Installation Bugs

The following bugs might occur during or after the installation of Solaris 10 OS.

Localized Installation Note

Localized Solaris installer always runs in the EUC or ISO8859 locales. Thus, the install log is written in EUC or ISO8859 encoding.

Workaround: While performing localized CLI (command line interface) install through a terminal, the locale on the terminal must be EUC or ISO8859 locale.

SPARC: WAN Boot Installation Fails for Solaris 10 10/08

The installation fails, when installing WAN boot image from Solaris 10 10/08 release. The following error message is displayed:

boot_file=/wanboot/wanboot.u-137111-04
root_file=/miniroot/miniroot.s10-1008

Workaround: The Solaris 10 10/08 miniroot image must be patched to proceed with the installation. Perform the following steps to patch a network installation miniroot image:

These steps assume that you have a system on your network that is running the current Solaris release, and that system is accessible over the network.

1. On a system that is running the current Solaris release, log in as superuser or assume an equivalent role.

2. Change to the Tools directory of the installation image you created.

   # cd install-server-path/install-dir-path/Solaris_10/Tools

   install-server-path

   Specifies the path to the install server system on your network, for example, /net/installserver-1.

3. Create a new installation image, and place that image on the system that is running the current Solaris release.

   # ./setup_install_server remote_install_dir_path

   remote_install_dir_path

   Specifies the path on the current Solaris release in which to create the new installation image.

   This command creates a new installation image on the current Solaris release. In order to patch this image, you must temporarily place this image on a system that is running the current Solaris release.

4. On the current Solaris release, unpack the network installation boot archive.

   # /boot/solaris/bin/root_archive unpackmedia remote_install_dir_path \ destination_dir

   remote_install_dir_path

   Specifies the path to the network installation image on the current Solaris release.

   destination_dir

   Specifies the path to the directory to contain the unpacked boot archive.

5. On the current Solaris release, patch the unpacked boot archive.

   # patchadd -C destination_dir path-to-patch/patch-id

   path-to-patch

   Specifies the path to the patch that you want to add, for example, /var/sadm/spool.

   patch-id

   Specifies the patch ID that you want to apply.

   You can specify multiple patches with the patchadd -M option. For more information, see patchadd(1M).

   ---

   Caution –

   Don't use the patchadd -C command unless you have read the Patch README instructions or have contacted your local Sun support office.

   ---

6. On the current Solaris release, pack the boot archive.

   # /boot/solaris/bin/root_archive packmedia remote_install_dir_path \ destination_dir

7. Copy the patched archives to the installation image on the install server.

   # cd remote_install_dir_path # find boot Solaris_10/Tools/Boot | cpio -pdum \ install-server-path/install_dir_path

x86: Solaris Flash Archive Installation Fails on Releases Before the Solaris 10 10/08 Release (6735181)

If you are installing a Solaris Flash archive from a release before the Solaris 10 10/08 release, the archive fails to install. Starting with the Solaris 10 10/08 release, if the archive is from the Solaris 10 10/08 release or later, the archive can be installed. The following error message is displayed:

bootadm: biodev command failed for disk:
/dev/dsk/<c0t2d0s0>.
bootadm: 1s_bootdisk(): cannot determine BIOS disk ID "hd?" for disk:
/dev/dsk/<c0t2d0s0>
bootamd: get_grubroot(): cannot get (hd?, ?,?) for menu. menu not on bootdisk:
/dev/rdsk/<c0t2d0s0>

Workaround: Choose one of the following workarounds:

• Install a Solaris Flash archive from the Solaris 10 10/08 release or later.

• If you need to install a Solaris Flash archive from a previous release, boot from the previous release and extract the archive.

SPARC: Using WAN Boot Program to Directly Boot From Installation Media Fails (6734066)

Installation fails if you attempt to boot the system by using the following command:

# boot  -F wanboot -vV -o prompt

As a result, a system panic occurs. The following error message is displayed:

wanboot: panic - boot: can't alloc ramdisk memory

This problem occurs on both Sun4u and Sun4v platform types.

Workaround: Do not use wanboot program to boot the system. Instead, boot the system directly from the installation media.

Some Asian Locales Cannot Be Used for Custom JumpStart (6681454)

Some Asian locales like, th_TH.ISO8859-11, th_TH.TIS620, ko_KR.EUC, ko_KR.UTF-8, zh_TW.EUC, zh_CN.EUC, zh_CN.GBK, and zh_CN.UTF-8 cannot be used while installing with Custom JumpStart. While setting locales in the sysidcfg file using the system_locale keyword, the following error message is displayed:

xx_xx.xxxxx is not a valid system locale

The JumpStart installation is stopped and Interactive installation starts.

Workaround: Use shorter locale names such as th_TH, ko, ko.UTF-8, zh_TW, zh, zh.GBK, and zh.UTF-8, instead of longer locale names,

PRODRM Has Problems Deleting prodreg Entry For Solaris Trusted Extensions (6616592)

While upgrading Solaris Trusted Extensions from the Solaris 10 11/06 or Solaris 10 8/07 release to the current Solaris 10 10/08 release, the prodreg entry for Solaris Trusted extensions is not removed. No error message is displayed.

Workaround: After upgrading Solaris Trusted Extensions to the current release, remove the prodreg entry manually as follows:

# prodreg unregister -f -r -u "Solaris Trusted Extensions" -i 1

x86: NVidia SATA Controllers Do Not Support ATAPI Devices (6595488)

The driver for the NVidia SATA controller MCP55 and CK804 chipsets included in the Solaris 10 10/08 release does not support ATAPI CD/DVD devices.

During system installation or upgrade by using a SATA CD/DVD device, the Solaris installer starts and appears to function but fails with the following error messages:

• ERROR: The disc you inserted is not a Solaris OS CD/DVD

• There were problems loading the media from /cdrom

During normal system operation, the SATA CD/DVD drive is not configured and cannot be used.

Workaround: Use the USB CD/DVD.

Sun Upgrade Detailed Patch Analysis Panel Not Scrollable (6597686)

During a Solaris upgrade, if you select Detailed Analysis to see the patches that will be removed, the panel that displays the patches is not scrollable. The complete list of patches to be removed cannot be viewed.

Workaround: Run the analyze_patches scripts manually:

# cd <cdrom>/Solaris_10/Misc
# ./analyze_patches -R rootdir -N netdir -D databasedir

The command options are as follows:

-R rootdir

rootdir is the root of the installed system. The default root directory is /.

-N netdir

netdir is the path to the root of the OS image to be installed. /cdrom/cdrom0 is the default path. netdir is the path to the directory that contains the Solaris_10_606 directory. You must use this option if you are running the patch_analyzer from an NFS mount point.

-D databasedir

If the script is called from a directory other than the /Misc directory in the OS image, the program cannot find the database it uses for patch analysis. Use the -D option to supply the path to the database. Without this database, which is located in the Solaris_10_606/Misc/database directory on the OS image, the script will not run correctly.

Panic in PCIe as dev_info Node Has No Parent Data (6517798)

The Solaris OS might panic with a null pointer dereference if the driver.conf file has been modified using the parent attribute. The following error message is displayed:

System panic: BAD TRAP: type=31 rp=2a101d31200 addr=8 mmu_fsr=0 
occurred in module "pcie" due to a NULL pointer dereference

Workaround: Before you install the Solaris 10 10/08 OS on a PCI Express (PCIe) based SPARC system, check if you have modified the driver.conf files as described below:

1. Change to the /kernel/drv directory.

2. Check if the parent attribute is set in the driver.conf file. If the parent attribute has been set and the last node in the parent has the word pci in it, comment out that line. Ensure that you comment out the entire property. For example:

   # name="ACME,simple" parent="/pci@7c0/pci@0/pci@9" # unit-address="3,1" debug-mode=12; name="ACME,example" parent="pseudo" instance=1; name="ACME,scsi" parent="/pci@7c0/pci@0/pci@9/scsi" unit-address="3,1" debug-mode=12;

3. Repeat step 2 for the driver.conf files in the following directories:

   • /usr/kernel/drv

   • /platform/`uname -i`/drv

   • /platform/`uname -m`/drv

4. Install the Solaris 10 10/08 OS.

5. Install patch 127747-01.

6. Change to the directories listed in steps 1 and 3. Uncomment all the lines that were commented out in step 2 in the driver.conf files.

The Linux Partition Does Not Display on the GRUB Menu After Installing the Solaris OS (6508647)

If Linux is installed on your disk and you installed the Solaris OS on a separate partition, the Linux partition does not display on the GRUB menu. No error message is displayed.

Workaround: Edit the GRUB menu's menu.lst file to add Linux to the GRUB menu. Perform the following steps:

1. Boot the Solaris OS.

2. Edit the menu.lst file at /boot/grub/menu.lst. For more information, see the System Administration Guide: Basic Administration.

x86: Install Hangs on Systems With 512 Mbyte of Memory (6423854)

Installations can run out of memory and hang on 512-Mbyte systems under the following conditions:

• You install using a network installation image of the OS.

• The Solaris installation program is in a windowing environment:

  • The graphical user interface (GUI).

  • The -text option or “3. Solaris Interactive Text (Desktop session)” in the menu below.

When the system exhausts available memory, the GUI installation process slows and eventually fails. The text does not display in a windowing environment.

Workaround:

To avoid this problem, select a non-windowing environment during the initial installation startup. During startup from the installation media the following menu is displayed:

-----------
 1.     Solaris Interactive (default)
 2.     Custom JumpStart
 3.     Solaris Interactive Text (Desktop session)
 4.     Solaris Interactive Text (Console session)
 5.     Apply driver updates
 6.     Single user shell
 Enter the number of your choice.
 -----------

At this point, choose “4. Solaris Interactive Text (Console session)”. This non-windowing environment will initiate a text-only installation, without using memory-intense processes.

x86: Invalid /sbin/dhcpinfo Error During Installation (6332044)

If you install the Solaris 10 10/08 OS on an x86 based system, the following error message is displayed.

/sbin/dhcpinfo: primary interface requested but no primary interface is set

The error does not affect the installation, and the installation succeeds.

Workaround: Ignore the error message.

x86: Installation From CD Media Appears to Hang After Reboot Selection (6270371)

A problem might occur when you are using the Solaris installation program and are using CD media. After the installation of the Solaris software from the Solaris 10 10/08 Software CD - 4, the following prompt is displayed:

Press Reboot now to continue.

If you press Reboot, the system might not respond. The installation is successful. However, the error prevents the installation program from exiting normally. Consequently, the typical postinstallation cleanup and system reboot cannot occur.

An error message similar to the following example is logged in /tmp/disk0_install.log file:

Exception in thread "Thread-70" java.lang.IndexOutOfBoundsException:
Index: 6, Size: 5
     at java.util.ArrayList.add(ArrayList.java:369)
     at
com.sun.wizards.core.WizardTreeManager.
actualExitButtonPressed(WizardTreeManager.java:1499)
     at
com.sun.wizards.core.WizardTreeManager.
exitButtonPressed(WizardTreeManager.java:1486)
     at
com.sun.wizards.core.AutonextController.
run(AutonextController.java:736)
     at
java.lang.Thread.run(Thread.java:595)

Workaround: Choose one of the following workarounds.

• Workaround 1: Follow these steps.

  1. Shut down the system, then turn on the power again.

  2. After the system starts up, insert the appropriate CD at the prompt. Although the CD is inserted, no additional software is installed on the system. In a moment, the system reboots normally.

• Workaround 2: Follow these steps.

  1. Open a terminal window.

  2. Log in as superuser.

  3. Create or modify access to the .instsuccess file.

     # touch /tmp/.instsuccess

  4. Stop the Java process.

     # pkill -9 java

     The system reboots without prompting for the CD media.

x86: System Fails to Boot After Custom JumpStart Installation (6205478)

If you use the Custom JumpStart installation method to install on an x86 based system, and explicitly configure slice 2 as the overlap slice in the profile, an error occurs. The system does not reboot successfully after the installation is completed. The following error message is displayed:

Cannot find Solaris partition

This failure occurs because the overlap slice 2 (c0t0d0s2, for example) is set to begin at cylinder 1 rather than cylinder 0.

Workaround: In the Custom JumpStart profile, remove the filesys keyword entry that configures slice 2 as the overlap slice. For example, you would remove a keyword entry that is similar to the following entry.

filesys c0t0d0s2 all overlap

After you remove the entry, perform the Custom JumpStart installation.

x86: GUI Interactive Installation From DVD Fails if boot-device Variable Is Not Set (5065465)

If you install Solaris from the Solaris 10 Operating System DVD, the interactive GUI installation might fail. This failure occurs if the boot-device configuration variable is not set on the system.

To determine if the boot-device configuration variable is set, type the following command.

# prtconf -pv | grep boot-device

If the output of this command is boot-device: with no associated device, you cannot use the interactive GUI installation program to install from the Solaris 10 Operating System DVD.

Workaround: Use the interactive text installer to install Solaris 10 software. When the installation program asks you to select a type of installation, select option 3, Solaris Interactive Text (Desktop Session).

For more information about installing from the Solaris 10 Operating System DVD, see Solaris 10 10/08 Installation Guide: Basic Installations.

x86: USB Keyboards Might Freeze During Install on Some Dell Precision Workstations (4888849)

During installation, USB keyboards on some Dell Precision Workstations might freeze or become partially inoperative, thereby preventing installation.

Workaround: Perform one of the following workarounds:

• Switch the USB emulation mode in the firmware.

• Switch to a PS/2 keyboard.

• Reboot and try again.

Alternatively, update the system's BIOS to resolve the problem.

SPARC: Network Download Performance on hme Is Very Slow (4704616)

It takes about 15 minutes to download a 180–MByte miniroot file into the RAM on systems with on-board hme.

Workaround: At the ok prompt, make the following changes to the nvram:

1. Open the nvram editor:

   ok> nvedit

2. Type the following patch code in the buffer. Each line is automatically numbered.

   probe-all install-console banner cd net patch drop ms get-hme-status patch use-frame-mode use-bit-bang-mode set-vectors device-end

3. Press Control-C.

4. Save the contents of the buffer:

   ok> nvstore

5. Set the following parameter values:

   ok> setenv use-nvramrc? true ok> setenv fcode-debug? true ok> reset-all

See also CR 5106365.

Warnings Might Occur When a File System Is Created (4189127)

When a file system is created during installation, one of the following warning messages might be displayed:

Warning: inode blocks/cyl group (87) >= data blocks (63) in last
cylinder group. This implies 1008 sector(s) cannot be allocated.

Or:

Warning: 1 sector(s) in last cylinder unallocated

The warning occurs when the size of the file system that you created does not equal the space on the disk that is being used. This discrepancy can result in unused space on the disk that is not incorporated into the indicated file system. This unused space is not available for use by other file systems.

Workaround: Ignore the warning message.