Boot Monitor and NVRAM

Using the NVRAM Utility to Configure Terminals

The NVRAM utility provides another method of configuring a subset of terminal parameters and provides access to some parameters that are not available through other configuration methods. The utility also allows you to set security levels for the optional security keyboard.

This section describes how to use the NVRAM utility and lists the contents of NVRAM.

Starting the NVRAM Utility

To start the NVRAM utility, type:


> nv 
NVRAM Utility 
C [add] - change location add
D - display contents
Q - return to monitor
L - load defaults
R - reload NVRAM values
S - save new values
->>

Type NVRAM utility commands after the ->> prompt, and follow all commands with a carriage return.

NVRAM Utility Commands

Table 11-6 lists NVRAM utility commands, options, syntax, and functions.

NVRAM commands modify a copy of NVRAM residing in RAM. The NVRAM utility does not write changes to NVRAM until you use the s (save) command.

Table 11-6 General-Purpose NVRAM Utility (nv) Commands

Command	Function
`c` address	Changes the virtual contents of the location address. If you do not include an address, location 0 is used as the starting location. Press Return to continue to the next location. Press hyphen (-), then Return, to go to the previous location. All values shown and data entered are in hexadecimal notation. A non-hexadecimal value terminates the command.
`d` [start`][`end`]`	Displays the virtual contents of NVRAM in hexadecimal.
`l`	Loads the terminal's factory defaults into the virtual NVRAM space.
`q`	Exits the NVRAM utility and displays the Boot Monitor's prompt.
`r`	Reads the entire NVRAM and places it into RAM space reserved for editing.
`s`	Saves the current values of NVRAM. Also calculates a new checksum before loading the values into NVRAM.

Sample NVRAM Utility Sessions

The following examples show how to use the NVRAM utility. In the NVRAM utility, you enter new values in hexadecimal notation. The symbols used in the examples are:

> The prompt generated by the Boot Monitor

->> The NVRAM utility prompt

xx The previous values stored in NVRAM

Changing Contents Byte by Byte

In the following example of how to change NVRAM contents, the terminal's Ethernet address is re-entered after having been accidentally erased. The Ethernet address is 00 00 A7 10 24 14.


>  nv
NVRAM Utility
C [add] - change location add
D - display contents
Q - return to monitor
L - load defaults 
R - reload NVRAM values
S - save new values
->>  l 
->>  c 04 
004: xx ?  00
005: xx ?  00
006: xx ?  A7
007: xx ?  10
008: xx ?  24 
009: xx ?  14
00A: xx ?  q 
->>  s
Are you sure ?  y 
->>  q
>  rs

Start the NVRAM utility and type c 04 to start changing the Ethernet address (the Ethernet address starts at location 0x4).
Type the first pair of numbers of the Ethernet address and press Return.
In the same way, type the remaining pairs. At the prompt 009: xx ? you have typed the entire Ethernet address and you can type q to stop entering numbers.
Type s to save, and y after the question, Are you sure?
Type q to end the NVRAM utility session and resume using the Boot Monitor utility.
You can reboot the terminal by typing the rs (reset) command.

Changing Individual Bits in a Byte

In the following example, the first bit in byte 0x35 is changed. This bit enables the display of the NCD logo at boot time and is set to 1 by default.


>  nv
NVRAM Utility
C [add] - change location add
D - display contents
Q - return to monitor
L - load defaults
R - reload NVRAM values
S - save new values
->>  l
->>  c 35
035: 8A ?  0A
036: A0 ?  q
->>  s
Are you sure ?  y
->>  q
>  rs

Start the NVRAM utility and type c 35 to start changing byte 0x35.
Compute the new value of the byte in binary and then convert it to hexadecimal. Assuming the other bits have their default values, the new value of the byte is 00001010, or 0A in hexadecimal. Enter the new value.
At the next ? prompt, type q to stop entering numbers.
Type s to save, and y after the question, Are you sure?
Type q to end the NVRAM utility session and resume using the Boot Monitor utility.
You can reboot the terminal by typing the rs (reset) command.

NVRAM Contents

Table 11-7 lists the locations, descriptions, and permitted values for parameters stored in the shared portion of version 4 of the NVRAM layout, which is the current version. The corresponding remote configuration parameters (if any) are also listed.

NVRAM is divided into shared and server-only portions. The shared portion of NVRAM includes data used internally by the Boot Monitor and parameters set by both the Boot Monitor and the X server (that is X server defaults or the changes you make using the X server configuration methods described in Chapter 6, Terminal Configuration Methods). The server-only portion is used by X server configuration methods to write parameters that can be saved in NVRAM.

You should not attempt to change data set automatically by the Boot Monitor. You can change other parameters; see the following cautionary note.

If a remote configuration parameter is listed in the description column, you can set the parameter using the NVRAM utility or X server configuration utilities. A subset of the booting parameters can also be set using the Boot Monitor Setup menus described in "Using Boot Monitor Setup Menus to Configure Terminals".

CAUTION:: Do not change the contents of NVRAM using the NVRAM utility unless you know how your changes will affect the terminal. Incorrect NVRAM settings can seriously impair the terminal's operation. Do not change settings in reserved areas or parameters set automatically by the Boot Monitor.

Table 11-7 Shared NVRAM Version 4

Location	Description and Corresponding Remote Configuration Parameter (if any)	Size	Values (Default in Bold)
Header Information
0x0	Version number of the NVRAM layout	1 byte	(set automatically by the Boot Monitor)
0x1	NVRAM checksum (calculated when you use the NVRAM utility; verified when the terminal is powered on)	1 byte	(set automatically by the Boot Monitor)
0x2	Reserved	2 bytes
Network Configuration
0x4	Factory-set Ethernet address, stored least-significant to most-significant byte. The first three bytes are the series allocated to NCD; the remaining bytes are terminal-specific.	6 bytes	00:00:A7:00.00.00
0xA	Terminal IP address ip-address-at-next-boot	4 bytes	0.0.0.0
0xE	Subnet mask ip-subnet-mask	4 bytes	255.255.255.000
0x12	Broadcast address ip-broadcast-address	4 bytes	255.255.255.255
0x16	Primary default gateway ip-initial-default-gateway-1	4 bytes	000.000.000.000
0x1A	Secondary default gateway ip-initial-default-gateway-2	4 bytes	000.000.000.000
0x1E	First boot host boot-tcpip-desired-server	4 bytes	000.000.000.000
0x22	Second boot host boot-tcpip-second-server	4 bytes	000.000.000.000
0x26	Third boot host boot-tcpip-third-server	4 bytes	000.000.000.000
0x2A	Terminal DECnet address (DEC byte ordering) ncdnet-address-at-next-boot	2 bytes	0.0
0x2C	DECnet router address (DEC byte ordering) ncdnet-default-router	2 bytes	0.0
0x2E	Default DECnet host	2 bytes	0.0
0x30	Try booting forever boot-persistent-loading	1 bit	1	Enabled
	Try booting forever boot-persistent-loading	1 bit	0	Disabled
	Turns off broadcast booting boot-tcpip-broadcast-boot-request	1 bit	1	Disabled
		1 bit	0	Enabled
	Turns off absolute product name booting boot-tcpip-product-name-with- path-file	1 bit	1	Enabled
		1 bit	0	Disabled
	Turns off absolute memory size booting boot-tcpip-product-name-and- memory-size-with-path-file	1 bit	1	Enabled
		1 bit	0	Disabled
	Turns off absolute hex IP address booting boot-tcpip-unit-address-with- path-file	1 bit	1	Enabled
		1 bit	0	Disabled
	Turns off relative product name booting boot-tcpip-product-name	1 bit	1	Enabled
		1 bit	0	Disabled
	Turns off relative memory size booting boot-tcpip-product-name-and- memory-size	1 bit	1	Enabled
		1 bit	0	Disabled
	Turns off relative hex IP address booting boot-tcpip-unit-address-file	1 bit	1	Enabled
		1 bit	0	Disabled
0x31	DEC auxiliary boot protocol	1 bit	0	TFTP
	DEC auxiliary boot protocol	1 bit	1	MOP
	Monitor power management override	1 bit	0	Disabled
	Monitor power management override	1 bit	1	Enabled
	Extra messages from booting	1 bit	0	Disabled
	Extra messages from booting	1 bit	1	Enabled
	Use DDC data	1 bit	Hardware-dependent
	Absolute Ethernet address booting	1 bit	0	Enabled
	Absolute Ethernet address booting	1 bit	1	Disabled
	Relative Ethernet address booting	1 bit	0	Enabled
	Relative Ethernet address booting	1 bit	1	Disabled
	Reserved	2 bits
0x32	TFTP boot priority	upper 4 bits	1	Try TFTP first
			2	Try TFTP second
			3	Try TFTP third
			4	Try TFTP last
			15	Disable TFTP booting
	NFS boot priority	lower 4 bits	1	Try NFS first
			2	Try NFS second
			3	Try NFS third
			4	Try NFS last
			15	Disable NFS booting
0x33	MOP boot priority	upper 4 bits	1	Try MOP first
			2	Try MOP second
			3	Try MOP third
			4	Try MOP last
			15	Disable MOP booting
	Local boot priority (If a PCMCIA card is installed, NVRAM has default values, and the terminal has not booted from the network, the terminal first tries to boot from the PCMCIA card.)	lower 4 bits	1	Try local first
			2	Try local second
			3	Try local third
			4	Try local last
			15	Disable local booting
0x34	Reserved	8 bits
Boot Monitor Configuration
0x35	NCD logo enable	1 bit	0	Disabled
	NCD logo enable	1 bit	1	Enabled
	Use standard NCD path for X server files and directories or a special OEM path.	1 bit	0	NCD path
		1 bit	1	OEM path
	Test RAM at boot boot-test-ram	1 bit	0	Enabled
	Test RAM at boot boot-test-ram	1 bit	1	Disabled
	Boot source 1	1 bit	0	Network
	Boot source 1	1 bit	1	Local file system
	Screen saver	1 bit	0	Off
	Screen saver	1 bit	1	On
	Background	1 bit	0	Black
	Background	1 bit	1	White
	Auto boot after reset or display Boot Monitor prompt boot-automatically	1 bit	0	Boot Monitor
		1 bit	1	Auto boot
	MOP boot boot-mop	1 bit	0	Enabled
	MOP boot boot-mop	1 bit	1	Disabled
0x36	Discover IP address from the network or from NVRAM ip-use-address-discovery	2 bits	0	NVRAM
		2 bits	1	DHCP/BOOTP/ RARP
	Default settings	1 bit	(set by the Boot Monitor)
	Use ICMP to determine subnet mask boot-send-broadcast-icmp-for- subnet-mask	1 bit	0	Enabled
		1 bit	1	Disabled
	Boot via MOP with filename boot-mop-with-file-name	1 bit	0	Disabled
	Boot via MOP with filename boot-mop-with-file-name	1 bit	1	Enabled
	Reserved	3 bits
0x37	Reserved	1 byte
Device Configuration
0x38	Type of keyboard attached to the terminal xserver-keyboard-type	1 byte	See Table 11-8.
0x39	IBM/PS2 or Windows 95-compatible keyboard (this is the default keyboard and the default for the N-101/N-102 keyboard group)	1 bit	0	Other keyboard
		1 bit	1	IBM keyboard
	Token-Ring speed valid	1 bit	(set by the Boot Monitor)
	Token-Ring speed ¹	1 bit	0	4 Mbit ring
	Token-Ring speed ¹	1 bit	1	16 Mbit ring
	Synchronize monitor on green (HMX and older terminals only)	1 bit	Hardware-dependent
	Use monitor timing	1 bit	Hardware-dependent
	Default keyboard LEDs	1 bit	(set by the Boot Monitor)
	Reserved	2 bits
0x3A	Monitor type	1 byte	Use the Boot Monitor Setup menus to set this parameter.
0x3B	Monitor dots-per-inch	1 byte	Use the Boot Monitor Setup menus to set this parameter.
Platform-Specific Monitor Timing
0x3C - 0x50	Reserved	24 bytes
Tagged Strings
0x51	Boot Monitor tagged strings	128 bytes	Automatically set by the X server. See Table 11-9 for the names of the parameters saved in this area.
0xD1	Tagged strings 1	38 bytes
0xF7	Tagged strings 2	128 bytes
Keymapper for Boot Monitor Setup Menus
0x177	Keymap for programmable Setup menu navigation keys	10 bytes	(Automatically set by the Boot Monitor)
Platform-Specific Monitor Timing
0x181 - 0x191	Reserved	15 bytes
Miscellaneous
0x192	NFS read size	2 bytes	Block size set by the Boot Monitor nf command
0x194	RARP address discovery priority	upper 4 bits	1	Try RARP first
			2	Try RARP second
			3	Try RARP last
			15	Disable RARP
	BOOTP address discovery priority	lower 4 bits	1	Try BOOTP first
			2	Try BOOTP second
			3	Try BOOTP last
			15	Disable BOOTP
0x195	DHCP address discovery priority	upper 4 bits	1	Try DHCP first
			2	Try DHCP second
			3	Try DHCP last
			15	Disable DHCP
	Reserved	4 bits
0x196	Reserved	1 byte

: ¹In Boot Monitor versions earlier than 2.8.2, the default is 4 MBit.

Keyboard Type Settings

Table 11-8 lists the keyboard-type values for byte 0x38. The default keyboard for the N-101/N-102 keyboard group is the IBM/PS2 or Windows 95-compatible keyboard (byte 0x39). This is also the default keyboard if the terminal cannot sense the type of the attached keyboard.

Table 11-8 Keyboard Type Settings in NVRAM

Keyboard	NVRAM Value
N-101	0
VT220 VMS	1
VT220 ULTRIX	2
N-97	3
N-102 German	4
N-102 French	5
N-102 Belgian UK	6
N-102 Swiss German	7
N-102 Spanish	8
N-102 English UK	9
N-102 Italian	10
N-102 Canadian	11
N-102 Norwegian	12
N-102 Finnish	13
N-102 Portuguese	14
N-102 Danish	15
N-102 Flemish	16
N-102 Norwegian/Tandberg	17
N-108 Nokia	18
N-108LK	19
N-Kana	20
VT220 Danish	21
VT220 Norwegian	22
VT220 German	23
VT220 Swedish	24
VT220 Spanish	25
VT220 Flemish	26
VT220 Portuguese	27
VT220 French	28
VT220 Swiss German	29
VT220 Swiss French	30
VT220 Italian	31
VT220 Dutch	32
VT220 Finnish	33
VT220 Canadian	34
VT220 Hebrew	35
reserved	36 - 39
VT220 UK	40
reserved	41
N-122 Nokia	42
N-102 French Canadian	43
N-102 Belgian French	44
N-102 French Canadian CSA 1992	45
N-102 Swiss French	46
N-102 OADG Kana	47
N-107 Sun Type 4 Compatible	48
Hitachi Kana	49
N-108 UK	50
N-108 Flemish	51
N-108 Canadian English	52
N-108 Canadian French	53
N-108 Danish	54
N-108 Finnish	55
N-108 French	56
N-108 German	57
N-108 Netherlands	58
N-108 Italian	59
N-108 Norwegian	60
N-108 Portuguese	61
N-108 Spanish	62
N-108 Swedish	63
N-108 Swiss French	64
N-108 Swiss German	65
Nokia 108 UK	66
Nokia 108 Flemish	67
Nokia 108 Canadian English	68
Nokia 108 Canadian French	69
Nokia 108 Danish	70
Nokia 108 Finnish	71
Nokia 108 French	72
Nokia 108 German	73
Nokia 108 Netherlands	74
Nokia 108 Italian	75
Nokia 108 Norwegian	76
Nokia 108 Portuguese	77
Nokia 108 Spanish	78
Nokia 108 Swedish	79
Nokia 108 Swiss French	80
Nokia 108 Swiss German	81
unused	82 - 91
IBM 3270 US	92
N-123 NA US	93
N-123 UNIX	94
N-123 UK	95
N-123 German	96
N-123 French	97
N-123 Spanish	98
N-123 Swiss German	99
N-123 Swiss French	100
N-123 Swedish	101
N-123 Danish	102
N-123 Italian	103
N-123 Dutch	104
N-123 Norwegian	105
N-123 Portuguese	106
reserved	107
N-102 Siemens German	108
N-102 Spanish Latin American	109
N-102 Dutch	110
N-102 Icelandic	111

Parameters Saved in the Tagged Strings Area

Table 11-9 lists all of the strings saved in the tagged string area of NVRAM. Terminals in the HMX and Explora series have 166 bytes available for storing these strings. If you are storing many of these strings in NVRAM, you should keep them short to avoid running out of space. Strings stored in the tagged string space use one byte per character plus two bytes of overhead for each string. For example, a 10-character password uses 12 bytes.

Table 11-9 Parameters in NVRAM Optional String Space

Parameter Name	Description
config-console-display-password	Password for displaying the Console
config-custom-file	Custom configuration filename
config-pref-read-only-password	Password for read-only access to user preference information
config-pref-read-write-password	Password for read/write access to user preference information
config-read-only-password	Password for read-only access to all configuration data
config-read-write-password	Password for read/write access to all configuration data
config-unix-directory	Custom configuration file directory for UNIX
config-vms-directory	Custom configuration file directory for VMS
file-manager-password	Password for access to the Local File Manager
login-xdm-authentication-key	Key for authenticating clients trying to connect to the terminal
snmp-read-only-community snmp-read-only-community-alt	Community names for read-only access to configuration data through SNMP
snmp-read-write-community snmp-read-write-community-alt	Community names for read/write access to configuration data through SNMP
unit-global-password	Global password for read/write access to configuration data and the Local File Manager

Send comments, suggestions, or questions about this document to the NCD Technical Publications Department by Internet e-mail. Write to us at techpubs@ncd.com.

Using the NVRAM Utility to Configure Terminals

Starting the NVRAM Utility

NVRAM Utility Commands

Table 11-6 General-Purpose NVRAM Utility (nv) Commands

Command

Function

Sample NVRAM Utility Sessions

Changing Contents Byte by Byte

Changing Individual Bits in a Byte

NVRAM Contents

Table 11-7 Shared NVRAM Version 4

Location

Description and Corresponding Remote Configuration Parameter (if any)

Size

Values (Default in Bold)

Keyboard Type Settings

Table 11-8 Keyboard Type Settings in NVRAM

Keyboard

NVRAM Value

Parameters Saved in the Tagged Strings Area

Table 11-9 Parameters in NVRAM Optional String Space

Parameter Name

Description

Remote Configuration Parameters Saved in NVRAM

boot Group Parameters

config Group Parameters

file Group Parameters

ip Group Parameters

login Group Parameters

ncdnet Group Parameters

net Group Parameters

serial Group Parameters

snmp Group Parameters

tcpip Group Parameters

unit Group Parameters

xserver Group Parameters

`>`	The prompt generated by the Boot Monitor
`->>`	The NVRAM utility prompt
xx	The previous values stored in NVRAM