NetBSD/shark Frequently Asked Questions
-Hardware Information
--
-
- What type of memory does the Shark require? -
- How do I extend memory to more than 64MB? -
- Should I upgrade my Shark's firmware, and if so, how do I do it? -
- Where's the internal IDE power supply and mounting -brackets? -
- Is there a XF86config file that I can use on my shark? -
Booting
--
-
- Gee, it looks a lot like a Sun boot monitor -
- My EEPROM somehow got hosed; my Ethernet shows -ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff -
- How do I boot a Shark from an internal disk? -
- When installing NetBSD/shark on a Shark with an internal drive, -do I need to install a boot loader? -
- What do I have to feed my Shark as -root-path? -
- I can't get my DNARD/Shark to netboot a new kernel! -
- Can you give me a sample DHCP configuration? -
General questions
- --
Hardware Information
-Most of the information is on Digital's -site.
--What type of memory does the Shark require? (top) -
-The DNARD -user guide has information about this in section 4.5.1, -“Supported DIMMs”. -
- --How do I extend memory to more than 64MB? (top) -
-See the Extending -memory on your DNARD (shark) to more than 64MB webpage for details. -
- --Should I upgrade my Shark's firmware, and if so, how do I do it? (top) -
-Upgrading the Shark's firmware can be somewhat frustrating, but -in some cases, you may want (or need) to do it. -these requests are incredibly busy right now. Chris Demetriou -volunteered to help them out with firmware image distribution, and -they accepted his offer. -
- -If you're looking for an update for Shark firmware, Chris Demetriou
-may be able to help you out. Send him an e-mail at
-<cgd@NetBSD.org>
with the subject “SHARK FIRMWARE
-REQUEST”, and then, after making you jump through a few hoops,
-he'll point you at the bits.
People should know that there are a few -“interesting” versions of firmware that they might -want:
- --
-
-
-
The 980225 image which is the minimum necessary to Shark - support integrated into the master NetBSD sources. (The - 1.3-based distribution from Digital could tolerate earlier - versions, but the integrated bits won't)
-
- -
-
A version of the 980225 image hacked to use all of the - environment SEEPROM for OFW nvram storage. (This is useful if - you want a large nvramrc, for instance)
-
- -
-
An image dated 980908, which seems similar to the 980225, - but adds additional keymaps and changes the video chip bootstrap - initialization.
-
-
After you have the bits, you're ready to upgrade.
- -You should start by reading Chris' -summary on the subject, from the port-arm32 mail -archive.
- - --Where's the internal IDE power supply and mounting -brackets? (top) -
-The DNARD does have an internal IDE port with a standard 0.100" -spacing, 2-row, 40-pin header connector, as you see here. -
- -However, the DNARD has only +5V power coming from its power -supply — and no DC-DC converter to produce +12V. Therefore, you will -only be able to pull 5V power from the four-pin white header connector -behind the IDE port. There are no mounting brackets shipped with the -DNARDs that have no Iomega ZIP drive preinstalled.
- -It is possible to use a "standard" 2.5 inch IDE hard drive, -usually intended for laptops, inside the Shark. You will need:
--
-
- a 2.5" to 3.5" drive mounting bracket -
- a 44-pin, 0.075" spacing to 40-pin-plus-4-pin, 0.100" -spacing, IDE adapter cable -
- 3.5" mounting rails as described below in mounting a 3.5" -drive -
Fortunately, almost all 2.5" HDs require low power and only +5V, -so they will run off of the existing Shark power supply. This is the -most ideal solution for adding an internal HD to the Shark for those -models without the Zip drive.
- -Simply mount the 2.5" drive in the bracket, and attach the -bracket as you would a 3.5" HD as described below. Connect the adapter -cable from the hard drive to both the 40-pin IDE and the 4-pin power -connectors on the motherboard.
- -WARNING: Most 3.5" HDDs are relatively high on heat. If trying this -out, we recommend that you check the temperature of the drive -and the motherboard underneath it frequently. You may also want to remove -the front panel taken off and add an extra fan pointing directly at the hard -disk opening.
- -The mounting holes for the internal HD are found at the front of -the case on either side of the Zip drive recess (right above the -ROMcard slot). Though this appears to need a special bracket, the -"slide rails" used in some kinds of PCs (old Compaq, some Packard -Hell, Gateway 2000) work perfectly for the task, even though they -were intended for 5.25" drive bays.
- -For this task you will need:
- --
-
- two PC drive slide rails -
- a 40-pin "standard" IDE cable, short -
- an external power supply to drive the HDD, with 4 pin Molex -connector -
- (optional) a soft ferrite toroid or cylinder to thread the -power cord through -
Attach the slide rails to the sides of the 3.5" hard drive, -preferably in such a way that the hard drive is no more than 1 cm -inward from the front metal wall of the DNARD. For Gateway 2000 rails, -use the lower and frontmost of the pairs of screw slots.
- -Attach the drive, with slide rails attached, to the front metal -wall of the DNARD. The screw holes use the same type of screws as the -rest of the DNARD unit; unfortunately, those screws do not hold most -PC brackets in place, so you may need to use metal washers or screws -from a hardware store to affix the brackets. (If you know what size -screw the DNARD uses, please let us know).
- -Connect the IDE cable to both the drive and motherboard. String -the external power supply's cable through one of the back panels of -the DNARD, and connect it to the drive. It's preferable to have a -ferrite toroid somewhere along this power line inside the DNARD case -as it will reduce electromagnetic interference. (Suggested by -ross@NetBSD.org.)
- -It still needs investigating whether the external power supply -can drive the DNARD motherboard by feeding power into the hard drive -power connector.
- -“Oops” concerns: My unit has the HDD resting on a -length of IDE cable, which also separates the drive from any -electronic components on the motherboard. If your IDE cable is not -“short”, this is a good idea to use, as there is at least -one test jumper that could come in contact with the underside of the -hard drive if the slide rails were to bend downward.
-The common problem of "swimming" video observed on most — -but not all — DNARD revision 5 units has a hardware fix involving -some SMD soldering and very small pins. So, if you're dexterous enough -for the job, here's -the fix. -
- -By some stroke of luck, some Rev5 boards do not have the -problem, though they use identical parts.
-Then have them: The Revision 5 specs are here. -
-Look carefully for the chip marked with a "233" under the -ROMcard slot at the front right of the case. Don't be fooled about the -size or lack of heatsink — that's it.
--Is there a XF86config file that I can use on my shark? (top) -
-Yes, there's one at ftp://ftp.NetBSD.org/pub/NetBSD/arch/shark/DNARD/XF86Config.
-Put it into your Sharks' /etc
directory.
-
Booting
--Gee, it looks a lot like a Sun boot monitor (top) -
- -This is called the OpenFirmware boot monitor. It originated at -Sun Microsystems, hence the very similar look. The firmware was -created by FirmWorks.
- -The DNARD binding for OpenFirmware is available in this -FAQ's download area.
- -You can also take a look at the actual OpenFirmware working group web -page.
- --My EEPROM somehow got hosed; my Ethernet shows -ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff (top) -
- -Todd Vierling figured this one out based on the information -contained in the Sun -NVRAM/hostid FAQ and the DNARD -Host ID information. Believe it or not, mkp works on the -DNARDs, though not quite like it does on the Suns. The mkpl shortcut -does not work, however.
- -Assuming you know the Ethernet address of your unit -(8:0:2b:AA:BB:CC where AA, BB, and CC are one or two digit hex -numbers), use the following commands to reprogram your EEPROM. If you -don't know what your machine's Ethernet address should be, pick one, -but be wary of the MAC addresses elsewhere on your network.
--ok 8 0 mkp 8 f mkp -ok 0 1 mkp 0 e mkp -ok 2b 2 mkp 2b d mkp -ok AA 3 mkp AA c mkp -ok BB 4 mkp BB b mkp -ok CC 5 mkp CC a mkp -ok reset-all -- -
If this doesn't help, try it again with the following additional -mkp commands:
--ok ff 18 mkp ff 1c mkp -ok 0 19 mkp 0 1d mkp -ok 55 1a mkp 55 1e mkp -ok aa 1b mkp aa 1f mkp -- -
-How do I boot a Shark from an internal disk? (top) -
--To setup a Shark to boot from an internal IDE disk you must aquire an IDE -cable and power adapter, ensure that drive is void of any PC BIOS partition -tables, install NetBSD, and update your firmware settings. -
- -The shark has an internal IDE connector, but it does not have a -large 4-pin 12V power connector used by most standard IDE drives. In -place of the large 4-pin 12V connector is a newer and smaller floppy -drive style power connector. These factors make a laptop drive with a -laptop to standard IDE converter the best choice. Depending on your -converter, you may also need an adapter to convert the smaller floppy -drive style power connector to the larger 12V connector required by -your converter. Once installed, the drive can be secured to the top -of the ROM slot track using cable ties. You can also use hook and -fastener strips (also known by the brand name -Velcro®) to secure the drive to the case. -
-Your drive must be properly formatted to be recognized as a -bootable disk by the Shark firmware. The NetBSD/shark install will -normally take care of most of the formatting for you, but in some -cases your drive may have an IBM-PC style Master Boot Record (or -MBR). This MBR must be erased before the Shark -firmware will recognize the NetBSD filesystem on the drive. To make -sure that the MBR is erased, do the following:
- --
-
-
-
Install NetBSD as normal.
-
- -
-
Before rebooting, obtain a shell prompt and issue the - command
-dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/wd0c bs=512 - count=1
- -
-
Reboot and update the firmware environment (below).
-
-
To autoboot from the disk you will need to install the
-wdboot
kernel and from the PROM type:
setenv boot-device disk:\netbsd
--When installing NetBSD/shark on a Shark with an internal drive, -do I need to install a boot loader? (top) -
-The Shark's firmware is capable of loading the NetBSD kernel -directly from an FFS, provided that the drive does not have an IBM-PC -style MBR. (See the 'Booting a shark from an internal disk' question -for instructions on removing an MBR.) As such, it does not require an -on-disk boot loader unlike many other computers.
- -Some Sharks are configured to load /boot
by default, in
-which case you can just link /netbsd
to that name.
-What do I have to feed my Shark as -“root-path”? (top) -
-Use “/path/to/root
” (ipaddr of NFS
-server is implied).
-I can't get my DNARD/Shark to netboot a new kernel! (top) -
-Chances are, you need to update your firmware. See the -Shark firmware upgrade -question for more information on that.
- --Can you give me a sample DHCP configuration? (top) -
- -These should be the minimum settings necessary to make dhcpd -happy and to boot Sharks. You can find the Ethernet address by -plugging a Shark in and looking at the console (a keyboard must be -plugged in for the VGA console to work).
- --option domain-name "home.duh.org"; -option domain-name-servers 10.69.1.3; -subnet 10.69.1.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {} -host nc1 { - hardware ethernet 08:00:2b:81:60:b6; - fixed-address 10.69.1.5; - filename "netbsd"; - option root-path "/export/nc/nc1root"; - next-server tftpserver_name; -} -host nc2 { - hardware ethernet 08:00:2b:81:60:95; - fixed-address 10.69.1.6; - filename "netbsd"; - option root-path "/export/nc/nc2root"; - next-server tftpserver_name; - -} --
-
General questions
--What are the device names? (top) -
- -The various ports are available on the following devices:
--
-
- Printer (parallel Centronics 25-pin female):
-
/dev/lpt0
-
- - Serial (DE9 male):
/dev/tty00
-
- - Infrared controller:
/dev/tty01
-
- - PS/2 style mouse:
/dev/pms0
-
- - IDE drives:
/dev/[r]wd[01]*
-
- - Ethernet: (device cs0) -
-How do I make use of the smart card or IR ports? (top) -
- -This is currently not unknown.
- -Under NetBSD, the smart card reader is on
-/dev/scr0
, but it's not clear how to use the
-device.
The infrared controller, which is bidirectional, is implemented
-as a “serial” device on
-/dev/tty01
. Its protocol probably needs
-documentation, and a willing soul could explore it and let us in on
-the secrets. Note that it is not irDA; rather, it is a slower
-consumer-grade IR device.