Modifying Boot Behavior on SPARC Based Systems (Task Map)

SPARC: Using the Boot PROM

The boot PROM is used to boot a system. You might need to change the way the system boots. For example, you might want to reset the device to boot from or run hardware diagnostics before you bring the system to a multiuser level.

System administrators typically use the PROM level to boot a system. You can also change the default boot file and boot device at the PROM level.

If you need to perform any of the following tasks, you need to change the default boot device:

• Add a new drive to the system either permanently or temporarily

• Change the network boot strategy

• Temporarily boot a stand-alone system from the network

For a complete list of PROM commands, see the monitor(1M) and eeprom(1M) man pages.

SPARC: How to Find the PROM Revision Number for a System

• Display a system's PROM revision number by using the banner command.

  ok banner
  Sun Ultra 5/10 UPA/PCI (UltraSPARC-IIi 333MHz), No Keyboard
  OpenBoot 3.15, 128 MB memory installed, Serial #number.
  Ethernet address number, Host ID: number.

  Hardware configuration information, including the revision number of the PROM, is displayed. In the preceding example, the PROM revision number is 3.15.

SPARC: How to Identify Devices on a System

You might need to identify the devices on the system to determine what are the appropriate devices to boot from.

Before You Begin

Before you can safely use the probe commands to determine what devices are attached to the system, you need to do the following:

• Change the PROM auto-boot? parameter to false.

  ok setenv auto-boot? false

• Issue the reset-all command to clear system registers.

  ok reset-all

You can view the probe commands that are available on your system by using the sifting probe command:

ok sifting probe

If you run the probe commands without clearing the system registers, the following message is displayed:

ok probe-scsi
This command may hang the system if a Stop-A or halt command
has been executed.  Please type reset-all to reset the system 
before executing this command. 
Do you wish to continue? (y/n) n

1. Identify the devices on the system.

   ok probe-device

2. (Optional) If you want the system to reboot after a power failure or after using the reset command, then reset the auto-boot? parameter to true.

   ok setenv auto-boot? true
   auto-boot? =          true

3. Boot the system to multiuser mode.

   ok reset-all

Example 11-1 SPARC: Identifying the Devices on a System

The following example shows how to identify the devices connected to an Ultra 10 system.

ok setenv auto-boot? false
auto-boot? =          false
ok reset-all
Resetting ... 

Sun Ultra 5/10 UPA/PCI (UltraSPARC-IIi 333MHz), No Keyboard
OpenBoot 3.15, 128 MB memory installed, Serial #10933339.
Ethernet address 8:0:20:a6:d4:5b, Host ID: 80a6d45b.

ok probe-ide
  Device 0  ( Primary Master ) 
          ATA Model: ST34321A                                

  Device 1  ( Primary Slave ) 
         Not Present

  Device 2  ( Secondary Master ) 
         Removable ATAPI Model: CRD-8322B                               

  Device 3  ( Secondary Slave ) 
         Not Present

ok setenv auto-boot? true
auto-boot? =          true

Alternatively, you can use the devalias command to identify the device aliases and the associated paths of devices that might be connected to the system. For example:

ok devalias
screen                   /pci@1f,0/pci@1,1/SUNW,m64B@2
net                      /pci@1f,0/pci@1,1/network@1,1
cdrom                    /pci@1f,0/pci@1,1/ide@3/cdrom@2,0:f
disk                     /pci@1f,0/pci@1,1/ide@3/disk@0,0
disk3                    /pci@1f,0/pci@1,1/ide@3/disk@3,0
disk2                    /pci@1f,0/pci@1,1/ide@3/disk@2,0
disk1                    /pci@1f,0/pci@1,1/ide@3/disk@1,0
disk0                    /pci@1f,0/pci@1,1/ide@3/disk@0,0
ide                      /pci@1f,0/pci@1,1/ide@3
floppy                   /pci@1f,0/pci@1,1/ebus@1/fdthree
ttyb                     /pci@1f,0/pci@1,1/ebus@1/se:b
ttya                     /pci@1f,0/pci@1,1/ebus@1/se:a
keyboard!                /pci@1f,0/pci@1,1/ebus@1/su@14,3083f8:forcemode
keyboard                 /pci@1f,0/pci@1,1/ebus@1/su@14,3083f8
mouse                    /pci@1f,0/pci@1,1/ebus@1/su@14,3062f8
name                     aliases

SPARC: How to Determine the Default Boot Device

1. Bring the system to the ok PROM prompt.

   For more information, see How to Shut Down a Stand-Alone System.

2. Use the printenv command to determine the default boot device.

   ok printenv boot-device

   boot-device

   Identifies the parameter for setting the device from which to boot.

   device[n]

   Identifies the boot-device value such as a disk or the network. The n can be specified as the disk number.

   The default boot-device is displayed in a format that is similar to the following:

   boot-device = /pci@1f,4000/scsi@3/disk@1,0:a

   If the default boot-device is a network boot device, the output is similar to the following:

   boot-device = /sbus@1f,0/SUNW,fas@e,8800000/sd@a,0:a \
   /sbus@1f,0/SUNW,fas@e,8800000/sd@0,0:a disk net

SPARC: How to Change the Default Boot Device by Using the Boot PROM

You might need to identify the devices on the system before you can change the default boot device to some other device. For information on identifying devices on the system, see SPARC: How to Identify Devices on a System.

1. Change to run level 0.

   # init 0

   The ok PROM prompt is displayed. For more information, see the init(1M) man page.

2. Change the value of the boot-device parameter.

   ok setenv boot-device device[n]

   Use one of the probe commands if you need help identifying the disk number.

3. Verify that the default boot device has been changed.

   ok printenv boot-device

4. Save the new boot-device value.

   ok reset-all

   The new boot-device value is written to the PROM.

Example 11-2 SPARC: Changing the Default Boot Device

In this example, the default boot device is set to disk.

# init 0
# 
INIT: New run level: 0
.
.
.
The system is down.
syncing file systems... done
Program terminated
ok setenv boot-device /pci@1f,4000/scsi@3/disk@1,0
boot-device =         /pci@1f,4000/scsi@3/disk@1,0
ok printenv boot-device
boot-device           /pci@1f,4000/scsi@3/disk@1,0
ok boot
Resetting ... 

screen not found.
Can't open input device.
Keyboard not present.  Using ttya for input and output.

Sun Enterprise 220R (2 X UltraSPARC-II 450MHz), No Keyboard
OpenBoot 3.23, 1024 MB memory installed, Serial #13116682.
Ethernet address 8:0:20:c8:25:a, Host ID: 80c8250a.

Rebooting with command: boot disk1                                    
Boot device: /pci@1f,4000/scsi@3/disk@1,0  File and args:

In this example, the default boot device is set to the network.

# init 0
# 
INIT: New run level: 0
.
.
.
The system is down.
syncing file systems... done
Program terminated
ok setenv boot-device net
boot-device =         net
ok printenv boot-device
boot-device           net                    disk
ok reset
Sun Ultra 5/10 UPA/PCI (UltraSPARC-IIi 333MHz), No Keyboard
OpenBoot 3.15, 128 MB memory installed, Serial #number.
Ethernet address number, Host ID: number.



Boot device: net  File and args:
.
.
.
pluto console login:

SPARC: How to Change the Default Boot Device by Using the eeprom Command

1. Become superuser or assume an equivalent role.

   Roles contain authorizations and privileged commands. For more information about roles, see Configuring RBAC (Task Map) in System Administration Guide: Security Services.

2. Specify the alternate kernel to boot.

   # eeprom boot-device new-boot-device

3. Verify that the new parameter has been set.

   # eeprom boot-device

   The output should display the new eeprom value for the boot-device parameter.

SPARC: Resetting the System

Run the following command from the ok prompt:

ok reset-all

The self-test program, which runs diagnostic tests on the hardware, is executed. Then, if the auto-boot? parameter is set to true, the system is rebooted.

SPARC: How to Change the Default Kernel by Using the Boot PROM

1. Change to run level 0.

   # init 0

   The ok PROM prompt is displayed. For more information, see theinit(1M) man page.

2. Set the boot-file property to an alternate kernel.

   ok setenv boot-file boot-file

3. Verify that the default boot device has been changed.

   ok printenv boot-file

4. Save the new boot-file value.

   ok reset-all

   The new boot-file value is written to the PROM.

SPARC: How to Change the Default Kernel by Using the eeprom Command

1. Become superuser or assume an equivalent role.

   Roles contain authorizations and privileged commands. For more information about roles, see Configuring RBAC (Task Map) in System Administration Guide: Security Services.

2. Specify the alternate kernel to boot.

   # eeprom boot-file new boot-file

   For example:

   # eeprom boot-file=kernel.name/sparcv9/unix

3. Verify that the new parameter has been set.

   # eeprom boot-file

   The output should display the new eeprom value for the specified parameter.

SPARC Support for ITU Construction Tools

The ITU utility is used to convert software packages and patches into driver update (DU) format, and then patch the Oracle Solaris installation media, which enables you to boot your system with these new packages and patches. Starting with Oracle Solaris 10 9/10, the itu command has been modified to enable you to create and store an ITU on your SPARC based system, and then boot the system with the newly created ITU.

SPARC: How to Boot a System With a Newly Created ITU

The ITU utility enables you to install out-of-box drivers and then apply bug fixes during the installation process. The following procedure describes the process of creating and storing an ITU on a SPARC based system, and then booting the system with the newly created ITU.

1. On the system that you want to boot with an ITU, become superuser.
2. Create the ITU by using the itu command with the following options:

   # itu makedu -r solaris-release -o iso-file package1-name package2-name...

   makedu

   Takes one or more driver packages as input and converts the package to DU format.

   -r solaris-release

   Specifies the Oracle Solaris release number for which the driver update is intended. The release number format that is used is 5.10.

   -o iso-file

   Specifies the path of the ISO image file to create.

   For more detailed information about the itu command and all of its options, see the itu(1M) man page.

3. Bring the system to the ok PROM prompt.
4. Disable the auto-boot property.

   ok setenv auto-boot?=false

5. Reset the system.

   ok reset-all

   ---

   Note - The previous step is important, as it ensures that the itu-device string is not cleared when you boot the system.

   ---

6. Locate the cdrom alias.

   ok devalias cdrom

   The alias is the device path for the CD or DVD drive that is attached to the system. Note that this output varies, depending on the system. For example, in this procedure, the location of the cdrom alias is as follows:

   /pci@8,700000/scsi@1/disk@6,0:f

7. Configure the itu-device path that will be used for the installation of the ITU.

   Note that the output from Step 6 is used for the first portion of the config-string, as shown in the following example:

   ok> " /pci@8,700000/scsi@1/disk@6,0:f" d# 80 config-string itu-device

   ---

   Note - The 80 refers to the maximum allowable length for the string. If your modified cdrom alias is more than 80 characters, increase this number, as appropriate.

   ---

8. Boot the system with the ITU.

   ok boot

   When you boot the system and the Solaris installation process begins, the system locates the ITU that is stored on the itu-device. The system components that are available on the itu-device are then identified and configured in the system. The devices for those drivers are also identified and configured. When the installation has completed, the devices become available as installation targets.

9. After the installation has completed, restore the default value for the auto-boot property, then boot the system.

   ok setenv auto-boot?=true

   The preceding example assumes the default value for the auto-boot property is true.

10. Boot the system.

    ok boot