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Re: Trying to interface with E55 server - What hardware?

 
Jeff Moore_1
Occasional Contributor

Trying to interface with E55 server - What hardware?

am trying to setup a UNIX server on a HP 9000 E55 server and I can not seem to connect with it. It has a LAN adapter but I can not seem to Telnet in because I don't know the name or IP address. The server also has several RS232-C MUX connectors that connect tp terminal strips with RJ45 connectors. I have also tried to hook a HP 928 dumb terminal to the MUX without any success. Can anyone help me on how to hook this up so that I can re-install the UNIX OS?
7 REPLIES 7
Elmar P. Kolkman
Honored Contributor

Re: Trying to interface with E55 server - What hardware?

To find out which IP adress it currently has, you can use tcpdump or something like that on a machine you connect to the lan card by using a cross-UTP cable.

As for the console: on the MUX connector you should have a block with multiple 25 pins RS-232 of which the first will be the console port.
Every problem has at least one solution. Only some solutions are harder to find.
Joshua Scott
Honored Contributor

Re: Trying to interface with E55 server - What hardware?

To add to what Elmar said,

Make sure the terminal is set up for:

8 data bits
1 stop bit
9600 baud
NO parity

Josh
What are the chances...
Helen French
Honored Contributor

Re: Trying to interface with E55 server - What hardware?

If the MUX is connected properly and if it's working, you can connect a dumb terminal on the "0th" port on the MUX. That will be your console. You may have to do some trial and error with terminal setting though ..

You can install either HP-UX 10.20 or 11.X (32bit) on this server.
Life is a promise, fulfill it!
Jeff Moore_1
Occasional Contributor

Re: Trying to interface with E55 server - What hardware?

I connected the HP 928 dumb terminal to the MUX strip "0" using a 586B patch cable to to go between the MUX plug and the PORT 1 DB25 connector on the back of the terminal. I set the terminal according to what Josh suggested but didn't get anywhere. There are LED lights next to the MUX plugs on the back of the server; do these need to be on for the MUX strip to be working?

Is there a windows-based shell command that I can use to discover the IP address and/or the WINS name of the server for telnet purposes through the LAN adapter? This was intimated by Elmer but I think tcdump is a unix command.
Tony Horton
Frequent Advisor

Re: Trying to interface with E55 server - What hardware?

Hi Jeff,

I just pulled out our old E55 that I have been meaning to configure as a test machine. I hooked the MDP up and the led on the card on the back of the machine doesn't light up. The MDP ON LED on the MDP does light up. Note that the machine doesn't display anything on the console for about a minute after powering on (I guess while doing self tests). The first thing to appear is the press any key within 10 seconds to overide message. Console is connected to port zero as others mentioned.

I'm using a 700/96 console with HP 40242-60020 cable (25pin-25pin). I can check the pinouts if you need them (there are only four).

Regards,

Tony.
No man is an isthmus
malvin drakley
Esteemed Contributor

Re: Trying to interface with E55 server - What hardware?

If you can actually get into unix then there is something you can do. You can "vi" the file "/etc/rc.config.d/netconf" and about 12 lines down is your nodename in inverted commas. You can delete that, save the file and then do a reboot. The machine will then come up in "instant ignition" mode where you set your own node name and ip address.
hope this helps
malvin
Not me Chief, I'm Radar
Bill Hassell
Honored Contributor

Re: Trying to interface with E55 server - What hardware?

The 928 terminal and cable number sound a lot like T.I. products. The key to RS-232 that doesn't work is there two distinct cables for *every* computer connection. Strsight-thru and crossover. I would purchase a 25pin crossover adapter and insert it onto the cable. You'll probably get a system prompt after the E55 finishes selftest. Once you get a prompt, you'll have to reboot again so you can interrupt the boot process and get into single user mode. (I am assuming you do not know the root password). When the system starts rebooting, press any key to stop the autoreboot process. Then type: boot pri and answer yes to the interact question. At the ISL prompt, type: hpux -is and you'll boot into single user mode. Once there, you will not have /usr and other important directories, so issue mount commands for /usr /var /tmp and then run vipw to edit the passwd file. Remove the password from root's line. If all the entries in /etc/passwd have :*: and there is a /tcb directory, your system is in Trusted mode so quit out of vipw and edit the file /tcb/files/auth/r/root and change the line with :u_pwd= to :u_pwd=: which means no password for root. Save the root file. While you're at it, find the LAN IP address with: grep IP_ADDRESS /etc/rc.config.d/netconf. If there is no such file or directory, type: uname -r and you may have very obsolete OS such as 9.0 or maybe earlier.


Bill Hassell, sysadmin