HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: pen@lysator.liu.se (Peter Eriksson)
Subject: Re: An Xy450/Xy451 in a Sun4/110
Organization: Lysator Academic Computer Society, Linkoping University, Sweden
Date: Sun, 8 Nov 1992 20:16:19 GMT

lupe@ukw.uucp (Lupe Christoph) writes:

>pen@lysator.liu.se (Peter Eriksson) writes:

>There is a very simple explanation: The 4/110 is the only Sun
>VMEbus machine that does not support VMEbus DMA. All VMEbus
>disk controllers Sun used do DMA, as one would expect.

Ah. Ok, now another question... We have one 4/100 CPU board that is
malfunctioning, it claims:

	Parity Error Detection and Interrupt Test
	No Parity Error Detection Interrupt When Expected

when running with the NORM/DIAG switch in the DIAG position. The board also
lacks some ICs that I think may be neccessary for it to function correctly. The
question is if getting those ICs will remove the error reported above. The
ICs missing is the big square IC that is supposed to sit below the SPARC
CPU chip and the two smaller square ICs right besides it (in another 4/100
CPU board one is labelled "Weitek", the other I don't know).

Another thing I'm thinking of doing is installing a Sun 3/200 CPU with 32MB
of RAM (assuming it all is on a single board - I havn't seen it yet) and a
Xy451 in the 4/110 box (since the CPU board is dead anyway).. And then I only
have to repair the broken power supply for that box too... Would that be
possible? And/or do I have to restrap the small strapping on the backside of
VME bus backplane in the 4/110 box?

/Peter

--
Peter Eriksson                                              pen@lysator.liu.se
Lysator Academic Computer Society                 ...!uunet!lysator.liu.se!pen
University of Linkoping, Sweden                I'm still bored. Flame me again.
From: acct026@carroll1.cc.edu (Jeff Riopelle)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun.hardware
Subject: Sun 3/50 monitor uses????
Keywords: sun monitor mono
Date: 6 Nov 92 12:09:20 GMT
Organization: Carroll College-Waukesha, WI

I have a Sun 3/50 mono monitor but no 3/50 to
attach to it. Can anyone tell me if I can use
this thing on a sparc or other computer? If
someone has the pin-outs, could you mail them
to me? I would like to use it on an sparc ipc
if possible but would settle for another
computer type like mac, pc or amiga...

Thanks

Jeff Riopelle    e-mail- acct026@carroll1.cc.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun.hardware
From: elling@eng.auburn.edu (Richard Elling)
Subject: Re: Sun is violating the Ethernet-Spec with its
Reply-To: elling@eng.auburn.edu
Organization: Auburn University Engineering
Date: Wed, 4 Nov 1992 16:54:32 GMT

In article 6670@Informatik.TU-Muenchen.DE, bartel@Informatik.TU-Muenchen.DE (Elmar Bartel) writes:
>
>Hi folks,
>This are bad news. 
>
>If you happen to administer a network with more then 30 or 50
>suns (ie SparcI, SLC) on one ethernet segment, you will probably
>observe an abnormal high collision rate.
[description deleted]

I run several networks this size and don't see significant collision
rates.  Since Elmar doesn't describe the physical implementation of
his ethernet, his detailed description doesn't really help describe
the problem.  It may also lead to widespread panic and unwarranted
finger pointing.

Elmar, are you measuring the voltages on the AUI side or the trunk 
side of the transceiver?

Are you using thin net (10base2)?  If so, the limit is 200 meters
of cable with no more than 30 nodes.  There are many bad things that
happen to thin net that can cause severe collision problems.

Rule #1 for ethernets, turn off SQE.  I know of no hardware made in a
*long* time that needs SQE.  Unfortunately, many vendors ship ethernet
transceivers with SQE enabled.  If you have SQE enabled, the transceiver
can put extra junk on the trunk that may contribute to collisions.

---
 Richard Elling                          Manager of Network Support
 Auburn University                       Engineering Administration
 richard.elling@eng.auburn.edu   KB4HB [44.100.0.72]  (205)844-2280

Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun.hardware,comp.sys.vms
From: szymon@uci.agh.edu.pl (Szymon Sokol)
Subject: Re: Sun is violating the Ethernet-Spec with its
Organization: University Of Mining and Metallurgy
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1992 18:41:49 GMT

In article <1992Nov4.165432.4917@news.duc.auburn.edu> elling@eng.auburn.edu (Richard Elling) writes:
>From: elling@eng.auburn.edu (Richard Elling)
>Subject: Re: Sun is violating the Ethernet-Spec with its
>Date: 4 Nov 92 16:54:32 GMT
[part deleted]
>Rule #1 for ethernets, turn off SQE.  I know of no hardware made in a
>*long* time that needs SQE.  Unfortunately, many vendors ship ethernet
>transceivers with SQE enabled.  If you have SQE enabled, the transceiver
>can put extra junk on the trunk that may contribute to collisions.

I was unable to get our old VAX-11/750 (DELUA card) connected to the Ethernet
until I switched ON the SQE. Without that, the DECnet circuit was going
up and down like a yo-yo, and TCP/IP did not work at all... What do you
think of that? I remember reading somewhere that DEC needs enabled SQE...

                                   Szymon Sokol
                                   Network Manager

     U     U  M     M  M     M     Computer Center
     U     U  MM   MM  MM   MM     University of Mining and Metallurgy
     U     U  M M M M  M M M M     ave. Mickiewicza 30
     U     U  M  M  M  M  M  M     30-059 Krakow, POLAND
     U     U  M     M  M     M     TEL.    +48 12 338100 EXT. 2885
      UUUUU   M     M  M     M     TEL/FAX +48 12 338907

     "The reward of a thing well done is to have done it"  -- Emerson
From: YOUNG@tattoo.cs.widener.edu (Rob Young)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun.hardware,widener.misc
Subject: Anatomy of a decision
Date: 12 Nov 1992 07:50:35 GMT
Organization: Widener University Department of Computer Science, Chester PA
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: tattoo.cs.widener.edu
X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS 1.20

Sometime recently Sun decided to "rain" on DEC's parade by announcing their
products on the same day as Alpha's debut.  This is an attempt to get into
the rapid decision making that went on  ...

The Players:

          Billy   Beano    --  An accountant
          Bruce   Blerb    --  A marketeer
          Debbie  Decides  --  A manager


> These new Sun(TM) workstations deliver 59.1 MIPS, with the 
> SPARCclassic offering industry-leading value at $63 per MIPS.
      --------------------------------------------^^^^
      |
      |
      The telltale heart (from an earlier post, more about this later)



     The play begins . ..

          Debbie:  "We've decided to make an announcement on Nov. 10...
                    Bruce I need you to take these figures and make
                    up a blurb for general consumption."

          Bruce:   "Okay Debbie."
          Debbie:  "Ms. Decides to you Bruce."
                    
     Several days pass ...
     
          Billy:  "Ms. Decides we cooked those figures and they don't
                   look good, we can't do 4000 per and 3725 discount."
          Debbie: "So what are we talking about then?"
          Billy:  "42 and 40, even then we have to move 'em out."
          Debbie: "Ok"
          Debbie: "Bruce those numbers have changed, see Billy."
                 
     One day passes ...

          Debbie:  "Bruce you missed one glaring number in your blurb."
          Bruce:   "Oh?"
          Debbie:  "What's 63 times 59?"
          Bruce:   "Geez, well I was pressed for time.  You'll notice I had
                    to back date the article as it is."
          Debbie:  "Collective egg on the face is not a pleasant experience.
                    Scotty won't give you your Star Trek pin as promised now."
          Bruce:   "Pleeezz!!!"
          Debbie:  "Stop your sniveling, your punishment is deserved."


                                                     young@tattoo.cs.widener.edu
" I see Dave Cutler, the man who created VMS, every time I go to Seattle.  He
is working on Microsoft NT, which I think is going to be very far-reaching.
It's going to grab the rug out from under Unix."
                                                         -- Gordon Bell
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun.hardware
From: casper@fwi.uva.nl (Casper H.S. Dik)
Subject: Re: SPARCClassic vs. 486
Organization: FWI, University of Amsterdam
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 10:50:32 GMT

lupe@ukw.uucp (Lupe Christoph) writes:

>lfm@pgroup.com (Larry Meadows) writes:

>>I agree that the prices are competitive between sparc and 486 systems,
>>but I think the dearth of user-level software is still a problem.  Does
>>anyone have info on cost of things like Lotus, Microsoft Word (if available),
>>accounting software, etc. for sparcs vs. PCs.

>Microsoft will only implement Word et al for Unix over Bill Gates' dead
>body. (Now, *there* is an invitation...)

>>Of course, Macs are better anyway :-).

>I had to sysadmin one once. Made me go freelance ;-) Actually I found
>the user interface as contrived as they go. No drag and drop (I believe
>they added this in V7?). You double click a document and the corresponding
>program is started. You double click another one of the same type and you
>get an error message!

Using a MicroSoft program, no doubt. A program can be told to open another
document by double-clicking the document. But only if the program follows
the guidelines for doing so. MicroSoft is probably the worst offender
when it comes to following Mac guidelines. None of their programs
ever survived a change to MacOS or Mac hardware that shouldn't have been
noticed by a conforming program.

But you're right, Macs (or PCs in general) are a pain.

Casper
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun.hardware,comp.sys.sun.admin
From: jypai@ccnext.csie.nctu.edu.tw
Subject:  What is the best working temperature for workstations?
Reply-To: jypai@ccnext.csie.nctu.edu.tw
Organization: Computer Science & Information Engin., Chiao-Tung U, Taiwan, ROC
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1992 04:22:04 GMT



I'm one of the administrators of our computet center.
We have a hostful of workstations(around 25), including NeXT, Sun, and IRIS.
Recently we have a debate on this topic.
My point is that raise the temperature up to 25 degree C (72 F) is good for
1. human body health
2. saving energy.

Their point is simple:
Cold (around 22 C (67 F) or lower) is good for machines.

I know that workstations need special care.
There's a specification table saying its (possible) working temperature range.
But I need to know what is best for them, and what is reasonable.
Will room temperature will shorten their life? (According to ur experience)

Thanx.

--

Yuan
+----------------------------------------------------------+
| Internet Address         : jypai@csie.nctu.edu.tw        |
| NeXT mail GLADLY accepted: jypai@ccnext.csie.nctu.edu.tw |
+----------------------------------------------------------+
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun.hardware
From: rmilner@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Ruth Milner)
Subject: Re: SPARCClassic
Reply-To: rmilner@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Ruth Milner)
Organization: National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Socorro NM
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 92 22:52:59 GMT

In article <kzin.721535677@cc.gatech.edu> kzin@terminus.gatech.edu (John Rudd) writes:
>rmilner@zia.aoc.nrao.edu (Ruth Milner) writes:
>
>>Both prices are *non-discountable*. 
>
>This is Wrong.  There are educational discounts available.
>For example, the base SparcClassic system that costs $4295 will
>cost $3356 with eduational discount.  

I still haven't heard this from my local Sun people, but several people have 
posted it here, so I'll go along with it :-).

From the sound of it, pricing was settled at literally the last minute. My 
sales rep told me Tuesday she didn't get it until 7:30 that morning, in email 
(and she had checked at 6:30). At the Albuquerque presentation they said 
nothing (even afterwards) about discounts being available on the Classic. 
Someone else posted here that they were told by their rep that discounts on 
the LX weren't "decided" on yet at announcement time, whereas here we were 
told that the standard discounts applied.

So all things considered, it looks like Sun did a poor job getting good 
information out to all of their offices, resulting in a lot of confusion ...
-- 
Ruth Milner                          NRAO/VLA                  Socorro NM
Computing Division Head      rmilner@zia.aoc.nrao.edu
From: astels@fsd.cpsc.ucalgary.ca (Dave Astels)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun.hardware
Subject: bad 3/140 serial ports
Date: 7 Nov 92 22:32:03 GMT
Distribution: comp
Organization: University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

The serial ports (including kbd/mouse) on my 3/140 seem to have
stopped working.  When I power up I get a message saying that the
keyboard can't be found, and that it's using port A for input.  Also,
port A doesn't seem to be working, either after the boot or during a
diag mode powerup/self test.  All that I get is garbage.  I've tried
reseating chips/boards/connectors to no avail.  It seems to have dies
while running overnight (it's left on continuously).

Another question while I'm here.  The video sync generator seems to
die if the ambient temp of the room gets much over 75 F (This is a
home machine and we had a few hot days last summer).  Is this common?

Dave

--
astels@cpsc.ucalgary.ca    (Dave Astels)
2401 3500 Varsity Dr. NW | Comp. Sci. University of Calgary
Calgary, Alberta, Canada | "Why are we here?... Because we're here"
T2L 1Y3                  |       - RUSH: Roll the Bones

	 
	 
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun.hardware
From: fwp@CC.MsState.Edu (Frank Peters)
Subject: Re: SPARCClassic
Organization: Computing Center, Mississippi State University
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 15:22:28 GMT

In article <15479@auspex-gw.auspex.com> guy@Auspex.COM (Guy Harris) says:
: >The PROMs are set up to deal with the SVr4/Solaris2 file system formats.
: 
: Are you certain that the PROMs know a file system format from a hole in
: the ground?  No previous Sun box had a PROM that knew anything about file
: system formats, other than that the first few blocks of a disk are a
: "boot block" that should be sucked into memory and jumped to.

The PROM code in the new machines does the same.

: That boot block has, at least in 4.x and possibly 5.x, the block numbers
: of a file on the root file system jammed into it when it's installed; it
: reads those blocks into memory and jumps to *that* program.
: 
: *That* program - "/boot", in 4.x - knows about the file system format.

This may be some source of the confusion.  In SunOS 5.x the boot code
understands the filesystem format and reads it to find the /ufsboot
file (equivalent to the /boot in 4.x).  This means that under 5.x
you can cp /ufsboot (or remove and restore it or what have you)
without having to rerun installboot.  Installboot now just copies
a generic boot block (generic for that disk type).

: In 5.x, there's a lot more to the boot stuff, but I very much doubt the
: PROM has to know anything about the file system format.  It's probably
: all done by programs read in *by* the PROM.

By the boot block code.  That is one step earlier in the code but isn't
the PROM.

: (Besides, the SVR4 file system format isn't *that* different from the
: SunOS 4.x format.

Its basically identical.  SunOS 5.x uses space that was unused in 4.x
to hold VTOC information.  If you mount a 4.x filesystem on a 5.x
system it adds the VTOC data with generic values.  If you mount a
5.x filesystem on a 4.x system it ignores that VTOC data.

The only source of incompatibility is EFT (support for UIDs > 64k
and device minor numbers > 255).  If you don't use this you don't
have a problem.

--
Frank Peters  -  UNIX Systems Programmer  -  Mississippi State University
Internet: fwp@CC.MsState.Edu  -  Phone: (601)325-7030  -  FAX: (601)325-8921
From: censjg@caledonias3.caledonia.hw.ac.uk (Simon Greaves)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun.hardware
Subject: SS-2 GX connector pinout??
Date: 11 Nov 92 11:06:20 GMT
Organization: Department of Computer Science, Heriot-Watt University, Scotland

I have a Sony 19" colour monitor I'd like to connect to a Sun colour framebuffer. I looked at the connector on our SS-2 here at work, and it has a large D-type connector with three coaxial connectors and 8 ordinary pins. 

My monitor has 5 BNC connectors, RGB plus H and V syncs. I need to know what the pins on the Sun framebuffer are used for, I've seen a cable that has the sun connector on one end and 5 BNC's on the other, but the company wanted over 100 UKpounds for it (~US$ 160!).

Anyone know the pinout, or where I can get it, please email me,

Thanks
-- 
Simon
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Simon Greaves                   | Janet:        censjg@uk.ac.hw.clust
Systems & Comms programmer      | Internet:     simong@festival.ed.ac.uk
Computer Centre                 | Fax:          +44 31 451 3261
Heriot-Watt University          | Voice:        +44 31 451 3265
Edinburgh EH14  4AS             |
Uk                              | "Pretty with hairy legs" --A.Belew
From: brown@ftms.UUCP (Vidiot)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun.hardware
Subject: Re: Cypher tape
Date: 9 Nov 92 16:39:24 GMT
Reply-To: brown@ftms.UUCP (Vidiot)
Organization: Vidiot's Other Hangout

In article <POPINEAU.92Nov6120400@tintin.ese-metz.fr> popineau@tintin.ese-metz.fr (Fabrice Popineau) writes:
<
<Hi netters,
<
<I have a Cypher (60M , QIC 11/QIC 24) tape that I'm using on a Sun.
<I don't have the documentaion concerning this tape. There are 8 switches
<that now shows 10100000 (1 stands for on, 0 for off) and the tape is
<at adress=/dev/rst1 . 
<
<Does anybody knows what is the real SCSI adress of this tape and how I
<can change it ?

The real SCSI address is 5.  Why change it?  The only other address that you
could use, without modifying the kernel, is four.

I suspect the first "1" in your list above is the least significant bit of the
three bits that are used for the SCSI address.  If you set the first "1" to
a "0", you should have SCSI address = 4.

But, like I said, don't bother.
-- 
harvard\
  ucbvax!uwvax!astroatc!ftms!brown  or  uu2.psi.com!ftms!brown
rutgers/
INTERNET: brown@wi.extrel.com  or  ftms!brown%astroatc.UUCP@cs.wisc.edu
From: jpmg@eng.cam.ac.uk (Patrick Gosling)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun.hardware
Subject: analogue high speed data acquisition (sbus)
Date: 10 Nov 92 17:54:03 GMT
Organization: Cambridge University Engineering Department, UK

It is looking likely that I will shortly be needing to acquire analogue
data at fairly high bandwidths, preferably onto a sun.  The machine will be
a SparcStation 10/30, and can either be stacked out with enough memory to
cope with several seconds of the data, or with a disk that can handle the
10Mb fast+wide SCSI that the 10/30 supports. 

The kind of bandwidth of signal that I believe I will be needing to cope with
is 6MHz, although the signal is to some extent similar to video, in having
inter-"frame" and inter-"line" blanks.  (ie, it will be necessary for the
ADC to cope with 6MHz bandwidth, but the transfer rate via the Sbus will
probably be lower, possibly significantly lower, than that).  8 bit ADC will
probably be sufficient.

I will need to be doing a small amount of other processing simultaneously
(basically logging low rate data on one of the serial line tty's), so the
board would probably need some buffering.

I have this horrible suspicion that I'm pushing the limitations of what
existing sbus boards will cope with ...

Any information, sales pitches (please use email), advice, warnings or
whatever, gratefully received.  I'll summarize if anyone asks me to.


-patrick.
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun.hardware
From: pen@lysator.liu.se (Peter Eriksson)
Subject: An Xy450/Xy451 in a Sun4/110
Organization: Lysator Academic Computer Society, Linkoping University, Sweden
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 11:56:59 GMT

Is it possible to install a Xy450/Xy451 (with a Multibus-VMEbus adapter)
in a Sun4/110? I just tried to insert a Xy451 that used to sit in a
Sun4/200, but all I got was panic: Data fault etc...

How should the dip switches be set if one wants to install such
a card into a Sun4/110?

The machine is running SunOS 4.1.1

-- 
Peter Eriksson                                              pen@lysator.liu.se
Lysator Academic Computer Society                 ...!uunet!lysator.liu.se!pen
University of Linkoping, Sweden                I'm still bored. Flame me again.
From: dlt@pt.com (Don Turrell)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun.hardware
Subject: Re: Who makes differential SCSI adapters for sbus ?
Keywords: scsi differential
Date: 9 Nov 92 18:30:11 GMT
Distribution: comp.sys.sun.hardware
Organization: Performance Technologies, Incorporated

In article <Bx8996.H1B@conexch.uucp> john@conexch.uucp (John Falkenthal) writes:
>Are there any vendors who make differential SCSI adapters for suns ??  
>All I have been able to find, are the common single-ended variety.
>BTW, I am interested in SCSI-I, not SCSI-II.
>John F
>...!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!peregrine!ccicpg!conexch!john

My company, Performance Technologies makes a line of add-in single ended
and differential SBus Adapters for both SCSI-1 and SCSI-2.

The SCSI-2 is backward compadible with the SCSI-1 and has very little
cost premimum since this is now the volume product (vs. SCSI-1).

Unless my information is out of date, I believe we are the only supplier
of differential SBus SCSI Adapter modules at this time.
 
Don Turrell
Performance Technologies, Inc.
315 Science Pkwy, Rochester, New York 14620 USA
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|     Internet: dlt@pt.com            |   Phone:  716-256-0200 (Work) |  
|   uucp: ...!uupsi!ptsys1!dlt        |   FAX:    716-256-0791        | 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun.hardware
From: lakin@Csli.stanford.edu (Fred Lakin)
Subject: CG6 framebuffer requires GFX revision?
Organization: Stanford University CSLI
Distribution: comp.sys.sun.hardware
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 11:30:08 GMT

On a Sparc 1+ runing 4.1 and OW2.0 I just upgraded my framebuffer from
a CG3 to a CG6. Everything seemed to work when I booted it. However when
I started Openwindowns, I was told:

  **** WARNING ****
	The display device '/dev/fb' requires the GFX revision
	of SunOS in order for OpenWindows to run properly.


But then OW started OK. Except that after about 3 minutes the screen
went blank, would respond to no kbd or mouse input, and I finally was
forced to L1-A it. So the warning was right and I was sorry ... 

BUT, after that first time I have had no further problems in any
of the subsequent starts and uses of OW [about 8 restarts and 12 hrs
of use by now].

So:

1. Why did the screen go blank initiallly? A one time software reinitialization?

2. Is it likely to reoccur?

3. Why should I install the GFX revision like they said?
   a. to prevent aforementioned screen blanking?
   b. performance?
   c. some other reason?

4. If yes on 3, how would I go about it?

tnx for any hints,
-f
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun.hardware
From: eroth@yuma.ACNS.ColoState.EDU (Ed Roth)
Subject: Sun Line
Date: Thu, 05 Nov 1992 16:21:10 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO  80523

	Does anyone out there have any information on the progression of the
Sun product line? The specifics I want are model #'s, year released, and MIPS
ratings. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Please respond by E-mail
and I will post a summary if requested.

	Respond to:
		jdavis@yuma.acns.colostate.edu


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ed Roth                         | These opinions is mine alone, lessen someone
ERoth@yuma.ACNS.ColoState.edu   | else agrees with 'em.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- To admit a mistake takes a few seconds, to deny it takes a lifetime.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sun.hardware