[parisc-linux] PA-RISC newbie

[Grant Grundler]

Rod Smart wrote:
>     Hi there.
> 
>     I just purchased at a **VERY** cheap price, a HP Visualize C-180
> RISC system from a CAD drafting company, this box included a 4Gb Hard
> disk, a video card with unknown amount of memory (& daughter board,
> assuming its memory upgrade) and system board RAM is fully loaded
> (768Megs).
> 
>     I would like to run this system on Linux, and found the PA-RISC web
> site from the www.linux.org web site :o)
> 
>     The system currently has HP-UX installed, but not having any
> usernames or passwords, I cannot access the system from the prompt.

Yes you can. You just need to know how.

Interrupt the boot process to get a "BOOT ADMIN" prompt (or whatever
it's called - Boot Console Handler).
Then "boot primary isl" (shortened to bo pri isl)
You should have an "ISL>" prompt now.
ISL> hpux -is
And you will boot to single user state with a shell.
mountall and you should have the regular tools too.
vi /etc/passwd to your hearts content.

"There is no such thing at security with out physical security".

..
>     I'm not confident enough on how to create and burn a bootable CD to
> try and boot the box that way, I still think the vmlinux kernel I
> downloaded from the PA-RISC website has something to do with my problems
> (or the permissions)
>

You can dd the ISO image to a regular hard disk (ie /dev/sdc) and move
that disk over to the C180. Then boot from that disk.
From BCH, use "sea" to locate all boot devices.

grant

Grant Grundler
Unix Systems Enablement Lab
+1.408.447.7253