Re: Boot IIgs from AS server

[dempson@actrix.gen.nz (David Empson)]

Paul Grammens <grammens@svn.net> wrote:

> ground.ecn AppleII Librarian <apple2pd@garp3.icaen.uiowa.edu> wrote
> >
> > I don't follow.  A Rom1 needs slot7=appletalk, and boot from slot7.  A
> > Rom3 could have AT in slot1 or slot2 and boot from slot1 or slot2.  I
> > suspect slot7 could also work for a Rom3 though.
> 
> My mistake. I confused the slot 7 setting with the "Startup" setting.
> 
> > I reiterate: a IIeGS Rom1 can boot from Appleshare3.x server!
> 
> Apparently not with GS/OS System 6.0.1.  I've done clean installs, and so
> have other people, and it doesn't work.
> I haven't been able to find an earlier version that includes the Appletalk
> files.  I'm about to try installing Appleshare 2.0 to see if that works, but
> I'm thinking that David Empson's suggestion about using an earlier GS/OS is
> the way to get it to work.

I'm pretty sure that is a red herring.  Other people have reported
complete success with a ROM 1 IIgs booting over the network, so my
theory (that Apple broke something with recent IIgs system software
versions) doesn't hold water.

Bart (alais (sic) undercover) and steve (ground.enc AppleII Librarian)
were using 6.0.1 on a ROM 1.

In an earlier article in another thread, you wrote:
> It starts to boot, with the GSOS startup screen, but it quits and asks for
> the hard disk on the server to be inserted.

(I also recall you mentioning various files you proved it was loading.)

If you are getting as far as seeing the GS/OS splash screen then the
AppleTalk firmware differences between the ROM 1 and 3 should be
irrelevant - the early stage of the network bootstrap loads sufficient
AppleTalk support code to boot as far as loading all the drivers.

The symptoms sound like it has loaded the AppleShare FST and GS/OS
AppleTalk drivers, the boot code transfers control to them, and then
gets into a state where it can no longer see the server volume, for some
reason.

There may be timing problems causing it to lose communication with the
server.

Have you tried starting up GS/OS in text mode (by pressing the space bar
at the right point), so that it displays the name of some components as
they load?  This might reveal something.

I'll see if I can find my Apple II AppleTalk developer documentation,
which has a description of the boot process, in case there are any clues
in there.  There might also be something in some technical notes.

One thought occurs to me: how is your AppleTalk network organised?  Are
the IIgs and Mac connected to the same LocalTalk network segment, or do
you have some kind of bridge device between them?  I recall something
about only being able to boot the IIgs (possibly only the ROM 0 and 1)
from a server on the same AppleTalk subnet.