy as noted above. --Stop-A to exit. On restarting the boot-device on openprom was almost properly configured. as sd(0,1,0) vmluniz linux root=/dev/sda1 .On removing vmlinuz with setenv the SS1 booted directly from the hard drive; a FIRST for this machine with Linux. --As above RARP check very very slow during boot, could not load Keymap-also needed ENTER to continue. --As root could mount fd0 and scd0 with none of the problems note for the LX -- superformat gave same as errors as above. Problem with "create boot floppy stage" could be a problem with "superformat" program. --tried to load programs off Linux Debian Sparc CD 2.1_r1 which I know is a good copy, but for some reason did not work! Will dig more at my end. The only none problem I noted was the slow speed the screens loaded. The LX was slow as note in my first post; the SS1 being a slow machine to start with was very slow. A full page menu takes 16 seconds to load (yes I timed them) the smallest menu 10 seconds. It paints each letter almost slower than I can read them, but it works which is a good start. Thanks for all the work everyone has put in Debian. Peter Myers
