Diagnostics via OpenFirmware

[V.Yakob]

Hi!

I have long seen reports that OpenFirmware (OFW) can run tests of equipment that is equipped with self-testing instructions. On different sites you can find many similar messages that mainly link to this site.
I tested it on QS and MDD.

So, I enter the OFW and turn on diag-switch? And disable Mac OS startup

setenv diag-switch? true
setenv auto-boot? false

Reboot

reset-all

After rebooting, the system starts for about 15 minutes, instead of booting the OS, the system immediately enters OFW. As I understand it, testing is being done all this time.
But commands entered manually, such as "test-all" to test all devices or "test /memory" to test RAM are not executed, a message is returned "test-all, unknown word".

Does anyone know how to use it in PowerMac? How do I get a report after enabling "diag-switch?" after booting the OS?
Maybe I need to additionally change "diag-device" and "diag-file"?

Or is diagnostics fully implemented only in SUN computers, and here in PPC it works with restrictions?

 

[joevt]

Looking at MDD Open Firmware dump, it appears that diagnostic boot doesn't do anything except try to do this command:

boot enet:,diags

where enet is the default diag-device and ,diags is the default diag-file
I don't say any code for handling ,diags
Another default for diag-file is bootp
There seems to be a lot of code for boot.

Try one of these commands?
.log
.time-stamps
.time-stamps\

You can't enter Open Firmware after booting the OS.

Maybe you want to boot a Apple Hardware Test CD? You can find a download link, burn a CD and try that.

An alternative to diag-switch? is a key press: Command-Option-D

Here's a list of key presses in the MDD Open Firmware:

Key presses                    Notes
===================================================================
Command Option O F             Open Firmware
Control Command Option O F     Open Firmware using serial port
Command E                      eject
Command Shift Option D         skip boot-device
Command Option ?               snag optional tbxi in root
Command ?                      snag optional tbxi in root
Command .                      cancel gui-bootdev-search
C                              snag cd
D                              snag hd
N                              snag enet (bootp)
Z                              snag zip
Option                         multi-boot
Command Option P R             reset-nvram
Command Option D               diagnostic-boot
T                              target-mode
Return or Enter                return key

 

[V.Yakob]

@joevt, I'm interested in the built-in diagnostic tools. For some reason, I always believed that Power Mac has it. Perhaps various materials about OpenFirmware in SUN computers have created confusion in my head.

Indeed, if I do not connect the network cable to MDD and reboot after turning on diag-switch?, the system starts quickly, and at the top there is a message:

BOOTP/DHCP failed : SERVER is not responding can't OPEN: enet:,diags
Diagnostics-Boot Failed!!

So the system is trying to find a BOOTP server on the network that will transmit a diagnostic script?

Has anyone ever seen such scripts? I googled for a long time, but I didn't find anything.