[9fans] Sheevaplug
lu...@proxima.alt.za
Are there instructions anywhere on how to turn it into a CPU server?
Thanks.
++L
ron minnich
> I have received mine in the past hour or so.
>
> Are there instructions anywhere on how to turn it into a CPU server?
it was pretty easy.
get the sys/src/9 tree
cd sheevaplug, make the kernel, put it in the usual plan 9 tftpboot
site. Set up dhcp. Boot the plug.
I'll try to get better instructions tonight when I boot it again.
These are a start.
You'll need an 'nvram' file in the kernel source; I don't use it, as I
want to get u-boot environment variables working as my nvram (since
they *ARE* in fact in an nvram :-=)
No usb yet, I believe. No plan 9 serial port usb working for it;
you'll need something else for now.
ron
lu...@proxima.alt.za
> These are a start.
Geoff actually published the details when he announced the port,
booting(8) has been updated to match. I had forgotten. Of course,
it's never this simple, but it sure isn't hard. Haven't tried it all
yet, I'm still looking for the right place to shove the tftp image,
it's been a long time since I last saw that.
I wonder why neither U-boot nor PMON do PXE. PMON being senile has an
excuse, U-boot doesn't. Or I need an excuse for not understanding :-)
USB is more daunting than it should be, Nemo is in the best position
to deal with porting the 386 efforts to the ARM. Portability is
crucial to the MIPS (yeeloong) port too.
++L
ron minnich
> I wonder why neither U-boot nor PMON do PXE. PMON being senile has an
> excuse, U-boot doesn't. Or I need an excuse for not understanding :-)
Why bring such an awful standard anywhere you don't have to. I think they
made a good call :-)
ron
erik quanstrom
> > excuse, U-boot doesn't. Or I need an excuse for not understanding :-)
>
> Why bring such an awful standard anywhere you don't have to. I think they
> made a good call :-)
two standards are always better than one.
never got that logic. but it seems to be
the conventional wisdom.
what's the replacement for pxe?
- erik
ron minnich
> what's the replacement for pxe?
Why not 9p?
ron
David Leimbach
ron
ron minnich
> BOOTP + 9p?
Sure. Theres' lots of good candidates out there. It's just that PXE is
not one of them. PXE was designed for a world of binary formats and
tiny, incapable network bootstraps, and it was obsolete when it was
designed over a decade ago.
ron
lu...@proxima.alt.za
> not one of them. PXE was designed for a world of binary formats and
> tiny, incapable network bootstraps, and it was obsolete when it was
> designed over a decade ago.
This reminds of a similar situation many years ago: it doesn't help to
criticise when a concrete alternative isn't being offered. PXE works,
even Plan 9 knows how to deal with it. If there is even one better
alternative out there, there sure isn't much support for it. Maybe
the wrong metric, but it is a metric that the marketplace understands.
Were I as skilled as some of the people on this list, I'd build me a
bootstrapping paravirtualiser modelled on the Plan 9 kernel, then
provide a device interface just like Plan 9's that all kernels could
tie easily into. I'd even dare call it a microkernel if no one can
provide a better candidate for that label. Sadly, I doubt I'll ever
come even close to what may turn out to be merely a pipe dream.
Just some musings while I ponder what to make of the sheevaplug, now
that it seems to work... Good work to all who contributed.
++L
erik quanstrom
> not one of them. PXE was designed for a world of binary formats and
> tiny, incapable network bootstraps, and it was obsolete when it was
> designed over a decade ago.
nonetheless, it's what vendors support. fighting
them on this is not going to be productive.
- erik
Francisco J Ballesteros
Knowing our bureaucracy, it may still take a week or two to get my hands on it.
When it comes I'll take a look to usb there.
In someone can't wait before we try, I think it's a matter of getting
the controller
initialized properly (and the ports reset). Looking what linux or any other does
to initialize it may give some clue.
Once that is done, it's likely the code from 386
would just work.
But we'll try to help there as soon as we can.
Gorka Guardiola
> Ours is finally in Spain, at customs.
>
> Knowing our bureaucracy, it may still take a week or two to get my hands on it.
>
There is also a half written untried driver for the serial usb waiting
for it to arrive
to be finished.
--
- curiosity sKilled the cat
lu...@proxima.alt.za
> for it to arrive
> to be finished.
Which is the serial USB? The console on my plug works perfectly well,
I thought that was the purpose?
++L
lu...@proxima.alt.za
I have absolutely no doubt that you will :-)
Unfortunately, as Geoff points out, USB is difficult. No chance that
you could write a commentary on USB that is as good as your efforts on
3rd Edition Plan 9?
++L
Gorka Guardiola
Does it?. I mean the PC from which you connect to the device.
The sheeva has an integrated usb to serial cable so that from inside
the sheeva you see a serial (that works) but from the host you see
a usb serial device (ftdi sio) which is the driver I was talking about.