-C H A P T E R

C H A P T E R 3

System Power On and Setup

This chapter provides information to enable you to power on your system for the first time and perform software setup procedures using the system controller command-line interface. For instructions on how to subsequently power on your system, see To Power On the System.

Note - When you are setting up your system for the first time, it is strongly suggested that you bring up the one domain set up for you, domain A, by installing the Solaris operating environment in that domain and then booting it before creating additional domains.

Before you create additional domains, make sure that domain A is operational and can be accessed from the main menu, and that you can boot the Solaris operating environment in the domain. It is good policy to validate that one domain, domain A, is functioning properly before you create additional domains. To create additional domains, see Chapter 4.

This chapter contains the following topics:

Setting Up the Hardware

Setting Up the Platform

Setting Up Domain A

Saving the Current Configuration to a Server

Installing and Booting the Solaris Operating Environment

FIGURE 3-1 is a flowchart summarizing the major steps you must perform to power on and set up the system. These steps are explained in the procedures presented in this chapter.

FIGURE 3-1 Flowchart of Power On and System Setup Steps

Flowchart that shows the steps for setting up a Sun Fire midrange system.

Setting Up the Hardware

This section contains the following procedures:

To Install and Cable the Hardware

To Set Up Additional Services Before System Power On

To Power On the Hardware

To Power On the Power Grids

To Install and Cable the Hardware

1. Refer to the installation guide for your system and connect a terminal to your system using the serial port.

2. When you set up the terminal, set the ASCII terminal to the same baud rate as the serial port.

The default serial port settings for the System Controller board are:

9600 baud

8 data bits

No parity

1 stop bit

Because this is the platform console connection, log messages are displayed.

To Set Up Additional Services Before System Power On

Before you power on the system for the first time, set up the services described in TABLE 3-1.


Service	Description
DNS services	The system controller uses DNS to simplify communication with other systems.
Sun Management Center software*	Manage and monitor your system by using the Sun Management Center. It is suggested that you use this software to manage and monitor your system.
Network Terminal Server (NTS)	A Network Terminal Server (NTS) is used to help manage multiple serial connections. The NTS should be secured with at least a password.
Boot/install server*	Allows you to install the Solaris operating environment from a network server instead of using a CD-ROM.
HTTP/FTP server*	In order to perform firmware upgrades, you must set up either an HTTP or an FTP server. In order to read/write the configuration backup files for the system controller `dumpconfig` and `restoreconfig` commands, you need to set up an FTP server.
Loghost*	The loghost system is used to collect system controller messages. Is is recommended that you set up a loghost for the platform shell and for each domain shell. To permanently save loghost error messages, you must set up a loghost server. Use the `setupplatform -p` loghost command to output platform messages to the loghost. Use the `setupdomain -d` loghost command to output domain messages to the loghost. For complete information on these commands, refer to their descriptions in the Sun Fire Midrange System Controller Command Reference Manual.
System controller	If you plan to put one or more system controllers on a network, each system controller installed must have an IP address and a logical IP address for SC failover purposes. Each system controller should also have a serial connection.
Domains	Each domain you plan to use needs to have its own IP address.
* It is not necessary to have the loghost set up before you install and boot the Solaris operating environment. You can install the Sun Management Center software after you boot your system for the first time. Because you can install from a CD-ROM, it is not necessary to have a boot/install server set up before system power on.

To Power On the Hardware

Complete the hardware power-on steps detailed and illustrated in the installation guide for your system.

To Power On the Power Grids

1. Access the system controller and connect to the system controller main menu.

See Establishing Connections to the SC.

2. Connect to the platform shell.

3. Power on the power grid or grids.

The poweron gridx command powers on power supplies in grid x.

If you have a Sun Fire E6900 or 6800 system, you must power on power grid 0 and power grid 1.

schostname:SC> poweron grid0 grid1

If you have a Sun Fire E4900/4810/4800/3800 system, there is only one power grid, grid 0.

schostname:SC> poweron grid0

The poweron grid0 system controller command powers on power supplies in power grid 0.

Setting Up the Platform

After powering on the power grids, set up your system using the commands described in this chapter.

Note - To ensure that you choose the optimum security settings (such as the selection of a remote connection protocol: SSH or Telnet) when you set up the platform, review Chapter 6 before proceeding.

This section contains the following procedures:

To Set the Date, Time, and Time Zone for the Platform

To Set a Password for the Platform

To Configure Platform Parameters

Setting the Platform Date and Time

Although you can set a different date and time for the platform and for each domain, it is strongly suggested that you use the same date and time for the platform and domains. Using the same date and time for the platform shell and each domain shell may help during interpretation of error messages and logs. The date and time set on the domains are also used by the Solaris operating environment.

If you have a redundant SC configuration, the platform date and time settings on both the main and spare system controller must always be synchronized for SC failover purposes. Sun strongly suggests that you configure both the main and spare system controller to synchronize their date and time settings against a Simple Network Time Protocol (SNTP) server.

SNTP, described in RFC 2030, is an adaptation of the Network Time Protocol (NTP), described in RFC 1305. SNTP does not change the NTP specification, but it clarifies certain design features of NTP to allow operation in a simple, stateless remote-procedure call (RPC) mode. SNTP clients such as the Sun Fire midrange SC can interoperate with existing NTP or SNTP clients and servers. SNTP is intended to be used only at the extremities of the time synchronization subnet.

NTP concepts are more fully described in the following Sun BluePrints OnLine articles:

Using NTP to Control and Synchronize System Clocks - Part I: Introduction to NTP

Using NTP to Control and Synchronize System Clocks - Part II: Basic NTP Administration and Architecture

Using NTP to Control and Synchronize System Clocks - Part III: NTP Monitoring and Troubleshooting

These articles are available at:

http://www.sun.com/blueprints

To Set the Date, Time, and Time Zone for the Platform

Do one of the following:

If you have a redundant SC configuration, assign a SNTP server through the setupplatform command.

For details on the setupplatform command, refer to the Sun Fire Midrange System Controller Command Reference Manual.

By configuring SNTP on the SCs, the SCs will periodically check the SNTP server to ensure that their date and time are accurate and synchronized. If the main and spare SC do not have the same date and time and an SC failover occurs, a time jump may occur in running domains.

Use the setdate command from the platform shell.

Note - For complete command syntax, examples, a table of time zone abbreviations, time zone names, and offsets from Greenwich mean time, refer to the setdate command in the Sun Fire Midrange System Controller Command Reference Manual.If your time zone area is using daylight or summer time, the time and time zone are adjusted automatically. On the command line, you can enter only non-daylight time zones.

To Set a Password for the Platform

The system controller password that you set for the main SC also serves as the same password for the spare SC.

1. From the platform shell, type the system controller password command.

2. At the Enter new password: prompt, type in your password.

3. At the Enter new password again: prompt, type in your password again.

For examples, refer to the password command in the Sun Fire Midrange System Controller Command Reference Manual.

To Configure Platform Parameters

Note - One of the platform configuration parameters that can be set through the setupplatform command is the partition parameter. Determine if you want to set up your system with one partition or two partitions. Read Domains and Segments before completing the following steps.

1. From the platform shell, type setupplatform.

For a description of the setupplatform parameter values and an example of this command, refer to the setupplatform command in the Sun Fire Midrange System Controller Command Reference Manual.

schostname:SC> setupplatform

Note - If you want to use a loghost, you must set up a loghost server. You can then assign a platform loghost by using the setupplatform command to specify the Loghost (using either an IP address or a host name) and the Log Facility.

Note - If you press the Return key after each parameter, the current value will not be changed. If you type a dash (), this clears the entry (if the entry can be blank).

2. If you have a second System Controller board installed, run the setupplatform command on the second system controller.

All the parameters, except for the network settings (such as the IP address and host name of the system controller) and the POST diag level, are copied from the main system controller to the spare, only when SC failover is enabled.

Setting Up Domain A

This section contains the following procedures on setting up domain A.

To Access the Domain

To Set the Date and Time for Domain A

To Set a Password for Domain A

To Configure Domain-Specific Parameters

To Access the Domain

Access the domain.

For more information, see System Controller Navigation.

To Set the Date and Time for Domain A

Type the setdate command in the domain A shell to set the date and time for the domain.

Note - Because you can have up to four domains on an E6900 or 6800 system, you must eventually set the date and time for each domain. To start, just set the date and time for domain A.

For command syntax and examples, refer to the setdate command description in the Sun Fire Midrange System Controller Command Reference Manual and the To Set the Date, Time, and Time Zone for the Platform.

To Set a Password for Domain A

1. From the domain A shell, type the password command (CODE EXAMPLE 3-1).

2. At the Enter new password: prompt, type your password.

3. At the Enter new password again: prompt, type your password again (CODE EXAMPLE 3-1).


schostname`:`A> `password` Enter new password: Enter new password again: schostname`:`A>

To Configure Domain-Specific Parameters

Note - Each domain is configured separately.

1. From the domain A shell, type the setupdomain command.

For a listing of parameter values and sample output, refer to the setupdomain command description in the Sun Fire Midrange System Controller Command Reference Manual.

To facilitate the ability to restore domain A, set the following setupdomain parameter value as indicated:

diag-level to default

All system board components are tested with all tests and test patterns, except for memory and Ecache modules. For memory and Ecache modules, all locations are tested with multiple patterns. More extensive, time-consuming algorithms are not run at this level.

reboot-on-error to true

When a hardware error occurs, the system controller pauses the domain. This setting controls the automatic restoration of domains after the auto-diagnosis (AD) engine identifies and, if possible, deconfigures components associated with a domain hardware error. See Automatic Diagnosis and Recovery Overview for details.

hang-policy to reset

The system controller automatically resets a hung domain when the domain does not respond to interrupts or the domain heartbeat stops.

Note - Is is recommended that you set up a loghost server. You can then assign a loghost for each domain by using the setupdomain command to specify the Loghost (using either an IP address or a host name) and the Log Facility.

2. Perform steps listed in TABLE 3-2.


If you are setting up one domain . . .	If you are setting up more than one domain . . .
Continue with the procedures in this chapter.	Install and boot the Solaris operating environment on domain A as described in To Install and Boot the Solaris Operating Environment. Go to Chapter 4 for instructions on creating additional domains. After all the domains are set up and before you start each additional domain you set up, have the platform administrator run the `dumpconfig` command. See To Use dumpconfig to Save Platform and Domain Configurations.

Saving the Current Configuration to a Server

This section describes how to use the dumpconfig command, which must be run by the platform administrator, to save the current system controller (SC) configuration to a server. Use dumpconfig to save the SC configuration for recovery purposes.

Use the dumpconfig command when you perform any of the following tasks:

First set up your system and need to save the platform and domain configurations

Change the platform and domain configurations with one of the following system controller commands (setupdomain, setupplatform, setdate, addboard, deleteboard, setls, password) or install and remove a CPU/Memory board or I/O assembly

To Use dumpconfig to Save Platform and Domain Configurations

Use dumpconfig to save the platform and domain configurations to a server so that you can restore the platform and domain configurations to a replacement system controller (if the current system controller fails).

Note - Do not save the configuration to any domain on the platform, because the domain will not be available if the platform fails.

Type the system controller dumpconfig command from the platform shell to save the present system controller configuration to a server.

schostname:SC> dumpconfig -f url

For details, refer to the dumpconfig command description in the Sun Fire Midrange System Controller Command Reference Manual.

Installing and Booting the Solaris Operating Environment

To Install and Boot the Solaris Operating Environment

1. Access the domain A shell.

See To Navigate Between The Platform Shell And a Domain.

2. Turn the domain A keyswitch to the on position. Type setkeyswitch on.

The setkeyswitch on command powers on the domain. If the OpenBoot PROM auto-boot? parameter is set to true, you might obtain an error message similar to CODE EXAMPLE 3-2.


{0} ok boot ERROR: Illegal Instruction debugger entered. {0} ok

The OpenBoot PROM (OBP) displays this error message because the Solaris operating environment might not yet be installed, or perhaps you are booting off the wrong disk. For more information on OBP parameters, refer to the setupdomain command description in the Sun Fire Midrange System Controller Command Reference Manual and also the OpenBoot Command Reference Manual included with your Solaris operating environment release.

3. Insert the CD for the Solaris operating environment into the CD-ROM drive.

4. Install the Solaris operating environment on your system.

Refer to the Solaris Installation Guide included with your operating environment release.

5. Boot the Solaris operating system by typing the OpenBoot PROM boot cdrom command at the ok prompt.

ok boot cdrom