Hardware-Related Issues and Bugs

The following hardware-related issues and bugs apply to this Oracle Solaris 10 release.

SPARC: Dynamic Reconfiguration Operations Fail on an OPL Platform (15725179)

Dynamic reconfiguration (DR) operations might fail on an OPL platform when a memory board is being removed from a domain.

You might see error messages similar to the ones shown in the following example:

unconfigure SB3: Device busy: dr@0:SB3::pci6
XSB#01-3 could not be unconfigured from DomainID 2 due to operating system error.

Workaround: Execute the DR operations after disabling the fmd service. For example:

1. Disable the fmd service.

   # svcadm disable fmd

2. Perform the DR operations.

3. Enable the fmd service.

   # svcadm enable fmd

x64: PCI Subsystem ID Changes in ConnectX Firmware 2.6.0 From Mellanox (15544691)

Upgrading the ConnectX firmware to version 2.6.0 or higher on a running system might cause problems in some HCAs and x64 platforms. This issue affects only Mellanox-branded HCAs. Sun-branded PCIe HCAs, EMs, and NEMs, and SPARC platforms are not affected.

You might be unable to boot the system or the system might hang during boot. The ibd (IPoverIB) instance numbers might change and prevent the system from booting and plumbing ibd devices.

Choose one of the following workarounds.

Workaround 1: Before rebooting the system after updating the firmware using cxflash, remove the ibdx instances from the /etc/path_to_inst file and the /dev directory. Perform the following steps:

1. Log in as the root user and list the relevant devices.

   The device tree information might look like the following example:

   # ls -R /devices | grep 15b3
   /devices/pci@0,0/pci10de,5d@e/pci15b3,634a@0
   /devices/pci@0,0/pci10de,5d@e/pci15b3,634a@0/ibport@1,ffff,ipib
   /devices/pci@0,0/pci10de,5d@e/pci15b3,634a@0/ibport@1,ffff,ipib:ibd0
   /devices/pci@0,0/pci10de,5d@e/pci15b3,634a@0/ibport@2,ffff,ipib
   /devices/pci@0,0/pci10de,5d@e/pci15b3,634a@0/ibport@2,ffff,ipib:ibd1
   /devices/pci@0,0/pci10de,5d@e/pci15b3,634a@0:devctl

   ---

   Note - Device specifics vary depending on the Mellanox-branded card installed.

   ---

2. Edit the path_to_inst file.

   1. Make a backup copy of the existing path_to_inst file.

      # cp /etc/path_to_inst /etc/path_to_inst.backup

   2. In the path_to_inst file, search for lines that contain ibd and hermon, and delete those lines. Save and close the file.

3. Remove the entries in the /dev directory.

   # rm /dev/ibd?*

4. Reboot the system.

   The system boots normally, and the corresponding device tree looks like this:

   # ls -R /devices | grep 15b3
   /devices/pci@0,0/pci10de,5d@e/pci15b3,5@0
   /devices/pci@0,0/pci10de,5d@e/pci15b3,5@0/ibport@1,ffff,ipib
   /devices/pci@0,0/pci10de,5d@e/pci15b3,5@0/ibport@1,ffff,ipib:ibd0
   /devices/pci@0,0/pci10de,5d@e/pci15b3,5@0/ibport@2,ffff,ipib
   /devices/pci@0,0/pci10de,5d@e/pci15b3,5@0/ibport@2,ffff,ipib:ibd1
   /devices/pci@0,0/pci10de,5d@e/pci15b3,5@0:devctl

Workaround 2: If you reboot the system before updating the path_to_inst file and the /dev directory, the system might hang. In such a case, perform the following steps:

1. Power off the system and remove the HCA from the bus.

2. Reboot the system without the HCA installed.

3. Once the system is back on, follow steps 2 and 3 in Workaround 1.

4. Power off the system.

5. Reinstall the HCA.

6. Reboot the system.

   If the system reboots but the ibd interfaces do not automatically plumb, you might have to manually rename the /etc/hostname.ib<?> files to reflect the current device configuration.

The ZFS ARC Allocates Memory Inside the Kernel Cage Preventing DR (15377173)

ZFS can potentially allocate kernel memory across all system boards on systems with very large memory configurations. One free system board is required for dynamic memory reconfiguration so that the memory from the board to be dynamically reconfigured can be copied to the free board. The dynamic memory reconfiguration means that you cannot dynamically reconfigure memory on systems with very large memory configurations that have ZFS running. High-end Sun Fire servers from Oracle can relocate kernel pages so that this issue is avoided. These servers must have kernel page relocation (KPR) enabled for domains with more than 32 cores. No error message is displayed

Workaround: Reduce the amount of kernel memory that ZFS can allocate by setting the zfs_arc_max parameter in the /etc/system file. The following example sets the maximum size to 512 Mbytes.

set zfs:zfs_arc_max = 0x20000000

Certain USB 2.0 Controllers Are Disabled

Support for certain USB 2.0 controllers has been disabled because of incompatibilities between these devices and the EHCI driver. The following message is displayed:

Due to recently discovered incompatibilities with this 
USB controller, USB2.x transfer support has been disabled. 
This device will continue to function as a USB1.x controller. 
If you are interested in enabling USB2.x support please refer 
to the ehci(7D) man page. 
Please refer to www.sun.com/io for Solaris Ready products 
and to www.sun.com/bigadmin/hcl for additional compatible 
USB products.

For the latest information about USB devices, see http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/server-storage/solaris/overview/usb-faq-140616.html.

Supported USB Devices and Corresponding Hub Configurations

This Oracle Solaris 10 release supports both USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 devices. The following table is a summary of USB devices that work in specific configurations. Connection types can either be direct to the computer or through a USB hub. Note that USB 1.1 devices and hubs are low speed or full speed. USB 2.0 devices and hubs are high speed. For details about ports and speeds of operation, see the System Administration Guide: Devices and File Systems.

Table 3-1 USB Devices and Configurations

x86: Limitations Exist With Certain Device Drivers in the Oracle Solaris 10 OS

This release of Oracle Solaris 10 for x86 platforms has the following limitations related to certain drivers and interfaces:

• Checkpoint resume – This functionality is turned off for all device types. In the DDI_SUSPEND code in your detach() function, you should return DDI_FAILURE.

• Power management – This functionality is unavailable to USB devices. Do not create power management components. Write your driver so that pm_raise_power() and pm_lower_power() are called only when power management components are created.

DVD-ROM/CD-ROM Drives on Headless Systems

Power management of interactive devices such as removable media is linked with power management of your monitor and the graphics card that drives your monitor. If your screen is active, devices such as the CD-ROM drive and diskette drive remain in full-power mode. These devices might switch to low-power mode on a system without a monitor. To restore power to the CD or diskette drive, use the volcheck command to obtain the latest status from each removable device.

Alternatively, you can disable power management on your system by using the Dtpower GUI. By disabling power management, these devices remain in full power mode.

x86: Manual Configuration Required to Specify Non-U.S. English Keyboards

By default, the kdmconfig program specifies Generic US-English (104-Key) as the keyboard type that is connected to the system. If the system's keyboard is not a US-English keyboard, you must manually specify the keyboard type during installation. Otherwise, the installation will use the default keyboard specification, which is inconsistent with the system's actual keyboard type.

Choose one of the following workarounds.

Workaround 1: If the system's keyboard is not a US-English keyboard, perform the following steps during installation:

1. When the Proposed Window System Configuration For Installation screen is displayed, press Esc.

   ---

   Note - The information on the Proposed Window System Configuration For Installation screen, which includes the keyboard type, is displayed only for 30 seconds. If you want to change configuration settings, you must press Esc before the 30 seconds lapse. Otherwise, the installation continues by using the displayed settings.

   ---

2. Change the keyboard type to the type that corresponds to your system's keyboard.

3. Press Enter to accept the changes and continue with the installation.

Workaround 2: To change the keyboard type on a system that is already running the Oracle Solaris 10 OS, use the kdmconfig program. Choose the option that applies to the type of X server your system is running.

• If your system is running the Xsun server, follow these steps:

  1. Run kdmconfig.

  2. Use the Change Keyboard option to change the keyboard type.

  3. Save the configuration.

• If your system is running the default Xorg server, follow these steps:

  1. Run kdmconfig.

  2. Select the Xsun server.

  3. Use the Change Keyboard option to change the keyboard type.

  4. Save the configuration.

  5. Run kdmconfig again to switch to the Xorg server.