General
HowTos and FaQs

http://www.cobaltfaqs.com/ http://www.timntina.com/debian-sarge-cobalt-install http://sourceforge.net/projects/cobalt-rom http://people.debian.org/~pm/deb-cobalt-howto.txt http://www.dincom.co.uk/bq/ http://www.dincom.co.uk/bq/centosbqfiles/mirror/ http://www.zeffie.com/cpuupgrade/ CentOS Blue Quartz -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.cobaltfaqs.com/index.php/How_to_perform_an_OS_Restore Where to Download OS Restore CDs ftp://ftp.cobalt.sun.com/pub/iso/ readme.txt 960-RAQ40101BU RaQ 4i English 960-RAQ4R101BU RaQ 4r English 960-RAQ4S101AU RaQ 4 English 960-RAQ4S101AU.iso.gz (download file name) md5sum: (74fca652956491830b85a19926157d11 960-RAQ4S101AU.iso) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cobalt Serial (Null Modem Cable) To monitor what's happening on your Cobalt appliance (during bootup, an OS Restore, etc.), you can use the serial port (aka console). The console functions much like a standard video card would in a regular PC, etc. -- during bootup, anything you would normally expect to see on a screen is echoed to the console instead. You can interact with the appliance as well -- boot into single user mode, change ROM settings, etc. Set the serial connection speed based on the appliance type. Most products use these settings: o 115200 bps, N-8-1 parity o Settings should be 115200 bps, 8 data bits, no parity, 1 stop bit (8-N-1) and hardware flow control (VT100) The exceptions are MIPS products (Qube 2700, Qube 2, RaQ 1, RaQ 2, CacheRaQ 2) and RaQ 3. For them, the connection speed should be: 9600 bps, N-8-1 parity Power up your appliance. You should immediately see output in your terminal emulator. If you do not, it's possible the serial console is disabled. Power down your appliance, then hold in the password reset button with a paperclip and power the appliance back on again. You should see a message in the LCD "SERIAL CONSOLE ON" and output should appear in the terminal emulator. When it does, you can release the password reset switch. If you see "SERIAL CONSOLE OFF" in the LCD, the console was enabled. Power off the appliance, then back on again per step 3, to toggle the console setting. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Single User Mode o serial cable console o power on the appliance, just after the first text appears, press the space bar. o type: boot type: set_params single type: bfd -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: How do I enable/disable the serial console? A: The console state can be changed via software, with the "cmos"' tool or with a special button held at startup. To see the state of the console setting with the "cmos" tool: cmos -c console To change the console setting: cmos -c console [on|off] You must reboot for the change to take full effect. Q: What if my system doesn't have the "cmos" command or doesn't have an OS currently? A: You can also change the console setting by holding a special button while the system powers on. For 3000 series systems, the special button is the 'Password Reset' button (the little recessed button). For 5000 series systems, the special button is the left arrow these systems do not have a 'Password Reset' button). Hold the button down, then power on the system. Keep the button pressed until you see the message "console ON" or "console OFF" appear. This process is a toggle. If you do it again, it will change the setting back. Q: What serial console settings should I use? A: The serial console is set to 115200 bits per second, 8 data bits, no stop bit, 1 parity bit. These settings are hard coded. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------