Sun Integrated Lights Out Manager 3.0 Supplement for the Sun Blade X6275 Server Module

The ILOM preboot menu is a utility that can be used to fix problems with the ILOM that cannot be fixed while it is running. It allows you to interrupt the ILOM boot process, configure settings, then continue booting the ILOM. Among other things, it allows you to reset the ILOM root password to factory defaults, restore access to the serial port, and update the SP firmware.

This chapter contains the following sections:

• Accessing the Preboot Menu
• Using the edit Command and Configuring the Preboot Menu For Remote Access
• Resetting the Root Password to the Factory Default
• Restoring ILOM Access to the Serial Console
• Recovering the SP Firmware Image
• Preboot Menu Command Summary

---

Accessing the Preboot Menu

To access the preboot menu, you must boot the SP and interrupt the boot process.

There are two ways to interrupt the ILOM boot process: manually using the Locate button, or by typing xyzzy during a pause in the bootstrap process.

The first method requires you to have physical access to the server module. The second method can be done remotely. However:

• You must use a terminal or a terminal emulator. You cannot use an SSH, or an RKVMS session.
• Some preboot menu settings must be configured first, and until they are, you must use the Locate button.

Because the settings must be configured before you can access the preboot menu remotely, the first time you access the preboot menu, you must use the locate button to access the preboot menu, and configure the settings. This is described inUsing the edit Command and Configuring the Preboot Menu For Remote Access.

1. Connect a terminal or a computer running terminal emulation software to the dongle.

2. Reboot the ILOM using one of these methods:

• From the server module ILOM, enter the command:

-> reset /SP

• From the CMM ILOM, enter the command:

-> reset /CH/BLx/SP

where x is the slot number of the node.

• Temporarily remove power from the server module by removing it partway from its slot and then reseating it. For details, see the Sun Blade X6275 Server Module Service Manual (820-6840).

The ILOM reboots, and messages begin scrolling on the screen.

3. Interrupt the ILOM boot process using one of these methods:

• Press and hold the Locate button on the server module front panel, until the preboot menu appears.
• Type in xyzzy when you see the message:

Booting linux in n seconds...

The ILOM preboot menu appears as shown here.

Booting linux in 10 seconds... 
 
                        ILOM Pre-boot Menu 
                        ------------------ 
Type "h" and [Enter] for a list of commands, or "?" [Enter] for 
command-line key bindings.  Type "h cmd" for summary of 'cmd' command. 
 
Warning: SP will warm-reset after 300 seconds of idle time. 
  Set 'bootretry' to -1 to disable the time-out. 
 
Preboot> 

4. When you are done, type boot to exit the preboot menu and start the ILOM.

---

Using the edit Command and Configuring the Preboot Menu For Remote Access

This section shows how to use the edit command to change preboot menu settings. As an example, it also shows how to set the bootdelay and check_physical_presence settings so that you can interrupt the ILOM boot process using the xyzzy command.

Until the bootdelay and check_physical_presence settings are set to the values shown in this procedure, the only way to interrupt the ILOM boot process is to hold the Locate button down while the ILOM is booting.

• bootdelay is optional, but setting it to a larger value gives you more time to enter the required command
• check_physical_presence must be set to no.

TABLE 2-1 shows the settings that can be configured using the edit command.

1. Access the preboot menu as described in Accessing the Preboot Menu.

2. Type edit.

The preboot menu enters edit mode.

In edit mode, the preboot menu displays its selections one-by-one, offering you a chance to change each one.

• To change a setting, type the new value, then press Enter.
• To skip to the next setting, press Enter.

3. Press Enter to move through the settings until the bootdelay setting appears.

4. To change the bootdelay setting, type 3, 10, or 30, and press Enter.

This specifies the number of seconds the SP boot process waits for your input.

The preboot menu redisplays the bootdelay setting with the new value.

5. Press Enter.

The next setting appears.

6. Press Enter to move through the settings until the check_physical_presence setting appears.

To change the check_physical_presence setting, type no, and then press Enter.

The preboot menu redisplays the check_physical_presence setting with the new value.

7. Press Enter.

The preboot menu ask you to confirm your changes.

Enter ‘y[es]’ to commit changes: [no]

8. Type y to exit the edit session and save your changes.

If you want to exit without saving your changes, type n.

The following display shows an edit session where the bootdelay and check_physical_presence settings are changed. See TABLE 2-1 for edit command settings:

Preboot> edit
 
Press Enter by itself to reach the next question.
  Press control-C to discard changes and quit.
 
 Values for baudrate are {[ 9600 ]| 19200 | 38400 | 57600 | 115200 }.
  Set baudrate?                [9600]
 Values for serial_is_host are {[ 0 ]| 1 }.
  Set serial_is_host?          [0]
 Values for bootdelay are { -1 | 3 | 10 | 30 }.
  Set bootdelay?               [30] 10
  Set bootdelay?               [10]
 Values for bootretry are { -1 | 30 | 300 | 3000 }.
  Set bootretry?               [<not set>]
 Values for preferred are {[ 0 ]| 1 }.
  Set preferred?               [<not set>]
 Values for preserve_conf are {[ yes ]| no }.
  Set preserve_conf?           [yes]
 Values for preserve_users are {[ yes ]| no }.
  Set preserve_users?          [no]
 Values for preserve_password are {[ yes ]| no }.
  Set preserve_password?       [yes]
 Values for check_physical_presence are {[ yes ]| no }.
  Set check_physical_presence? [no] no
  Set check_physical_presence? [no]
 Enter 'y[es]' to commit changes: [no] y
Summary: Changed 2 settings.
Preboot>

---

Resetting the Root Password to the Factory Default

If you forget the root password, you can use the preboot menu to reset it to the factory default, changeme.

1. Access the preboot menu as described in Accessing the Preboot Menu.

2. Type the command:

Preboot> unconfig password

Setting ‘preserve_password’ to ‘no’ for the next boot of ILOM.

3. Reboot the SP. Type the command:

Preboot> boot

The preboot menu exits and the SP boots. The root password is set to changeme when the SP is finished booting.

---

Restoring ILOM Access to the Serial Console

This section describes how to use the preboot menu to restore access to the ILOM serial console. This is necessary if the serial console is configured to connect to the host, and a network connection to the ILOM is unavailable.

The serial port can be configured to connect to the ILOM or to the host. The ILOM is the default.

You can change this setting using the ILOM or the preboot menu

• If a network connection is available, use the procedure in Switching Serial Port Output Between SP and Host Console to restore ILOM access to the serial console.
• If a network connection is unavailable, use the procedure in To Use the Preboot Menu to Restore Access to the Serial Console to restore ILOM access to the serial console.

1. Access the preboot menu as described in Accessing the Preboot Menu.

2. Type edit.

The preboot menu enters edit mode.

In edit mode, the preboot menu displays its selections one-by-one, offering you a chance to change each one.

• To change a setting, type the new value, then press Enter.
• To skip to the next setting, press Enter.

3. Press Enter to move through the settings until the serial_is_host setting appears.

To change the serial_is_host setting, type 0, and then press Enter.

The preboot menu redisplays the serial_is_host setting with the new value.

4. Press Enter.

The next setting appears.

5. Press Enter to scroll through the settings until the preboot menu asks you to confirm your changes.

Enter ‘y[es]’ to commit changes: [no]

6. Type y to confirm your change.

The preboot menu displays this message:

Summary: Changed 1 settings.
Preboot>

---

Recovering the SP Firmware Image

The preboot menu provides the ability to recover the ILOM firmware image by updating (flashing) the SP firmware.

Normally, you can update the SP using the ILOM CLI or the web interface.

If you are unable to access the ILOM to update the firmware, you can use this procedure to update it using the preboot menu.

Prerequisites

You must have a valid .flash firmware image file on a tftp server. This file is available on the tools and drivers DVD, and on the Sun download site:

http://www.sun.com/servers/blades/downloads.jsp

1. Access the Preboot Menu as described in Accessing the Preboot Menu.

2. Set up the DHCP network from the Preboot Menu. Enter the command:

net dhcp

to verify access to your tftp server.

3. Enter the command:

net flash IPaddress path/name.flash

where:

IPaddress is the IP address of a tftp server

path is the path to the file relative to /tftpboot

name is the first part of the .flash file filename

For example:

Preboot> net flash 10.8.173.25 images/system-rom.flash

After a series of messages, the preboot prompt appears.

Preboot>

4. Use the reset command to restart the SP.

Preboot> reset

The preboot menu exits and the ILOM boots.

---

Preboot Menu Command Summary

The preboot menu includes the following commands.

Sun Integrated Lights Out Manager 3.0 Supplement for the Sun Blade X6275 Server Module

821-0326-10

Copyright © 2009 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All rights reserved.