Gentoo on a Keyboardless SUN box

[ergodic]

I want to install gentoo on a SUN netra T1 I got from my former employee, since the root passwrod they gave me wouln't work and I am not really impressed by Solaris.

I have sucessfully installed Gentoo at work and at home but only in x86, the netra is a whole different world, since it doesn't have a keyboard, mouse or monitor, the only way to get to it is through the ports (2 serial (1 LOM), 1 SCSI and 2 RJ45's).


The manual sez:

To perform the inital configuration when you install the Netra t1 system, and also for on-going monitoring and management of the system, you will need to use at least one of the serial ports on the system?s rear panel. You can connect either or both serial ports to any of the following devices:
A dumb terminal.
For this connection, you can use the standard RJ45 patch cable supplied with the Netra t1 Model 100/105, but you need to insert one end into the DB25 adapter also supplied with the Netra t1 system.
A Sun workstation.
For this connection, you can use the standard RJ45 patch cable supplied with the Netra t1 Model 100/105, but you need to insert one end into the DB25 adapter also supplied with the Netra t1 system.
[/b] A Terminal Server [/b](or patch panel connected to a Terminal Server).
The pinouts for the Netra t1 system?s serial ports correspond with the pinouts for the RJ45 ports on the Asynchronous Serial Interface Breakout Cable supplied by Cisco for use with the Cisco L2511 Terminal Server. For terminals from other manufacturers, you may need to make your own cross-over (null-modem) cable (see ?Cross-overs for Connecting to a Terminal Server? on page 53).
A modem.
For this connection, you can use the standard RJ45 patch cable supplied with the Netra t1 Model 100/105, but you need to insert one end into the DB25 adapter also supplied with the system. Do not connect a modem to the Serial A/LOM port; use the Serial B port. The DTR signal asserted on the Serial A/LOM port changes to DCD during booting or when control of the port is taken over by the LOM device, and this can cause modem connections to be lost.


The trouble is
a) I don't know what a dumb terminal is
b) I don't have a SUN workstation
c) I don't know if I have a terminal Server (do a Gentoo box and a W2K box count?)
d) Modem? errr from serial to modem? what type of modem are we talking here ?

Any help as to how to access a keyboardless-monitorless SUN server to install Gentoo would be really appreciated

Peace .

L[/b]

[pjp]

Since there are no takers yet on this, we'll try it in the SPARC forum.

Moved from Installing Gentoo.
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[pjp]

Can the machine boot a CD? If you can, you might look for something that will start with sshd running. Then ssh in and chroot to a Gentoo install?

Haven't done anything like that, just a thought.
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[Kumba]

Ya might check out this topic:

https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=13072, and look for xming's reply on how to get an install going on a Netra T1. Now he doesn't explain how he connected to it, so you might be able to send him a privmsg and inquire.

Offhand, I don't know the layout of the back of a Netra T1, but if it has the common PC-style serial port (DB9), you might try a null modem cable and HyperTerminal on win2k (Upgrade HyperTerminal first, trust me), or an equivalent serial console-capable program on your other gentoo linux machines, and see if you can get some kind of console running via that. Serial console is annoying though....I know this from fussing with getting gentoo on a mips machine. Once you get SSH up and running, console becomes so much more friendlier.

You might also try signing up to the gentoo-sparc mailing list. I think someone on there had a Netra T1 as well, and might be able to help you as well.

--Kumba
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[mrgalihad]

the serial connection into the back of a T1 is an rj45 type connector (netowork) If you connect a network cable into LOM A and then use the RJ45- to 9-pin serial female adapter you should be able to use hyperterm or minicom to connect to the netra via a console. If all the parts of the netra are intact, it should have come with such an adapter. Otherwise you might have to find one. careful though, the adapter that comes with the netra has an internal crossover built into it. If you find one that doesn't have that you'll need a rolled network cable, like one that typically comes with cisco gear.

[ergodic]

Thank you all for the responses. I haven't really done much with them, I was considering selling them or something, but I guess I will give Gentoo a shot, since they can be good web-DB servers plus I can only seel them for cheap.

mrgalihad, That was actually the first thing I tryed, with hyperterminal and the DB9 adapter. I try with straight and cross cable and no luck. Just don't get response. The problem is that they supposedly gave me the IP address and the root password but I am not sure if they are correct, I had a bad passwd supply by th same people.

Kumba. As you can see my main (so far!) prob is to connect to the box. It has 4 ports labeled Serial A LOM, serial B and Net 0 and Net 1 RJ45ish ports. And a SCSI. I will send xming a message hoping he's still around.

[Are`awn]

what we use to get console on a netra are normal RJ45-DB9 adapters, and the blue console cord that comes with a cisco router. Not exactly sure what the pinouts are on the cisco cable... sorry

Hopefully this helps.

[xming]

[xming]

does someone still need this? I am not going to break a sun connector if noone needs the information

xming

[gojuka]

All you need is a null modem cable (available from any PC parts store), another computer, Linux or Windows, and terminal emulation software like minicom on Linux or teraterm on windows (hyperterm is trash ... get teraterm).

md.
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