SPARC 20 SX Boot Change Procedure

For XVideo, PowerVideo, and MultiVideo Cards

Here are the instructions for changing the eeprom in the SPARCstation to allow the system to boot to our frame buffer instead of the on-board SX frame buffer.

Please be EXTREMELY careful - you can render the system useless if you type the wrong thing!!

1. Perform your usual system shut-down procedures. At the system monitor prompt (>), press n for new. You should now be at the OpenBoot monitor prompt (ok).

2. Suppose that you have an XVideo card in SBus slot 2 in an SS20 that you want to use as the console instead of the SX. From the OpenBoot monitor show the sbus devices.
   
   ok show-sbus
   
   Look at the list of devices and make sure you really have the XVideo board in SBus Slot 2.

3. Find the device name needed for the XVideo board.
   
   ok cd /iommu/sbus
   ok ls
   
   The device name should be similar to the following:
   
   PGI,tvtwo@1,40000

4. Create the devalias in the NVRAM and set use-nvramrc? to be true: (BE SURE TO USE THE DEVICE NAME RETURNED TO YOU IN STEP 3)
   
   ok nvalias my-screen /iommu/sbus/PGI,tvtwo@1,40000

5. Change the output-device to the my-screen alias:
   
   ok setenv output-device my-screen

6. Perform a reset, and the output will go to the XVideo board in SBus slot 2:
   
   ok reset

   ---

   IMPORTANT

   If you ever want to delete the devalias my-screen, you can jump into the OpenBoot monitor and:

   ok nvunalias my-screen
   ok set-default output-device

   which will restore output-device to its default, screen.

   
   

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