To: pld
Subject: cold load lost when bootstrapping system acquired excelan, but no driver...
--Text Follows This Line--
Did you always do cold loads before configured with only a 3COM?

When IP:QLD got past mini-file loading and tried to use the network, the
network "didn't work".  First, INITIALIZE-TIMEBASE was querying, not
getting, the time.  Then when it came time to load the file MAKSYS from
DJ, we got 'host not responding'.  On my second pass through, examining
things more carefully, I discovered that the host owned the Excelan, but
had no driver.  Aha, it's supposed to only use SHARE, right? 

I got the network back alive by giving up Excelan, setting
DONT-USE-EXCELAN, and running CONFIGURE. 

Another clue here is that an earlier cold load attempt that failed
miserably was crapping out setting up dma buffers for the excelan.

Well, I didn't investigate further, and I could have.  What would
IP:Route have said? Isn't it possible that the system was losing, with
no way to route through a (on-loaded) excelen ethernet interface? 

Just a thought.  We can test this when you come back.  Meanwhile, I'm
trying again with the Excelan pulled...

  -keith