I'm working with a Challenge S, R5000 (Allegedly the same
hardware as an Indy without a graphics card)

Initially booting via tftp with various errors, I am
now trying to just get the sash boot -f to work.
I have tried several of the applicable precompiled kernels 
at ftp.linux.sgi.com/pub/test all with similar errors:

Standalone Shell SGI Version 6.2 ARCS   Mar  9, 1996 (32 Bit)
sash: boot -f /vmlinux root=/dev/sda1
1278928+236160 entry: 0x8800250c
newport_probe: read back wrong value ;-(

What is the newport_probe?  The only non-stock thing about
the machine is it has a fddi card in it, (which I do not
need to get going for linux).  Could this error be an effect
of the fddi card being present, or that there is no graphics
card present?  Or am I missing something else all together?
Thanks in Advance, Bill