5. Configuring the NCD X terminal Boot Process

After being powered up, the X terminal attempts to boot. This is the process where the X software is loaded into memory and executed. If the X terminal cannot boot, the Boot Monitor prompt '>' will appear. The Boot Monitor is firmware found in terminal PROMs (programmable read-only memory). With the basic Boot Monitor interface, it is possible to configure the terminal to boot and retrieve its X server software from the host. Use '?' for a list of Boot Monitor commands.

Configuration parameters set with the boot monitor are stored in NVRAM (Non-volatile Random-Access Memory) and are retained when the terminal is powered down.

From the boot monitor, the 'bt' command or a menu system can be used to boot the terminal. Functionality of the two methods largely overlaps but the menu provides control over more boot parameters.

5.1 Boot Monitor command syntax

>bt file terminal_IP host_IP gateway_IP subnet_mask

file

The name of the file retrieved from the remote host containing the X server software used by the X terminal to boot (eg "Xncd19r"). Check that this file name is the same as the file name is found in the X terminal entry in the bootptab file on the host (explained in the previous section).

terminal_IP

The IP address assigned to the X terminal (eg 10.0.0.2). Again, this IP address should be the same as the address assigned in the X terminal entry of the bootptab file on the host.

host_IP

The IP address of the boot host (eg 10.0.0.1).

gateway

The IP address of the subnet gateway (eg 10.0.0.1)

subnet_mask

The subnet mask, specified as a decimal IP address or as a hexadecimal number (eg 255.0.0.0 or ff000000).

5.2 Boot Monitor Setup Menu

The setup menus are accessed by pressing the 'Setup' key or typing 'se' from the boot monitor '>' prompt.

Get IP Addresses From

The IP address of the X terminal should be obtained from boot monitor configuration stored in NVRAM. Only select 'Network' if you are using RARP (reverse ARP) to retrieve the X terminal's IP address from the remote host.

Terminal IP Address

The IP address assigned to the X terminal (eg 10.0.0.2). This is the same as 'terminal_IP' parameter above.

First Boot Host IP Address

The IP address of the boot host (eg 10.0.0.1). This is the same as 'host_IP' parameter above.

Gateway IP Address

The IP address of the subnet gateway. This is the same as 'gateway' parameter above.

Subnet Mask

The subnet mask, specified as a decimal IP address. This is the same as the 'subnet_mask' parameter above.

Broadcast IP Address

The IP address used to broadcast to the subnet. (eg 10.255.255.255)

Boot File

The name of the file retrieved from the remote host containing the X server software used by the X terminal to boot (eg "Xncd19r"). This is the same as 'file' parameter described above.

TFTP Boot Directory

The name of the directory on the host which contains the boot file (eg "/usr/X11/lib/X11/ncd/" or "/tftpboot/").

Config file

The name of the X terminal configuration file on the remote host (See below).

UNIX Config Directory

Name of the directory containing X terminal configuration files (eg "/usr/X11/lib/X11/ncd/").

TFTP Order, NFS Order, Local Order

Assign '1' to the preferred method for booting. Assign '1' to TFTP when booting from a host using BootP.

5.3 X Terminal Configuration Files

During the boot process, the X terminal will attempt to transfer and load files from the boot host. These files are not required for the X terminal to boot successfully. If a file is not found, the terminal will use default settings.

Configuration Files transferred to the X terminal at boot time:

• X terminal configuration file (eg ncd.conf) used to retain terminal settings.
• Color file (eg rgb.txt).
• X key symbol database (eg XKeysymDB).
• Font directory files (eg font.dir, font.alias).

After a successful boot, the X terminal console window with a menu bar should appear. The terminal setup key toggles display of this console window. From the console window 'setup' pull-down menu, terminal characteristics can be viewed, altered and saved on the boot host in the configuration file which can be used in future sessions.

If TFTP is being used to transfer files from the boot host, then file permission must be world readable. Similarly, to save a configuration file to the boot host, the file must already exist and with world write permission enabled. If secure TFTP is used (this is recommended for security reasons), then file access is possible only through specified directories.

Note: The terminal may fail to boot if it was previously configured to work with other hosts or with different configuration parameters. Resetting the NVRAM to remove stored settings may solve the problem.

To reset NVRAM, from the boot monitor, type the 'nv' command. From this sub-menu, select 'l' to load defaults, 's' to save and finally 'q' to quit. Resume the boot procedure described above.

5.4 Logging on to the host

From the X terminal console window menu bar, select the 'terminals' pull-down menu and choose 'New Telnet...'. When the telnet window appears, insert the address of a network host in the service entry and click 'OK'. The host log in prompt should appear. After logging in, X programs, including a window manager, can be started from the telnet window.