Installation of the Developer 1/08 OS Fails on Acer FR 5000/1000 (6643143)

Installation of the Developer 1/08 OS fails on Acer FR 5000/1000 machines. The following error message is displayed:

configuring /dev
ata_id_common: BUSY status 0x80 error 0x80
ata_id_common: BUSY status 0xfe error 0x0
ata_id_common: BUSY status 0x80 error 0x80
ata_id_common: BUSY status 0xfe error 0x0
atapi_start_cmd: drive select failed
WARNING: /pci@0,0/pci-ide@14,1/ide@0 (ata2):
timeout: early timeout, target=0 lun=0
atapi_start_cmd: drive select failed
WARNING: /pci@0,0/pci-ide@14,1/ide@0 (ata2):
timeout: early timeout, target=0 lun=0

Workaround: Perform the following steps:

1. Boot your system using the -k option so that kmdb is loaded at the boot process. Use the -d boot option to request a debugger breakpoint prior to starting the kernel.

   ok boot -kd

2. Set a breakpoint at the [0]>kmdb debugger prompt:

   ::bp ata`ata_init_controller+0x165

3. Once the breakpoint is hit, print the general-purpose register $r and verify that the $eax, or the $ebx, contains a valid ata_ctl_t structure:

   <address>::print -a ata_ctl_t

4. Take the address of the ac_timing_flags and set the value from 0x0 to 1:

   <address>/W 1

   You might hit the breakpoint more than once, but it is sufficient if you set the ac_timing_flags value once.

5. Resume upgrading your OS.

For more information on these commands, see the Solaris Modular Debugger Guide.