Frequently Asked Questions - Carlo Gavazzi Computing Solutions

About the Company

What happened to Aurora Technologies, Inc.?
What happened to CG Mupac?

Using StarFabric

How can I connect 2 PCs using StarFabric?

Serial Communications, General

How do I install Solaris drivers?
When using a serial port, should I use the “cua” or “term” device?
How can I use custom baud rates?
What commands do I use to set up login services under Solaris?
How do I install a stream file?
Was the Saturn 2520P Multiport Serial Card and 2-port DB-25M Cable Discontinued?

Serial Communications, Cable Types

What type of cable should I use?

Serial Communications, Protocol

What’s the difference between passive and normal HDLC?
How do I configure ports for use with Sun Microsystems Solstice Protocol Software?

What happened to Aurora Technologies, Inc.?
Aurora Technologies, Inc. has been dissolved and merged into Carlo Gavazzi Computing Solutions, Inc., a US subsidiary of Carlo Gavazzi Holding AG of Switzerland.

What happened to CG Mupac?
CG Mupac or Mupac is now known as Carlo Gavazzi Computing Solutions, Inc.

How can I connect 2 PCs using StarFabric?
This procedure describes how to connect two computers using a Starfabric interface and two Starfabric cards (either PCI-SB or PMC-SB) The connection will allow one PC to write into the others memory. This connection may be used to verify proper operation of the Starfabric hardware in a path routed configuration.
Materials Required:

Two Starfabric interface cards.
Two or more PC’s
At least two Cat5 cables
Real mode DOS bootable floppy (WIN98 or earlier will have “real DOS”
PVX utility on floppy or HD

Setup:

Configure the cards using the DIP switches. Set one card as Root, gateway only (bridge disabled) Set the other card as Leaf, gateway only.
Install the boards in the two PC’s
Connect the two Cat5 cables between the two boards Tx of one board to Rx of the other and vice-versa.

Boot:

Use the bootable floppy to boot the PC with the Leaf card.
Run the PVX utility. Perform a PCI scan using the key combination ALT-S
In the left window pane, find the “other bridge” device, use the arrow keys to highlight it and press the space bar.
Make sure it has the device code 9902 in the right window.
Take note of the numbers next to the “other bridge” designation in the left window. These are the devices bus, device and function numbers. You will need them in order to perform some writes into PCI configuration space.
Take careful note of the BAR0 – BAR5 values in the right window. You will need those to restore the BAR registers after the root PC boots.
Boot the Root PC using the DOS floppy.
Once the Root PC is up and running, return to the Leaf PC. In PVX, type ALT-D to open a debug window.

Restore the BAR values at the Leaf:

1. 1. At the Leaf PC open a debug window in PVX by typing ALT-D.
  2. In the next few steps, you will restore the BAR values noted earlier.
  3. At the prompt, type “cfg -wd bus# device# function# bar offset bar value”For example to restore BAR0 for an “other bridge” device with a bus/function/device of 02 05 00 and an original BAR0 value of EC000000 you would type the following:
```
cfg-wd 02 05 00 10 EC000000
```
    this will restore BAR0. 10 is the offset to the BAR See below for other BAR offsets.
    
    BAR Offset
    
    BAR 0 0x10
    
    BAR 1 0x14
    
    BAR 2 0x18
    
    BAR 3 0x1C
    
    BAR 4 0x20
    
    BAR 5 0x24
  4. Use the above offsets and values recorded earlier to restore all of the BAR values
  5. Restore the PCI command register. Type
```
cfg -wd 02 05 00 04 0007
```
    Again your bus/dev/functions may differ from the example. 04 is the command register offset and 0007 is the correct value to enter.
    
    Fabric Handles:
    1.After the leaf BARs are restored, go back to the Root pc and run PVX.
    2.Open a debug window (ALT-D) and type
    
    sroot
    
    at the prompt. This will enumerate the fabric.
    3.Type
```
conn -sh
```
    to show the fabric connection handles. They should look something like:
```
This is the handle              This # is the root FID
             |                      |
       0xec810000   0x0001000       0/0/R         6/0/N   0  0    0  0/1/7     
       0xed810000   0x0001000       0/0/N         0/0/R   0  0    0  0/0/R    
                             |
                               This # is the leaf FID
```
    These are the connection handles and paths for the root and the leaf nodes. Yours may look different but there should be two.
  6. Now we will make a new connection handle to a memory segment on the leaf.
  7. At the debug prompt on the Root machine, type
Make sure to use your root and leaf FID values. The example FIDs may differ.
Type
```
conn -sh
```
to show the new connection handle and take note of the value. The 0x at the start of the handle simply denotes a hexadecimal value. You should see the three connections. The new one is the handle to the leaf PC.
Go back to the Leaf PC and type:
```
mem -dump 8000000
```

Take note of the values they will probably be zeros.

1. At the Root PC type
```
mem -fill   12345678 0
```
  Example: If your new connection handle is EC008000 you would enter:
```
mem -fill EC008000 EC008FFF 12345678 0
```
  This will fill the leaf memory area with the value 12345678
2. Go back to the Leaf PC and type
```
mem -dump 8000000
```

Take note of the values returned, they should now be 12345678, indicating the leaf memory has been written from the root. Refer to the PCI-SB or PMC-SB operator manuals for details on setting DIP switch configurations and board installation.

How do I install Solaris drivers?
The drivers are available from our Website. Download the driver corresponding to the product you purchased from Carlo Gavazzi Computing Solutions, Inc..

The files are compressed package stream files. The filenames end in either ‘.Z’ or ‘.gz’ depending on the utility that was used to compress them. Note that, due to a bug in older versions of Netscape, the file you downloaded may have been saved without the extension.In this case, use the mv command to rename the file and add the extension.

Before they can be installed, the files need to be uncompressed. Using the following commands:

For files ending in’.Z’ use the command:
uncompress filename.Z

For files using in ‘.gz’ use the command:
gunzip filename.gz

In both cases, the command result in a file without the ‘.Z’ or ‘.gz’ extension.

To install the package, you can now run:
pkgadd -d filename

Follow the instructions on screen to complete the installation.

When using a serial port, should I use the “cua” or “term” device?
If you are not sure, always use the “cua” device.

To simplify, the main difference between the two devices can be seen when using the open system call. When using the “cua” device, the call will always succeed. When using the “term” device the call returns if the “carrier detect” (CD) signal is asserted. If it is not asserted, the call will block until “carrier detect” is asserted.

How can I use custom baud rates?
Versions of Solaris prior to 2.5 (and all SunOS versions) do not recognize speeds higher than 38400bps. In order to use the higher speeds available on most Fabric & Connectivity Division products, the mset command is used. This is only for async communication, as sync does not require a special procedure for faster speeds.

To the driver, the speed 38400 is a “magic number” in that it can be set to any speed the Aurora board recognizes. After the magic number is set using mset, any use of the board at 38400 will really use the new number.

To use these speeds, use the following command:

mset  -baud

Where is the device you wish to modify, and is the new speed you wish to use. For example:

mset term/0 -baud 115200

will set port 0 of the first Fabric & Connectivity Division board to run at 115200bps when tip or pmadm goes to access the port.

What commands do I use to set up login services under Solaris?
By far the easiest way is to use Sun’s admintool GUI tool.

To set up a login service on a serial port, go to the “Browse” menu and select the “Serial Port” entry.

A window will pop-up. Set the “Template” and the “Baud Rate”. Click on the Apply button.

You should now be able to login on the port you just set-up.

If you can not use admintool the following commands are applicable.

Adding a ttymon port monitor

sacadm -a -p mbmon -t ttymon -c /usr/lib/saf/ttymon -v `ttyadm -V` -y "TTY Ports a & b"

Where:
-a is the add port monitor flag
-p specifies the pmtag mbmon as the port monitor tag
-t specifies the port monitor type as ttymon
-c defines the command string used to start the port monitor
-v specifies the version number of the port monitor
-y defines a comment to describe this instance of the port monitor

Listing ttymon port monitor status

sacadm -l -p mbmon

Where:
-l is the list port monitor status flag
-p specifies the pmtag mbmon as the port montior tag

Killing a ttymon port monitor

sacadm -k -p mbmon

Where:
-k is the kill port monitor status flag
-p specifies the pmtag mbmon as the port monitor tag

Starting a ttymon port monitor

sacadm -s -p mbmon

Where:
-s is the start port monitor status flag
-p specifies the pmtag mbmon as the port monitor tag

Disabling a ttymon port monitor

Disabling a port monitor prevents new services from starting, without affecting existing services.

sacadm -d -p mbmon

Where:
-d is the disable port monitor status flag
-p specifies the pmtag mbmon as the port monitor tag

Enabling a ttymon port monitor
Enabling a ttymon port monitor allows it to service new requests

sacadm -e -p mbmon

Where:
-e is the enable port monitor status flag
-p specifies the pmtag mbmon as the port monitor tag

Removing a ttymon port monitor

sacadm -r -p mbmon

Where:
-r is the remove port monitor status flag
-p specifies the pmtag mbmon as the port monitor tag

Note – Removing a port monitor deletes all the configuration files associated with it. Port monitor configuration files cannot be updated or changed using sacadm. To reconfigure a port montior, remove it and add a new one.

Enabling a ttymon port monitor

Enabling a ttymon port monitor allows it to service new requests

sacadm -e -p mbmon

Where:
-e is the enable port monitor status flag
-p specifies the pmtag mbmon as the port monitor tag

Removing a ttymon port monitor

sacadm -r -p mbmon

Where:
-r is the remove port monitor status flag
-p specifies the pmtag mbmon as the port monitor tag

How do I install a stream file?
To install a stream file, please use the following steps:

make sure you are root
next, use the pkgadd -d command to add the stream file. e.g.:
pkgadd -d ./AURAase-2.06-sparc-sos5.9.stream
Answer yes to any questions that pop up within the install (they are simply asking for permission to install the driver)

Was the Saturn 2520P Multiport Serial Card and 2-port DB-25M Cable Discontinued?
Carlo Gavazzi Computing Solutions, Inc. discontinued production of the Aurora brand Saturn 2520P (Part #: 70-00020-08) and its associated 2-port DB-25M cable (Part #: 06-00101-00) in 2003.

We currently have a limited number of Saturn 2520P units and associated 2�port cables in stock to satisfy defective unit/warranty claims and Extended Support Agreements.

It is important to note that the discontinuation of the Saturn Model 2520P does not impact other models within the Saturn Series product line (Models 4520P and 8520P Serial Controllers), which can be used, in many instances, as direct replacements for the Saturn 2520P.

What type of cable should I use?
Depending on your application, you will need either a “straight” or a “null modem” cable.

Usually when you are connecting a computer to a modem, you need a “straight” cable. When connecting two computers, as is mostly the case when using ControlTower, you need a “null modem” cable.

You can find the specification of various “null modem cables on our website.

What’s the difference between passive and normal HDLC?
Normal HDLC communications begins by a station issuing a message called SABM. This message is the initiating message that a station uses to set up a connection to another device. The second station receives this message and sends an acknowledges back thus completing the call setup.

In certain configurations, a particular station may need to be set up where it cannot initiate a call. It can acknowledge but cannot initiate a call. That is the PASSIVE mode. Another station can set up the call with this station and it will acknowledge the call, but it can never initiate one.

How do I configure ports for use with Sun Microsystems Solstice Protocol Software?
Carlo Gavazzi Computing Solutions synchronous drivers for the Aurora brand boards have the SunSync Interface (SSIF) layer built in. The compatibility layer can be activated by using the devices /dev/ases?, where the ? is replaced with the port number you wish to use.

BAR	Offset
BAR 0	0x10
BAR 1	0x14
BAR 2	0x18
BAR 3	0x1C
BAR 4	0x20
BAR 5	0x24