| Sun Ultra 45 and Ultra 25 Workstations Service and Diagnostics Manual |    
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| Sun Ultra 45 and Ultra 25 Workstations Service and Diagnostics Manual |
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| C H A P T E R 12 |
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OpenBoot PROM |
This chapter discusses troubleshooting the Sun Ultra 45 or Ultra 25 workstation using the OpenBoot PROM firmware. Topics covered are:
OpenBoot PROM is the core software installed on the Sun Ultra 45 and Ultra 25 workstation motherboard. This software enables the Sun Ultra 45 and Ultra 25 workstation to load an operating system. The operating system can be loaded from an installed hard drive, the DVD-dual drive, the network, or from some external boot device. Because the OpenBoot PROM software resides within the NVRAM, it is called firmware.
The OpenBoot PROM plays a major role in starting the Sun Ultra 45 or Ultra 25 workstation (For details see: Power-On Sequence.) If an error occurs during that process, a message is usually displayed. You can use OpenBoot Diagnostics tools to help diagnose system problems.
The OpenBoot PROM also has a collection of in-depth testing programs, available from the obdiag prompt. These testing programs are described in OpenBoot Diagnostics.
In an idle state, OpenBoot PROM can provide information from basic utilities:
To use the OpenBoot PROM utilities you must first obtain the ok prompt. See Obtaining the ok Prompt.
The show-devs utility displays the devices installed in the Sun Ultra 45 or Ultra 25 workstation recognized by the OpenBoot PROM. For example:
If an installed device is missing from the list, check the slot or cable connections of the device.
The watch-net utility displays packet activity on the primary network connection. For example:
ok watch-net 100 Mbps FDX Link up Looking for Ethernet Packets. '.' is a Good Packet. 'X' is a Bad Packet. Type any key to stop. ........ |
The probe-scsi utility displays the manufacturer and model of devices attached to the SCSI bus. For example:
If no information regarding an installed device is displayed, check the cable connections inside of the Sun Ultra 45 or Ultra 25 workstation chassis.
The Sun Ultra 45 or Ultra 25 workstation DVD-dual drive is controlled by the IDE bus. The probe-ide utility displays the manufacturer and model of devices attached to the IDE buses. For example:
ok probe-ide Device 0 ( Primary Master ) Removable ATAPI Model: DV-W28SL Device 1 ( Primary Slave ) Not Present Device 2 ( Secondary Master ) Not Present Device 3 ( Secondary Slave ) Not Present |
If no information regarding an installed device is displayed, check the cable connections inside of the Sun Ultra 45 chassis.
The banner utility displays the banner seen during system startup. The banner includes:
If the banner displays information that is suspect, there might be a problem with the memory, NVRAM, or the motherboard flash PROM.
The watch-clock utility displays a seconds counter updated in one-second intervals. For example:
ok watch-clock Watching the 'seconds' register of the real time clock chip. It should be 'ticking' once a second. Type any key to stop. 14 |
If the seconds values do not change, or are longer or shorter than one second in duration, there is a problem with the real-time clock chip on the motherboard.
The date utility displays the current date and time stored in the real-time clock. For example:
If the real-time clock loses accuracy or the date or time is incorrect after a power cycle, replace the battery.
The .version utility displays the software version of:
ok .version Release 4.21.x created 2005/11/05 18:29 OBP 4.21.x 2005/11/05 18:29 Sun Ultra 45 or Ultra 25 workstation OBDIAG 4.21.x 2005/11/05 18:31 POST 4.21.x 2005/11/05 19:58 |
The OpenBoot PROM software has a suite of tests that can help you diagnose problems with the motherboard components and system interfaces to peripherals. The OpenBoot Diagnostics tests are generalized and function at a low level. The tests help you narrow down a problem to a specific component.
OpenBoot Diagnostics is started either from the console of the system under test or remotely through an external display device. To run OpenBoot Diagnostics remotely, see Configuring an External Display Device. An advantage of running OpenBoot Diagnostics through a Tip connection is that long output can be scrolled and saved.
2. Set the auto-boot? property to false. Type:
The system restarts and the ok prompt is displayed again.
4. Set the diag-switch? property to true. Type:
5. Start OpenBoot Diagnostics. Type:
Once started, OpenBoot Diagnostics polls the system for device nodes. If the device has a self-test, the device function can be verified. Some cards may not support self-test. When the poll is finished, OpenBoot Diagnostics lists a menu of the tests that can be executed. For example:
The diagnostics displayed are dynamic. If a device node is not recognized, it is not listed in the menu. For example, if the Sun XVR-100 graphics accelerator were removed from the system, the Sun XVR-100 graphics accelerator test would not be available, and all remaining tests would shift location and be renumbered. For example:
TABLE 12-1 lists some OpenBoot Diagnostics tests, the test purpose, and describes possible problems and resolutions. The test numbers in TABLE 12-1 match the test numbers in the first OpenBoot Diagnostics menu in OpenBoot Diagnostics.
OpenBoot Diagnostics is configurable. For the simplest testing, follow this procedure.
1. At the obdiag prompt, set the diagnostic passes to 1. Type:
2. Set the diagnostic level to maximum. Type:
3. Set the diagnostics to be verbose and display subtest names during test execution. Type:
These settings are stored in the NVRAM test-args parameter and survive power cycling.
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Note - The help command provides additional information for configuring OpenBoot Diagnostics. |
Select a test by typing test and the diagnostic's corresponding number listed in the menu and press Return. Using the previous examples, you would type:
When OpenBoot Diagnostics runs a test, output is displayed.
The following is a successful flashprom test.
If a test detects an error, an error message is displayed. The following is an example of a serial loopback test with no connector.
The following test is a sample of a serial port test.
TABLE 12-2 lists some common fault messages or portions of fault messages displayed by the OpenBoot PROM, their meanings, and actions that you can take to resolve the message condition.
The date is displayed as: 01/01/2000 00:00:00 GMT |
Replace the battery. See Replacing the Battery. |
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Can't open boot device |
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Can't run OBDIAG from the device tree node or with the active instance |
Attempt to run OpenBoot Diagnostics from a selected device node. |
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NOTICE - CPUx Banky DIMMs are from different vendors. |
Install DIMMs in identical pairs. See Replacing the DIMMs. |
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NOTICE - CPUx Banky DIMMs have different architectures and will not be used. |
Each DIMM in a pair has a different architecture. The DIMMs are not used. |
Install DIMMs in identical pairs. See Replacing the DIMMs. |
Searching for self-test methods . . . Rejecting alloc-mem! |
OpenBoot Diagnostics failed to start. Some devices might be tied to other processes. |
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Starting XVR-2500 self-test |
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Timeout waiting for ARP/RARP packet |
| Sun Ultra 45 and Ultra 25 Workstations Service and Diagnostics Manual | 819-1892 |
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