Re: I2 with Solid Impact -- "main screen no turn on"

From: Thomas Jahns (Thomas.Jahns_at_epost.de)
Date: 08/29/04 

Date: 29 Aug 2004 12:42:23 +0200

"UNIX admin" <tripivceta@hotmail.com> writes:
> Q3: if there is no other recourse but for me to get a serial cable, does
> anybody know what the SGI P/N for a mini DIN <---> DB9 is, and where I could
> obtain it (Germany, Switzerland, Austria)?

You could build such a cable yourself. All parts can be had easily from
any electronics store.

Ralf Beyer once (IIRC quite more than once) posted an excellent guide to
making these cables:

Path: uni-berlin.de!fu-berlin.de!uni-erlangen.de!newsfeeds.belnet.be!news.belnet.be!skynet.be!oanews!arlnews!xadmx!news
Message-ID: <G6LLGL.Mn@arl.army.mil>
From: Ralf Beyer <beyer.braunschweig@freenet.de>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.sgi.hardware
Subject: Re: Indigo2 Won't Boot
Date: Wed, 3 Jan 2001 17:48:21 GMT
Lines: 97
Sender: news@arl.army.mil (The News System <news>)
Xref: gold.jahnsnet.de comp.sys.sgi.hardware:3445

chyu22@my-deja.com schrieb:
>
> If possible, can you tell me how to
> "start 'ide' from a PC connected to
> serial port #1"? Where can I find
> related information? Where can I get
> the serial cable for Indigo2.
>
> Thank you again.
>
> Ching-Hsing Yu

You need a null-modem cable with a DB-9 female connector at the PC end
and a DIN-8 connector male at the Indigo2 end.

A null-modem cable with 2 DB-9 female connectors can be obtained from
electronic stores that sell it in Germany for about 3 US$.

You need then a DB-9 female to DIN-8 male adapter for the Indigo2 end
that also exists but which is much more difficult to spot.

However, you can also build the null-modem cable yourself:

  The DIN-8 serial female port connectors on the Indigo, Indy,
  Indigo2, Challenge S, Challenge M, Power Challenge M, and the
  MENET 4-Enet, 6-serial board (XT-FE-4TX-6A) have the following
  pin assignments:

                                     ---------
                                    / 8 7 6 \
                                   ( 5 4 3 )
                                    \ 2 1 /
                                     ---------

                     _4D Compatible Pin Assignments (RS-232)
                      Pin | Name | Description
                     _______|_________|_______________________
                       1 | DTR | Data Terminal Ready
                       2 | CTS | Clear To Send
                       3 | TD | Transmit Data
                       4 | SG | Signal Ground
                       5 | RD | Receive Data
                       6 | RTS | Request To Send
                       7 | DCD | Data Carrier Detect
                       8 | SG | Signal Ground

  The IBM(R) PC/AT(tm)-like DB-9 male connector pin assignments are:

                                -------------------
                                \ 1 2 3 4 5 /
                                 \ 6 7 8 9 /
                                  ---------------

                         Pin | Name | Description
                         ____|______|____________________
                          1 | DCD | Data Carrier Detect
                          2 | RD | Receive Data
                          3 | TD | Transmit Data
                          4 | DTR | Data Terminal Ready
                          5 | GND | Signal Ground
                          6 | - | reserved
                          7 | RTS | Request To Send
                          8 | CTS | Clear To Send
                          9 | - | reserved

  For a PC-to-PC serial connection use the schemes (A) and (B).

  For a PC-to-Indigo/Indy/Indigo2/Challenge S/Challenge M/Power
  Challenge M connection use the schemes (A) and (C).

                        DB-9 female DB-9 female DIN-8 male
                          (A) (B) (C)
                        ---------------------------------------
                          1 DCD 4 DTR 1 DTR
                          2 RD 3 TD 3 TD
                          3 TD 2 RD 5 RD
                          4 DTR 1 DCD 7 DCD
                          5 GND 5 GND 4 SG
                          6 - 6 -
                          7 RTS 8 CTS 2 CTS
                          8 CTS 7 RTS 6 RTS
                          9 - 9 -

Connect the PC or notebook as a terminal to the Indigo2 serial port #1,
disconnect the Indigo2 keyboard, and set the terminal parameters to
9600 baud, no parity, 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, protocol Xon/Xoff, and
the terminal emulation to DEC vt-100.

Power-up the Indigo2.

On the terminal select "Enter Command Monitor" and execute 'ide fe'.
     
Regards
Ralf Beyer 

-- 
"Computers are good at following instructions,
 but not at reading your mind."
D. E. Knuth, The TeXbook, Addison-Wesley 1984, 1986, 1996, p. 9

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