Abbreviated Diagnostic Mode; Setting Up A Tip Connection To Another System - Sun Microsystems SPARCstation 4 110 Service Manual

You set the diag-switch? NVRAM parameter to true in the OpenBoot PROM.
You disconnect the keyboard and you set the diag-switch? NVRAM parameter
to true in the OpenBoot PROM.
Note – POST does not perform extensive testing on any system board component.
POST detects only major failures.
To view error messages returned by POST, connect a terminal to serial port A or use
a tip connection to another workstation.
If you do not connect a terminal to serial port A or use a tip connection, the screen
will be blank during the POST diagnostics. In this case, use the keyboard LEDs to
display error conditions. See Section 3.7 "Status Lights (LEDs) and Indicators" on
page 3-8.
3.4

Abbreviated Diagnostic Mode

A silent Power-On Self-Test (POST) is run if you disconnect the keyboard and you
set the diag-switch? NVRAM parameter to false in the OpenBoot PROM. This
Power-On Self-Test is silent (no progressive test messages are printed out). If an
error or errors occur during the abbreviated Power-On Self-Test, all error messages
are displayed on the TTY or tip window.
3.4.1

Setting Up a tip Connection to Another System

You can use the serial port on your system to connect to another Sun workstation
(either the same type of SPARC™ system or a different type of Sun workstation or
server system). This connection lets you use a shell window on the Sun workstation
as a terminal to the system being tested.
The tip method is recommended, because it lets you use SunOS™ windowing and
operating system features to help you work with the boot PROM.
To make a tip connection, follow these steps:
1. Connect the system's serial port (ttya) to another Sun workstation ttya serial
port using a serial connection cable. This connection is made with a 3-wire null
modem cable. Connect wires 3-2, 2-3, and 7-7.
Chapter 3 Power-On Self-Test (POST) 3-5