Can't get into Single User Mode.

Has anyone encounter this problem before?

I have set-up OpenFirmware to boot up OpenBSD immediately
after it is
turned on. Using MBR, no dual boot here, OpenBSD only.

Normally on a x86 computer after the BIOs is done I can type
in bsd -s
or something... not on the iMac G3, it doesn't take any
inputs at all
and just boots normally.

Not really a problem for me at the moment, but it would be
nice to
know if anyone knows what the solution to this might be.

-- 
Please avoid sending me Word or PowerPoint attachments.
See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/no-word-attachments.html

On Mon, Apr 23, 2007 at 10:55:15PM +1000, Sunnz wrote:
> Has anyone encounter this problem before?
> 
> I have set-up OpenFirmware to boot up OpenBSD
immediately after it is
> turned on. Using MBR, no dual boot here, OpenBSD only.
> 
> Normally on a x86 computer after the BIOs is done I can
type in bsd -s
> or something... not on the iMac G3, it doesn't take any
inputs at all
> and just boots normally.
> 
> Not really a problem for me at the moment, but it would
be nice to
> know if anyone knows what the solution to this might
be.
> 

At the time the ppc bootloader was written it was believed
that dropping
into openfirmware to type the new kernel at the openfirmware
prompt was
acceptable. On a machine with USB/adb keyboards this is
perfectly reasonable,
enter open firmware with <CMD><Alt> O F, then at
the prompt
type something like 'boot hd:,ofwboot bsd.alt'.

However unlike other openfirmware implementations (eg sun)
there is no
way to break into openfirmware from a serial console. So
there is some
chance that boot prompt more like i386 may appear.

Dale Rahn				drahndalerahn.com

> At the time the ppc bootloader was written it was
believed that dropping
> into openfirmware to type the new kernel at the
openfirmware prompt was
> acceptable. On a machine with USB/adb keyboards this is
perfectly reasonable,
> enter open firmware with <CMD><Alt> O F,
then at the prompt
> type something like 'boot hd:,ofwboot bsd.alt'.

Actually on early iMac models this will not work, as the
kernel filename
argument will be ignored.

The procedure is then to do:
     setenv boot-file bsd -s
     reset-all
which boots single user; then on next reboot, enter
openfirmware again, and
     setenv boot-file
     reset-all
to undo the changes.

Miod

Miod Vallat wrote:
>> At the time the ppc bootloader was written it was
believed that dropping
>> into openfirmware to type the new kernel at the
openfirmware prompt was
>> acceptable. On a machine with USB/adb keyboards
this is perfectly 
>> reasonable,
>> enter open firmware with <CMD><Alt> O
F, then at the prompt
>> type something like 'boot hd:,ofwboot bsd.alt'.
>
> Actually on early iMac models this will not work, as
the kernel filename
> argument will be ignored.
>
> The procedure is then to do:
>     setenv boot-file bsd -s
>     reset-all
> which boots single user; then on next reboot, enter
openfirmware 
> again, and
>     setenv boot-file
>     reset-all
> to undo the changes.
>
> Miod
>
Sorry for the off-topic question:

BTW, does anybody know what typically breaks down in an old
iMac (iMac DV
variant).. I left my unused, unpowered for some years, and
when I was 
about to use it
again, it did not respond to the power-on button.  Checked
up the 
battery and sure enough it was
out, and google told me that cause power mgmt issues, so I
went out a 
bought a new battery.
But it is still dead... no nothing... the only fuse I found
was ok, the 
only iMac I have available is
not the DV model, and the power supply board is different so
I couldn't 
try to see if it was it.
Anybody hae any experience?


niklas