Sounds like it could be a bad FLASH - in which case it doesn't matter what
the firmware does. Bad FLASH means dead unit. I'd start suspecting that
when a netboot fails repeatedly at the same point. But I'd ALSO suspect a
bad netboot image. I'd try it by re-FTPing the image from the server,
making damn sure it is in binary mode. And also making sure the downloaded
file is the same size as the one on the server.
>software is used for tftp (Win95 or UNIX). Tech support didn't know how the
>download command worked, and the Troubleshooting Guide is horked on this
They didn't know how the netboot tftp command worked? That's been in there
for ages. Heck, check the old Config Guide etc, it should be in there too.
>Tech support rep I talked to said it would be a "security problem" for them
>to design it so that a jumper on the motherboard couldn't put the box back
>in a sane state.
I hate to say this, but it sounds like someone was trying to answer a
question when they were better off saying "I don't know". First off, if you
raise dip switches one and two it does force a netboot and a complete override
of trying to load the local image.
Second, you can also skip tftp and load an image over the serial port. Which
takes the network out of the picture.
Third, see if they have an .nofs image available for it - that's "No file
system". When loaded it completely ignores the config and local file system.
This allows you to erase the entire FLASH area - wipe it clean - and then
load a non .nofs image. I'd also 'set console' 'set debug 0x72' - which is
a the FLASH debug. You'll see it erase and write each cell. If there is
bad FLASH it will die and present the error at the cell it died on.
>Ascend over the Livy logo....how is adding a jumper to get the box bootable
>when it goes insane a security problem? That's what locks are for on the
The jumped is there in effect - dip switches one and two. Together they
can override the desire to boot locally and allow you to tftp load and or
serial port load. Can't really get more options than that for getting a
non-blown ComOS loaded.
I'd try the serial port load before giving up on it completely.
-MZ
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