[lug] sparc setup

[Ryan Kirkpatrick]

On Fri, 21 Jan 2000, Ferdinand P. Schmid wrote:

> The machine came with a keyboard but no mouse.  What type of mouse does
> this system use and how is it connected?  Or do Sparc Classics not have
> X capabilities?

	A special Sun mouse, I think a type 4 or 5, but that may be for
keyboards. There is either the normal rollerball mouse, or the (annoying
IMHO) optical mouse. If you get the latter, make sure you get the special
mouse pad that is supposed to go with it (has a dense grid on it),
otherwise the mouse is useless.
	I don't know much about mice since I run my IPX headless (and
off-site, co-located no less!).

> Is there any documentation of those machines out on the web?  I couldn't
> find anything useful at Sun's site or with Google.

	Other people have given some good links. I think I found some at
one time on docs.sun.com, the original user's hardware manual. Look around
there.

> This system has a disk drive and it seems to have an ethernet port.  Can
> I boot this system with a Linux disk for Sparc (created using the
> dosutils on the Sparc CD) and then connect to my PC over ethernet for an
> install?

	Yea, but it is even easier to netboot the machine. Just setup an
rarp server and a tftp server on you i386 Linux box, and put the tftp boot
image in /tftpboot (or where ever the root of the tftp server is) with a
name of '{MA:C :AD:DR:ES:S}.SUN4C'. Then just boot the Sparc, hitting
Stop-A (break for serial terminal) if necessary to reach the PROM prompt.
Then type 'boot net', and you should be off. Install will then be via NFS
from the distrib on the i386 Linux box.
	I have done with with both RH6 and Debian slink for Sparcs, not
too difficult. If you want more details, email me off the list and I will
send you some notes from when I installed Linux on my Sparc IPX (a bit
slower and older than a Classic)

> Just using Sparcs in college for programming never got me really close
> to their hardware and that's where I can produce more questions right
> now than I ever thought possible in regards to a computer.

	They are nice little computers... I like them as they are very
stable, just set them up, and the hardware runs and runs with no
maintenance. With Linux, no software maintenance is needed either. :) I
use my IPX as web/email server for my domain, which it has been doing
since August without a bit of trouble or maintenance (save for the power
cord challenged DSL installation person :( ). 
	Hope this helps.

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|   "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."                    |
|                                            --- Philippians 1:21 (KJV)   |
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|   Ryan Kirkpatrick  |  Boulder, Colorado  |  http://www.rkirkpat.net/   |
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