Error: Unknown client "host_name"
 

The host_name argument in the add_install_client command is not a host in the name service.

Add the host host_name to the NIS or NIS+ name service and execute the add_install_client command again.

le0: No carrier - transceiver cable problem
 

The system is not connected to the network. 

If this is a non-networked system, ignore this message. If this is a networked system, make sure the Ethernet cabling is attached securely. 

The file just loaded does not appear to be executable
 

The system cannot find the proper media for booting. 

Verify that the system has been set up properly to install over the network from an install server. For example, make sure you specified the right platform group for the system when you set it up. Also, if you did not copy the Solaris CD, make sure the Solaris CD on the install server is mounted and accessible.  

boot: cannot open /kernel/unix
 

SPARC based systems only. 

This error occurs when you override the boot file location by explicitly setting it to /kernel/unix. In Solaris 2.6, the kernel no longer resides in /kernel/unix, but in /platform/<arch>/kernel/unix.

Reset the boot file in the PROM to " " (blank). 

Can't boot from file/device                                        
 

The installation program can't find the Solaris CD in the system's CD-ROM drive. 

Make sure the: 

• CD-ROM drive is installed properly or is turned on

• Solaris CD-ROM is inserted into the CD-ROM drive

WARNING: clock gained xxx days -- CHECK AND RESET
DATE!
 

SPARC based systems only.  

This is an informational message. 

Ignore the message and continue with the installation. 

Not a UFS filesystem
 

x86 based systems only. 

When Solaris software was installed (either through the interactive or custom JumpStart method), the default boot drive was not selected. When an alternate boot disk is selected, you must use the Configuration Assistant diskette to boot the system from that point on. 

Insert the Configuration Assistant diskette into the system's boot diskette drive (usually the a: drive).

x86 based systems only. 

The Solaris root slice must reside within the first 1024 cylinders of the disk. If it does not, the installation fails after booting.

If the first fdisk partition is primary DOS (PRI DOS), use the fdisk program to delete space from it. Try booting again. If the first fdisk partition is extended DOS (EXT DOS) or another operating system, use the fdisk program to delete it. Try booting again.

x86 based systems only. 

System hangs or panics when non-memory PC cards are inserted. 

Non-memory PC cannot use the same memory resources used by other devices. To correct this, use a DOS debugger to identify device memory usage, then manually reserve memory resources for the PC card device using the following instructions. 

1. Boot the system using the Configuration Assistant diskette.

2. Go to the Device Tasks menu.

3. Select Review/Edit Devices.

4. Select Add Device.

5. Select Define Device.

6. Enter a unique name following the EISA ID naming conventions (for example, ITD4001), and choose Continue.

7. Select Memory Address from the list of resources, and choose Continue.

8. Enter the address range to reserve (for example, CA800-CFFFF), and choose Continue.

9. Return to the Device Tasks menu and select Save Configuration.

10. Reboot the Solaris operating environment.

x86 based systems only.  

The BIOS primary drive on your system was not detected by the Configuration Assistant program during the pre-booting phase. 

• If you are using old drives, they may be unsupported. Check Supported Hardware in the Information Library for Solaris 2.6 (Intel Platform Edition).

• Make sure the ribbon and power cables are plugged in correctly. Check the manufacturer's documentation.

• If only one drive is attached to the controller, designate the drive as the master drive by setting jumpers. Some drives have different jumper settings for a single master, as opposed to a master operating with a slave. Connect the drive to the connector at the end of the cable to reduce signal ringing that occurs when an unused connector is dangling at the end of the cable.

• If two drives are attached to the controller, jumper one drive as the master (or as a master operating with a slave), and jumper the second drive as a slave.

• If one drive is a hard disk and the second a CD-ROM drive, designate the drive as the slave drive by setting jumpers. It doesn't matter which drive is plugged into which drive connection on the cable.

• If there are persistent problems with two drives on a single controller, attach one drive at a time to verify that each works. Jumper the drive as master or single master and use the drive connector at the end of the IDE ribbon cable to attach the drive. Verify that each drive works, then jumper the drives back into a master and slave configuration.

• If the drive is a disk drive, use the BIOS setup screen to ensure that the drive type (which indicates the number of cylinders, heads, and sectors) is correctly configured. Some BIOS software may have a feature that automatically detects the drive type.

• If the drive is a CD-ROM drive, use the BIOS setup screen to configure the drive type as a CD-ROM drive, when the BIOS software has this capability.

• If MS-DOS does not recognize the drive, there is probably a hardware or BIOS configuration problem. For many systems, IDE CD-ROM drives are only recognized by MS-DOS if a MS-DOS CD-ROM driver has been installed.

x86 based systems only.  

The IDE or CD-ROM drive on your system was not found by the Configuration Assistant program in the pre-booting phase. 

• If disks are disabled in the BIOS, use the Configuration Assistant diskette to boot from the hard disk.

• If the system has no disks, it may be a diskless client.

x86 based systems only.  

System hangs before getting the prompt. 

See Configuring Devices in the Information Library for Solaris 2.6 (Intel Platform Edition).

WARNING: getfile:
RPC failed: error 5 (RPC Timed out).
 

This error occurs when you have two or more servers on a network responding to an install client's boot request. The install client connects to the wrong boot server, and the installation hangs. The following specific reasons may cause this error: 

Reason 1: There may be /etc/bootparams files on different servers with an entry for this install client.

Solution for Reason 1: Make sure that servers on the network do not have multiple /etc/bootparams entries for the install client. If they do, remove duplicate client entries in the /etc/bootparams file on all install and boot servers except the one you want the install client to use.

Reason 2: There may be multiple /tftpboot or /rplboot directory entries for this install client.

Solution for Reason 2: Make sure that servers on the network do not have multiple /tftpboot or /rplboot directory entries for the install client. If they do, remove duplicate client entries from the /tftpboot or /rplboot directories on all install and boot servers except the one you want the install client to use.

Reason 3: There may be an install client entry in the /etc/bootparams file on a server and an entry in another /etc/bootparams file enabling all systems to access the profile server. Such an entry would look like this:

* install_config=profile_server:path

A line like this in the NIS or NIS+ bootparams table would also cause this error.

Solution for Reason 3: If there's a wildcard entry in the name service bootparams map or table (for example, * install_config=), delete it and add it to the /etc/bootparams file on the boot server.

No network boot server. Unable to install the system.
 See installation instructions.
 

SPARC based systems only. 

This error occurs on a system that you are attempting to install over the network. The system is not set up properly. 

Make sure you set up the system to install over the network (see "Setting Up Systems to Be Installed Over the Network").

prom_panic: Could not mount filesystem
 

SPARC based systems only. 

This error occurs when you are doing a network installation, but the boot software cannot locate the Solaris installation image (either the Solaris CD or a copy of the Solaris CD on the install server). 

Make sure that the installation software is mounted and shared.  

If installing from the install server's CD-ROM drive, make sure the Solaris CD is inserted in the CD-ROM drive, is mounted, and is shared in the /etc/dfs/dfstab file. If installing from a copy of the Solaris CD on the install server's disk, make sure the directory path to the copy is shared in the /etc/dfs/dfstab file.

Timeout waiting for ARP/RARP packet...
 

SPARC based systems only. 

The client is trying to boot over the network, but it cannot find a system that knows about it. 

Verify the system's host name is in the NIS or NIS+ name service. Also, verify the bootparams search order in the boot server's /etc/nsswitch.conf file.

For example, the following line in the /etc/nsswitch.conf file indicates the software will first look in the NIS maps for bootparams information. If not found there, software will look in the boot server's /etc/bootparams file.

bootparams: nis files

ip: joining multicasts failed on tr0 - will use link layer broadcasts for multicast
 

x86 based systems only. 

You will see this error message when you boot a system with a token ring card. Ethernet multicast and token ring multicast do not work the same way. The driver returns this error message to indicate that an invalid multicast address was given.

Ignore this error message. If multicast doesn't work, IP uses layer broadcasts instead and it won't cause the installation to fail. 

Requesting Internet address for Ethernet_Address
 

x86 based systems only. 

The client is trying to boot over the network, but it cannot find a system that knows about it.  

Verify the system's host name is in the NIS or NIS+ name service. If the system's host name is in the NIS or NIS+ name service, and the system continues to print this error message, try rebooting. 

RPC: Timed out
No bootparams (whoami) server responding; still trying...
 

x86 based systems only. 

The client is trying to boot over the network, but it cannot find a system with an entry in the /etc/bootparams file on the install server.

Use add_install_client on the install server. This will add the proper entry in the /etc/bootparams file, enabling the client to boot over the network.

Still trying to find a RPL server...
 

x86 based systems only. 

The system is trying to boot over the network, but the server is not set up to boot this system. 

On the install server, execute add_install_client for the system to be installed. The add_install_client command sets up an /rplboot directory, which contains the necessary network boot program.

The system boots over the network, but from a system other than the specified install server.

On the name server, update the /etc/bootparams entry for the system being installed. The entry should conform to the following syntax:

install_system root=boot_server:path install=install_server:path

Also, ensure there is only one bootparams entry on the subnet for the install client.

SPARC based systems only. 

After you set up an install server and configure the system to install over the network, the system still does not boot. 

Be sure the tftpd daemon is running on the install server. Type the following command and press Return:

# ps -ef | grep tftpd

If this command does not return a line indicating the tftpd daemon is running, edit the /etc/inetd.conf file and remove the comment (#) character from the following line:

# tftp dgram udp
wait root /usr/sbin/in.tftpd
in.tftpd -s /tftpboot

After making this change, try booting the system again. 

x86 based systems only. 

After setting up an install server and configuring the system to install over the network, the system still does not boot. 

Be sure the tftpd daemon is running on the install server. Type the following command and press Return:

# ps -ef | grep rpld

If this command does not return a line indicating the rpld daemon is running, execute the following command:

# /usr/sbin/rpld

After making this change, try booting the system again. 

/cdrom/Solaris_2.x/SUNWxxxx/reloc.cpio: Broken pipe

Bug ID: 1212370 

This error message does not affect the installation. 

Ignore the message and continue with the installation. 

x86 based systems only. 

IDE disk drives do not automatically map out bad blocks like other drives supported by Solaris software. Before installing Solaris on an IDE disk, you may want to perform a surface analysis on the disk.

To perform surface analysis on an IDE disk, follow this procedure: 

1. Start the Solaris Interactive Installation program, as described in "SPARC: How to Perform an Interactive Installation". The Solaris Interactive Installation program will start either a graphical user interface (GUI) or a character user interface (CUI), depending on whether you have a graphics or non-graphics monitor.

1. When either the GUI or CUI program starts, enter information and select the Continue option on the first few screens.

2. When you see the Installing Solaris - Initial screen, select the Exit option and exit the installation.

1. If you are using the GUI installation program, open a command tool window for the remaining steps in this procedure. If you are using the CUI installation program, use the system shell for the remaining steps in this procedure.

2. Start the format program by typing format

3. Specify the IDE disk drive on which you want to perform a surface analysis.

IDE drives do not include a target number. The IDE drive naming convention is cxdy, where cx is the controller number and dy is the device number.

1. At the format> prompt, type fdisk. Use the fdisk program to create a Solaris partition on the disk. (If a Solaris fdisk partition already exists, leave it alone.)

2. At the format> prompt, type analyze.

1. At the analyze> prompt, type config. This will show you the current settings for a surface analysis. If you want to change any settings, type setup.

2. At the analyze> prompt, type read, write, or compare for the type of surface analysis to be performed. If format finds bad blocks, it will re-map them.

1. At the analyze> prompt, type quit.

2. You may want to specify blocks to re-map. If so, at the format> prompt, type repair.

1. Type quit to quit the format program.

2. Choose Restart Install from the Workspace menu to resume the GUI installation or type suninstall to resume the CUI installation.

No upgradeable disks

Bug ID: 1191792 

A swap entry in the /etc/vfstab file is causing the upgrade to fail.

Comment out the following lines in the /etc/vfstab file:

• All swap files and slices on disks not being upgraded

• Swap files that are no longer present

• Any unused swap slices

The upgrade fails because the Solaris installation program could not mount metadevices on the system. 

Comment out all metadevices in the system's /etc/vfstab file. The upgrade option does not support metadevices.

Bug ID: 1170953 

The upgrade option is not presented even though there is a version of Solaris software that's upgradable on the system. 

The following specific reasons may cause this problem: 

Reason 1: The /var/sadm directory is a symlink or it is mounted from another file system.

Solution for Reason 1: Move the /var/sadm directory into the root (/) or /var file system.

Reason 2: The /var/sadm/softinfo/INST_RELEASE file is missing.

Solution for Reason 2: Create a new INST_RELEASE file by using the following template:

OS=Solaris
VERSION=2.x 
REV=0

where x is the version of Solaris software on the system.

The upgrade fails for reasons beyond your control, such as a power failure or a network connection failure, and the system is left in an unbootable state.

1. Reboot the system from the Solaris CD or from the network.

2. Choose the upgrade option for installation.

The Solaris Interactive Installation program will determine if the system has been partially upgraded and will continue the upgrade. 

The upgrade fails because the Solaris installation program could not mount a file system. During an upgrade, the installation program attempts to mount all the file systems listed in the system's /etc/vfstab file on the root file system being upgraded. If the installation program cannot mount a file system, it fails and exits.

Make sure all file systems in the system's /etc/vfstab file can be mounted. Comment out any file systems in the /etc/vfstab file that can't be mounted or that may cause the problem, so the installation program doesn't try to mount them during the upgrade.

Any system-based file systems that contain software to be upgraded (for example, /usr) cannot be commented out.

There is not enough space on the system for the upgrade. Check the following reasons for the space problem and see if you can fix it without using auto-layout to reallocate space:

Reason 1: Since the automounter is not active during an upgrade, the Solaris installation program installs any package's files or directories that are symbolic links to automounted file systems. If a symbolic link is overwritten, the upgrade may fail because of insufficient disk space.

The /var/mail and /var/news directories, which usually reside on an automounted file system, are not affected by an upgrade.

Solution for Reason 1: During the upgrade, delete software packages in the Customize Software screen that will create files or directories on the automounted file systems. Then the Solaris installation program will not overwrite the symbolic link with a package's files or directories.

Reason 2: New software has been added to the software group that you are upgrading or some of the existing software has increased in size. During an upgrade, the Solaris installation program installs any new software that is part of the software group previously installed on the system, and it also upgrades any existing packages on the system.

Solution for Reason 2: During the upgrade, delete software packages in the Customize Software screen that install into the file systems that need more space. Especially look for any new packages that have been added to the Solaris release that the system doesn't need.