SUMMARY: Problems with diskless Solaris 2.4 client

From: Christopher L. Barnard (cbarnard@cs.uchicago.edu)
Date: Tue May 30 1995 - 10:41:48 CDT


I originally asked:

> I've created a diskless client to boot Solaris 2.4. It is booting from
> my Auspex fileserver (which serves about 60 diskless & dataless SunOS
> 4.1.4 machines right now). /usr, /usr/kvm, and /usr/share for Solaris
> 2.4 have been installed and exported. /export1/root/solaris/zoso exists
> and is exported with root=zoso access. The appropriate /tftpboot files
> are in place.
>
> When I try to boot, however, this is what I get:
>
> Rebooting with command: net
> Boot device: /iommu/sbus/ledma@5,8400010/le@5,8c00000 File and args:
> 2bc00
> hostname: zoso
> domainname: cs
> root server: mama11
> root directory: /export1/root/solaris/zoso
> SunOS Release 5.4 Version generic [UNIX(R) System V Release 4.0]
> Copyright (c) 1983-1994, Sun Microsystems, Inc.
> tcx0: revision 1, screen 1152x900
> \
>
> The "2bc00" line is where it counts up the size of the /tftpboot file.
> So I know its tftpbooting properly. (tcp wrappers also tells me this).
> The spinning bar that we all know and love spins for a while, then
> gives the "SunOS Release 5.4 ..." banner, then spins some more, then
> identifies the tcx frame buffer, spins some more, and then just stops.
> I have tried this with both the -r option to boot and without. This isn't
> the symlink in the /dev directory problem- I've already checked for that.
>
>
> When I boot from the local disk, the output to the screen is different:
>
> Rebooting with command:
> Boot device: /iommu/sbus/espdma@5,8400000/esp@5,8800000/sd@3,0 File and args:
> SunOS Release 5.4 Version generic [UNIX(R) System V Release 4.0]
> Copyright (c) 1983-1994, Sun Microsystems, Inc.
> configuring network interfaces: le0.
> Hostname: zoso
> The systim is coming up. Please wait.
> checking ufs filesystems
> [...]
>
> In particular it doesn't identify the tcx0 frame buffer. (I can still use
> it, though). Is there perhaps some incompatability with the 24bit tcx
> frame buffer and a diskless client?
>
> Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks much.

Well, it turns out that the problem is a problem with the Auspex, not with
Sun. The OS that I am currently running on it is unable to fully deal with
the Solaris kernel. Sun changed the kernel *just enough* that you can't
boot a Solaris 2 machine from a Solaris 1 server.

Thanks to:

ulla@dmi.min.dk (Ulla Fischer)
 "Brian T. Wightman" <wightman@sol.acs.uwosh.edu>

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