How to find the Graphics Cards details

Jeremy,

... perhaps a typo ?

/usr/platform/sun4u/sbin

But there should be a soft link to the command, anyhow,

even for the default shell path of root user.

The soft links began with Solaris 9.

We all had to type absolute paths in Solaris 8 and older.

rukbat at 2007-7-6 19:24:24 >

The 420R does not usually have any graphics card,

unless someone in your organization purchased one and had it installed.

There is no framebuffer circuitry integrated to the systemboard, either.

Also, the 420R chassis shell blocks off any external access to the UPA slots of the systemboard, thus only PCI slots are usable.

(When that same systemboard is in an Ultra-80, the chassis provides for the use of the UPA slots for graphics options.)

The output from your PRTDIAG does not seem to show any graphics cards.

You have what appears to be an ethernet card in slot #1 and fibre cards in slots #2 and #3.

Let's try a couple more things.

Do a directory listing for /dev/fbs. Any zero-byte device instance files in there?

Also try one more Solaris command,

prtconf -F (uppercase 'F')

What does that yield?

Your computer could just be a normal 420R and you administer it

in the expected customary fashion -- through its TTYa port.

rukbat at 2007-7-6 19:24:24 >

OK.

That confirms that there isn't any graphics circuitry installed at the present time.

So let me try to respond to these questions...

1. The cost of KVM hardware, with Sun-to-PC compatible cable sets

would be more that I would ever want to spend. You may just as well go get a

used PGX32 card, a monitor, and a Sun keyboard/mouse kit for the 420R.

2. There are USB-to-serial dongles that could give you a functional port on the laptop.

My experience is that the $15 adapters are garbage, simple shape-changers,

and you'd need a $45-$70 adapter if it is to work properly.

The expensive ones have serial UART circuitry inside them and actually work.

3. I don't use Hyperterminal. I haven't spent more than 10 minutes with it in 10+ years.

TeraTerm is just so much better.(Google for it. Search these forums for it.)

4. There are occasional computer systems that have their serial ports in a RJ45 shape,

because there isn't enough flat chassis panel space to fit a DB9 or a DB25 port.

That is where you'd use your dongle to help your serial connection.

I presume these two computers are networked together?

Just today there has been a forum discussion on displaying a Solaris desktop onto a Windows PC screen.

http://swforum.sun.com/jive/thread.jspa?threadID=97346&tstart=0

You may wish to join that discussion.

I've never done it, and I don't know if the 420R will still need

a graphics card, so that the X software can become functional.

rukbat at 2007-7-6 19:24:24 >