Solaris 9 12/03 Installation Guide

Appendix I x86: Preparing to Boot From the Solaris Device Configuration Assistant or the Network (Tasks)

This appendix describes the following topics.

x86: Copying the Boot Software to a Diskette

The Solaris Device Configuration Assistant is a program that enables you to perform various hardware configuration and booting tasks. The Solaris Device Configuration Assistant image is found in the Tools directory of either the Solaris x86 Platform Edition DVD or the Solaris Software 2 of 2 x86 Platform Edition CD. Use the following procedure to copy the boot image to a 3.5 diskette.


Note –

You can boot directly from DVD or CD media or by using a net image with PXE. For information on these methods of booting, see x86: Accessing the Solaris 9 Device Configuration Assistant and PXE.


x86: To Copy the Boot Software to a Diskette


Note –

This procedure assumes that the system is running Volume Manager. If you are not using Volume Manager to manage diskettes and discs, refer to System Administration Guide: Basic Administration for detailed information about managing removable media without Volume Manager.


  1. Log in as superuser on an x86 system to which a diskette drive is attached.

  2. On the system with the DVD-ROM or CD-ROM drive, insert the Solaris x86 Platform Edition DVD or the Solaris Software 2 of 2 x86 Platform Edition CD in the drive.

    The Volume Manager mounts the disc.

  3. Change to the directory that contains the boot image.

    • For DVD media, type:


      # cd /cdrom/sol_9_x86/s2/Solaris_9/Tools
      
    • For CD media, type:


      # cd /cdrom/sol_9_x86/Solaris_9/Tools
      

  4. Insert a blank diskette or a diskette that can be overwritten in the diskette drive.

  5. Notify Volume Manager to check for new media.


    # volcheck
    
  6. Format the diskette:


    Caution – Caution –

    Formatting erases all data on the diskette.



    # fdformat -d -U
    
  7. Copy the file to the diskette.


    # dd if=d1_image of=/vol/dev/aliases/floppy0 bs=36k
    
  8. Eject the diskette by typing eject floppy at the command line, and then manually ejecting the diskette from the drive.

x86: PXE Network Boot

PXE network boot is a “direct” network boot. No boot media is required on the client system. PXE network boot is available only for devices that implement the Intel Preboot Execution Environment specification. To determine if your system supports PXE network boot, see your hardware manufacturer's documentation.

The Solaris boot diskette is still available for systems that do not support this feature. You can get the boot diskette image from http://soldc.sun.com/support/drivers/dca_diskettes.

Enable PXE network boot on the client system by using the BIOS setup program in the system BIOS, the network adapter BIOS, or both. On some systems you must also adjust the boot device priority list so that network boot is attempted before booting from other devices. See the manufacturer's documentation for each setup program, or watch for setup program entry instructions during boot.

Some PXE-capable network adapters have a feature that enables PXE boot if you type a particular keystroke in response to a brief boot-time prompt. This is ideal when using PXE for an install boot on a system that normally boots from the disk drive because you do not have to modify the PXE settings. If your adapter does not have this feature, disable PXE in the BIOS setup when the system reboots after installation, and the system will boot from the disk drive.

Some early versions of PXE firmware cannot boot the Solaris system. If you have one of these older versions, your system will be able to read the PXE network bootstrap program from a boot server, but the bootstrap will not transmit packets. If this happens, upgrade the PXE firmware on the adapter. Obtain firmware upgrade information from the adapter manufacturer's web site. Refer to the elxl(7D) and iprb(7D) man pages for more information.