Displaying and Changing Variable Settings

NVRAM configuration variables can be viewed and changed using the commands listed in Table 10.

Table 10

Command	Description
printenv	Display current variables and current default values. printenv variable shows the current value of the named variable.
setenv variable value	Set variable to the given decimal or text value. (Changes are permanent, but often take effect only after a reset.)
set-default variable	Reset the value of variable to the factory default.
set-defaults	Reset variable values to the factory defaults.
password	Set security-password

The following pages show how these commands can be used.

---

Note - Solaris provides the eeprom utility for modifying OpenBoot configuration variables.

---

To display a list of the current variable settings on your system, type:

ok printenv Variable Name Value Default Value oem-logo 2c 31 2c 2d 00 00 00 00 ... oem-logo? false false oem-banner oem-banner? false false output-device ttya screen input-device ttya keyboard sbus-probe-list 03 0123 diag-file diag-device net net boot-file boot-device disk disk net auto-boot? false true fcode-debug? true false use-nvramrc? false false nvramrc screen-#columns 80 80 screen-#rows 34 34 security-mode none none security-password security-#badlogins 0 diag-switch? true false ok

In the displayed, formatted list of the current settings, numeric variables are often shown in decimal.

To change a variable setting, type:

ok setenv variable-name value

variable-name is the name of the variable. value is a numeric value or text string appropriate to the named variable. A numeric value is interpreted as a decimal number, unless preceded by 0x, which is the qualifier for a hexadecimal number.

For example, to set the auto-boot? variable to false, type:

ok setenv auto-boot? false ok

---

Note - Many variable changes do not affect the operation of the firmware until the next power cycle or system reset at which time the firmware uses the variable's new value.

---

You can reset one or most of the variables to the original defaults using the set-default variable and set-defaults commands.

For example, to reset the auto-boot? variable to its default setting (true), type:

ok set-default auto-boot? ok

To reset most variables to their default settings, type:

ok set-defaults ok

On SPARC systems, it is possible to reset the NVRAM variables to their default settings by holding down Stop-N while the machine is powering up. When issuing this command, hold down Stop-N immediately after turning on the power to the SPARC system, and keep it pressed for a few seconds. This is a good technique to force a SPARC compatible machine's NVRAM variables to a known condition.

Setting Security Variables

The NVRAM system security variables are:

• security-mode
• security-password

• security-#badlogins

security-mode can restrict the set of operations that users are allowed to perform from the User Interface. The three security modes, and their available commands, are listed in the following table in order of most to least secure.

Table 11

Mode	Commands
full	All commands except for go require the password.
command	All commands except for boot and go require the password.
none	No password required (default).

Command Security

With security-mode set to command:

• A password is not required if you type the boot command by itself. However, if you use the boot command with an argument, a password is required.
• The go command never asks for a password.
• A password is required to execute any other command.

Examples are shown in the following screen.

ok boot (no password required) ok go (no password required) ok boot filename (password required) Password: (password is not echoed as it is typed) ok reset-all (password required) Password: (password is not echoed as it is typed)

---

Warning - Set the security password before setting the security mode.

---

---

Caution - It is important to remember your security password. If you forget this password, you cannot use your system; you must call your vendor's customer support service to make your machine bootable again.

---

To set the security password and command security mode, type the following at the ok prompt:

ok password ok New password (only first 8 chars are used): ok Retype new password: ok setenv security-mode command ok

The security password you assign must be between zero and eight characters. Any characters after the eighth are ignored. You do not have to reset the system; the security feature takes effect as soon as you type the command.

If you enter an incorrect security password, there will be a delay of about 10 seconds before the next boot prompt appears. The number of times that an incorrect security password is typed is stored in the security-#badlogins variable.

Full Security

The full security mode is the most restrictive. With security-mode set to full:

• A password is required any time you execute the boot command.
• The go command never asks for a password.
• A password is required to execute any other command.

Here are some examples.

ok go (no password required) ok boot (password required) Password: (password is not echoed as it is typed) ok boot filename (password required) Password: (password is not echoed as it is typed) ok reset-all (password required) Password: (password is not echoed as it is typed)

---

Warning - Set the security password before setting the security mode.

---

---

Caution - It is important to remember your security password. If you forget this password, you cannot use your system; you must call your vendor's customer support service to make your machine bootable again.

---

To set the security password and full security, type the following at the ok prompt:

ok password ok New password (only first 8 chars are used): ok Retype new password: ok setenv security-mode full ok

Changing the Power-on Banner

The banner configuration variables are:

• oem-banner
• oem-banner?
• oem-logo
• oem-logo?

To view the power-on banner, type:

ok banner ok

The banner for your system may be different.

The banner consists of two parts: the text field and the logo (over serial ports, only the text field is displayed). You can replace the existing text field with a custom text message using the oem-banner and oem-banner? configuration variables.

To insert a custom text field in the power-on banner, type:

ok setenv oem-banner Hello Mom and Dad ok setenv oem-banner? true ok banner ok

The system displays the banner with your new message, as shown in the preceding screen.

The graphic logo is handled differently. oem-logo is a 512-byte array, containing a total of 4096 bits arranged in a 64 x 64 array. Each bit controls one pixel. The most significant bit (MSB) of the first byte controls the upper-left corner pixel. The next bit controls the pixel to the right of it, and so on.

To create a new logo, first create a Forth array containing the correct data; then copy this array into oem-logo. The array is then installed in oem-logo with $setenv. The example below fills the top half of oem-logo with an ascending pattern.

ok create logoarray d# 512 allot ok logoarray d# 256 0 do i over i + c! loop drop ok logoarray d# 256 " oem-logo" $setenv ok setenv oem-logo? true ok banner

To restore the system's original power-on banner, set the oem-logo? and oem-banner? variables to false.

ok setenv oem-logo? false ok setenv oem-banner? false ok

Because the oem-logo array is so large, printenv displays approximately the first 8 bytes (in hexadecimal). To display the entire array, use the phrase oem-logo dump. The oem-logo array is not erased by set-defaults, since it might be difficult to restore the data. However, oem-logo? is set to false when set-defaults executes, so the custom logo is no longer displayed.

---

Note - Some systems do not support the oem-logo feature.

---

Input and Output Control

The console is used as the primary means of communication between OpenBoot and the user. The console consists of an input device, used for receiving information supplied by the user, and an output device, used for sending information to the user. Typically, the console is either the combination of a text/graphics display device and a keyboard or an ASCII terminal connected to a serial port.

The configuration variables related to the control of the console are:

• input-device
• output-device
• screen-#columns
• screen-#rows

You can use these variables to assign the power-on defaults for the console. These values do not take effect until after the next power cycle or system reset.

Selecting Input and Output Device Options

The input-device and output-device variables control the firmware's selection of input and output devices after a power-on reset. The default input-device value is keyboard and the default output-device value is screen. The values of input-device and output-device must be device specifiers. The aliases keyboard and screen are often used as the values of these variables.

When the system is reset, the named device becomes the initial firmware console input or output device. (If you want to temporarily change the input or output device, use the input or output commands described in Chapter 4, "Using Forth Tools".)

To set ttya as the initial console input device, type:

ok setenv input-device ttya ok

If you select keyboard for input-device, and the device is not plugged in, input is accepted from a fallback device (typically ttya) after the next power cycle or system reset. If you select screen for output-device, but no frame buffer is available, output is sent to the fall-back device after the next power cycle or system reset.

To specify an SBus frame buffer as the default output device (especially if there are multiple frame buffers in the system), type:

ok setenv output-device /sbus/SUNW,leo ok

Setting Serial Port Characteristics

The following values represent the typical range of communications characteristics for serial ports:

• baud = 110, 300, 1200, 2400, 4800, 9600, 19200, or 38400 bits/second
• #bits = 5, 6, 7, or 8 (data bits)
• parity = n (none), e (even), or o (odd), parity bit

• #stop = 1 (1), . (1.5), or 2 (2) stop bits

---

Note - rts/cts and xon/xoff handshaking are not implemented on some systems. When a selected protocol is not implemented, the handshake variable is accepted but ignored; no messages are displayed.

---

Selecting Boot Options

You can use the following configuration variables to determine whether or not the system will boot automatically after a power cycle or system reset.

• auto-boot?
• boot-device
• boot-file

If auto-boot? is true and if OpenBoot is not in diagnostic mode, the system boots automatically after a power-cycle or system reset using the boot-device and boot-file values.

These variables can also be used during manual booting to select the boot device and the program to be booted. For example, to specify default booting from the network server, type:

ok setenv boot-device net ok

Changes to boot-file and boot-device take effect the next time that boot is executed.

Controlling Power-on Self-test

The power-on testing variables are:

• diag-switch?
• diag-device
• diag-file
• diag-level

Setting diag-switch? to true causes the function diagnostic-mode? to return true. When diagnostic-mode? returns true, the system:

• Performs more thorough selftests during any subsequent power-on or system reset process.
• May display additional status messages (the details are implementation dependent).
• Uses different configuration variables for booting. (For more details on the effects on the boot process, see Chapter 2, "Booting and Testing Your System".)

Most systems have a factory default of false for the diag-switch? variable. To set diag-switch? to true, type:

ok setenv diag-switch? true ok

---

Note - Some systems have a hardware diagnostic switch that also cause diagnostic-mode? to return true. Such systems run the full tests at power-on and system reset if either the hardware switch is set or diag-switch? is true.

---

---

Note - Some implementations enable you to force diag-switch? to true by using an implementation-dependent key sequence during power-on. Check your system's documentation for details, or see Appendix C, "Troubleshooting Guide".

---

To set diag-switch? to false, type:

ok setenv diag-switch? false ok

When not in diagnostic mode, the system does not announce the diagnostic tests as they are performed (unless a test fails) and may perform fewer tests.

Using nvramrc

The nvramrc configuration variable whose contents are called the script, can be used to store user-defined commands executed during start-up.

Typically, nvramrc is used by a device driver to save start-up configuration variables, to patch device driver code, or to define installation-specific device configuration and device aliases. It can also be used for bug patches or for user-installed extensions. Commands are stored in ASCII, just as the user would type them at the console.

If the use-nvramrc? configuration variable is true, the script is evaluated during the OpenBoot start-up sequence as shown:

• Perform Power On Self Test (POST)
• Perform system initialization
• Evaluate the script (if use-nvramrc? is true)
• Execute probe-all (i.e. evaluate FCode)
• Execute install-console
• Execute banner
• Execute secondary diagnostics
• Perform default boot (if auto-boot? is true)

It is sometimes desirable to modify the sequence probe-all install-console banner. For example, commands that modify the characteristics of plug-in display devices may need to be executed after the plug-in devices have been probed, but before the console device has been selected. Such commands would need to be executed between probe-all and install-console. Commands that display output on the console would need to be placed after install-console or banner.

This is accomplished by creating a custom script which contains either banner or suppress-banner since the sequence probe-all install-console banner is not executed if either banner or suppress-banner is executed from the script. This allows the use of probe-all, install-console and banner inside the script, possibly interspersed with other commands, without having those commands re-executed after the script finishes.

Most User Interface commands can be used in the script. The following cannot:

• boot
• go
• nvedit
• password
• reset-all
• setenv security-mode

Editing the Contents of the Script

The script editor, nvedit, lets you create and modify the script using the commands listed in Table 12.

Table 12

Command	Description
nvalias alias device-path	Stores the command "devalias alias device-path" in the script. The alias persists until either nvunalias or set-defaults is executed.
$nvalias	Performs the same function as nvalias except that it takes its arguments, name-string device-string, from the stack
nvedit	Enters the script editor. If data remains in the temporary buffer from a previous nvedit session, resumes editing those previous contents. If not, reads the contents of nvramrc into the temporary buffer and begins editing it.
nvquit	Discards the contents of the temporary buffer, without writing it to nvramrc. Prompts for confirmation.
nvrecover	Recovers the contents of nvramrc if they have been lost as a result of the execution of set-defaults; then enters the editor as with nvedit. nvrecover fails if nvedit is executed between the time that the nvramrc contents were lost and the time that nvrecover is executed.
nvrun	Executes the contents of the temporary buffer.
nvstore	Copies the contents of the temporary buffer to nvramrc; discards the contents of the temporary buffer.
nvunalias alias	Deletes the specified alias from nvramrc.
$nvunalias	Performs the same function as nvunalias except that it takes its argument, name-string, from the stack

The editing commands shown in Table 13 are used in the script editor.

Table 13

Keystroke	Description
Control-B	Moves backward one character.
Escape B	Moves backward one word.
Control-F	Moves forward one character.
Escape F	Moves forward one word.
Control-A	Moves backward to beginning of the line.
Control-E	Moves forward to end of the line.
Control-N	Moves to the next line of the script editing buffer.
Control-P	Moves to the previous line of the script editing buffer.
Return (Enter)	Inserts a newline at the cursor position and advances to the next line.
Control-O	Inserts a newline at the cursor position and stays on the current line.
Control-K	Erases from the cursor position to the end of the line, storing the erased characters in a save buffer. If at the end of a line, joins the next line to the current line (i.e. deletes the newline).
Delete	Erases the previous character.
Backspace	Erases the previous character.
Control-H	Erases the previous character.
Escape H	Erases from beginning of word to just before the cursor, storing erased characters in a save buffer.
Control-W	Erases from beginning of word to just before the cursor, storing erased characters in a save buffer.
Control-D	Erases the next character.
Escape D	Erases from the cursor to the end of the word, storing the erased characters in a save buffer.
Control-U	Erases the entire line, storing the erased characters in a save buffer.
Control-Y	Inserts the contents of the save buffer before the cursor.
Control-Q	Quotes the next character (i.e. allows you to insert control characters).
Control-R	Retypes the line.
Control-L	Displays the entire contents of the editing buffer.
Control-C	Exits the script editor, returning to the OpenBoot command interpreter. The temporary buffer is preserved, but is not written back to the script. (Use nvstore afterwards to write it back.)

Activating the Script

Use the following steps to create and activate the script:

1. At the ok prompt, type nvedit

Edit the script using editor commands.

2. Type Control-C to get out of the editor and back to the ok prompt.

If you have not yet typed nvstore to save your changes, you may type nvrun to execute the contents of the temporary edit buffer.

3. Type nvstore to save your changes.

4. Enable the interpretation of the script by typing:

setenv use-nvramrc? true

5. Type reset-all to reset the system and execute the script, or type: nvramrc evaluate

to execute the contents directly.

The following example shows you how to create a simple colon definition in the script.

ok nvedit 0: : hello ( -- ) 1: ." Hello, world. " cr 2: ; 3: ^C ok nvstore ok setenv use-nvramrc? true ok reset-all ... ok hello Hello, world. ok

Notice the nvedit line number prompts (0:, 1:, 2:, 3:) in the above example. These prompts are system-dependent.