On to the X2100 M2

I've just been trying to set up one of the new X2100 M2s. I did a plain X2100 a while ago, and that was pretty simple - all I had to find out was the appropriate ctrl-alt-meta-shift-escape-thingy to replace F12 for the initial netboot while on the serial port. (Which I've forgotten, so if anyone could enlighten me - thanks!)

The new M2 is a different beast. The first problem was getting to the serial port. I've got my loan T2000 in the rack next to it, so I thought I would simply establish a tip session from that. However, it appears that the normal 'tip hardwire' trick doesn't work with the T2000 - there is no serial port B at all.

So I tried a different machine. And our console server. And about a dozen different cables. No joy. Eventually I did find a cable that worked, but I wasted far too long. (Don't get me started on serial cables. Every time I use them I feel this inner urge to go and throttle somebody.)

So I got an SP prompt. And this thing was - ahem - strange. After 5 minutes or so of being unable to get anything sensible out of it I punted and set the IP address manually, hooked the net management port into the network, and pointed my browser at it.

(I was somewhat dismayed to find that Sun's instructions told me to open up Internet Explorer. Oh how low have we fallen...)

So I point firefox at the LOM address and - wonder of wonders - it worked!

(There was the bit about the certificate expiring in 1979, and the mismatch between the IP address and the name on the certificate, but nothing serious.)

And you get what is actually quite a neat interface at this point. I started up the remote console, and nothing happened. Bother, edit pop-up preferences and try again. And I have the remote console.

This is all actually rather clever. It certainly looks good, and actually works pretty well too.

The next battle is to install the machine. At the moment when it tries to net boot one of our Windows Domain controllers jumps in and answers the DHCP request so my install server doesn't get a look in.