OT: Sun CPU card. Anything useful?

[Dave McGuire]

On Mar 15, 2007, at 2:14 PM, Ethan Dicks wrote:
>> PCexchange is selling these for 10 clams.  Are they applicable to
>> anything but a genuine Sun box?  Is there any reason to own one?
>>
>> http://pcexchange-net.stores.yahoo.net/sunmipcica40.html
>
> I wasn't able to track down much of anything other than sale listings
> on this card, but from what I remember about it, it's primary function
> is an embedded PC for running Windows and whatnot.  I do not recall
> what the latest version of Solaris supports it, but I'd be surprised
> if it's still supported under Solaris 10.  For $18.95 (w/shipping),
> it's _almost_ worth getting one to see if it can be run standalone as
> an embedded PC... I see what looks like a space to install an IDE
> connector, but the BIOS might only know how to talk to some
> application running on the Sun, with a "soft" video adapter (as the
> A2088 Bridgeboard did in the Amiga).  I occasionally have cause to
> want a smallish PC running some embedded task (smart cacheing webcam,
> network-attached readout for system status, etc), so as long as I can
> stick a flash card in an IDE adapter, attach a network interface, and
> hang my peripherals off of parallel and/or serial ports, that's enough
> - it doesn't have to have its own video interface.
>
> Anyone have any detailed docs on this card?

   I don't have docs, but I've used them quite a bit.  This one is  
worthless...While this is a current product, this particular one is  
its first incarnation, is a very limited design, and has not been  
supported by (and won't actually work with) the SunPCi drivers for a  
very long time.  The best you'll be able to do with this card will  
likely be Solaris 7 or possibly 8.

   This card was quickly replaced by the SunPCi-II, which will run  
with current releases of Solaris, and will run recent Microsoft OSs.   
The SunPCi-IIIpro is the current incarnation of this product.

          -Dave

-- 
Dave McGuire
Port Charlotte, FL