[jan-jaap]

Another day, another challenge.

I managed to load IRIX 4.0.1 on the system. Remember: this system does not have an ethernet adapter, no external SCSI port and the tapedrive is unusable. So, basically I did:

* dd an IRIX 4.0.1 CDROM to a SCSI harddisk (ID: #4), and attach this disk to the port of the tapedrive.
* boot dksc(0,4,8)sash.IP4 from the disk and load fx.
* 'fx' the disk with default layout
* reboot
* boot dksc(0,4,8)sash.IP4 from the disk and copy the miniroot (mr) to the swap partition, dksc(0,1,1)
* boot dksc(0,1,1)unix.IP4
* when the miniroot loads, enter admin>sh and mount the sw distribution from disk4.
* perform installation
* umount sw distribution
* it hangs shutting down. I finally reset the system.

I can boot this system in single user mode: boot -f dksc(0,1,0)unix initstate=s
I can then fsck and mount the /usr partition.

But any attempt to switch runlevels hangs the system. This includes shutdown, reboot, init 2, regular boot (hangs after mounting filesystems), shutting down in the miniroot etc.

I pulled the graphics: this makes no difference.

I think it has to do with one unique aspect of this system: it has no network interface at all. And that's the original config: the ribbon cable of the ethernet bulkhead is still wrapped up with a zip tie.

Regardless of having no network interface, it has an /etc/sys_id file (value: IRIS), and 'IRIS' exists in /etc/hosts (value: 192.0.2.1). But any attempt to run '/usr/etc/ping IRIS' hangs the system.

I used chkconfig to disable everything related to TCP/IP networking.

I wonder if I need a special kernel command line, or a special kernel config to run without ethernet. Some kernel commandline arguments exist, e.g. initstate and showconfig, but I can't find anything network related. /usr/sysgen/master.d has quite a new network related variables but I couldn't find anything that looked like it was a "disable the network" toggle.

Anybody got any clues? Other than IP4, an SGI without any network doesn't really exist.