Message-Id: <199909271726.MAA29302@physical36.chem.ufl.edu> Date: Mon, 27 Sep 1999 12:26:31 -0500 (EST) From: alex@chem.ufl.edu Subject: Re: [suse-axp] install problem cont'd
Dear Rich,
thanks for your prompt response.
On 27 Sep, Rich Payne wrote:
> On Mon, 27 Sep 1999 alex@chem.ufl.edu wrote:
>
> OK, I didn't see the original posting so I may be missing something
> but....
>
I guess I should have left my earlier post in this one, so here it is:
I have just recently subscribed to this list. The reason is: I saved an
AlphaStation 250 4/266 from the scrapyard and am planning to use it for
my office desktop if it works out well. I have been running Linux for
many years (about 2 years with SuSE now) on my desktop Intel box so am
somewhat familiar with the distribution and the basic handles on it. I
am, however, a complete newbie to Alpha's.
Alright, here goes my first inquiry:
I received the SuSE Alpha-AXP 6.1 distribution in yesterday's mail and
am now about to install it. Trouble is that my alpha station's disk had
been scrubbed before it was thrown out by our computer dept.
Apparently, the ARCSbios and/or NT-bios got thrown out as well and the
machine comes up in (I suppose) SRM with the message:
f4.eb.....ea.e9.e8.e7.e6.e5.
X5.0-29, built on July 18 1995 at 16:20:48
>>>
So, I tried my luck with an aboot disk which I dd'd from the 1st CD.
This produces the following output:
>>>boot dva0
(boot dva0.0.0.0.1 -flags A)
block 0 of dva0.0.0.0.1 is a valid boot block
reading 216 blocks from dva0.0.0.0.1
bootstrap code read in
base = 148000, image_start = 0, image_bytes = 1b000
Initializing HWRPB at 2000
Initializing page table at 13a000
Initializing machine state
setting affinity to the primary CPU
jumping to bootstrap code
aboot: Linux/Alpha SRM bootloader version 0.5
aboot: switching to OSF/1 PALcode version 1.35
aboot: no disklabel found
aboot: booted_dev=`dva 1 0 0 0 0 0 0'. guessing boot_device=`fd0'
aboot: loading plain ...
aboot: unexpected object file format 13
aboot: loading compressed ...
unzip: unknown compression method
Enter kernel name and arguments:
aboot:
At this point I am unsure about what I need to input next. Clearly, I
can't switch to the install disk just yet. I am also concerned about
the error messages I got on my way so far.
Any helpful pointers are greatly appreciated.
TIA, Alex.
>> Hi list,
>>
>> thanks for the helpful comments I got so far. They inched me a little
>> bit closer to get SuSE 6.1 installed. After booting with -fl 0 enabled
>> I get the following messages:
>
>> After this the machine reads from the floppy for a little while, hangs,
>> i.e., just sits there apparently doing nothing for half an hour by now.
>> So, something must be wrong. I tried to swap the diskette to the
>> install diskette (suggested by the manual on page 17) even though aboot
>> didn't prompt me to, with no result.
>>
>> I guess, my questions are the following:
>> 1. does this look like a hardware problem?
>
> Not sure, are you seeing the kernel boot messages? hardware detection
> etc....? and what type of machine is this?
No, this is really all I get:
(boot dva0.0.0.0.1 -flags 0)
block 0 of dva0.0.0.0.1 is a valid boot block
reading 216 blocks from dva0.0.0.0.1
bootstrap code read in
base = 148000, image_start = 0, image_bytes = 1b000
Initializing HWRPB at 2000
Initializing page table at 13a000
Initializing machine state
setting affinity to the primary CPU
jumping to bootstrap code
aboot: Linux/Alpha SRM bootloader version 0.5
aboot: switching to OSF/1 PALcode version 1.35
aboot: no disklabel found
aboot: booted_dev=`dva 1 0 0 0 0 0 0'. guessing boot_device=`fd0'
aboot: loading compressed /vmlinux.gz...
aboot: ok, now starting the kernel...
>
>> 2. if aboot is just waiting for the install diskette, how do I tell it
>> that it is in the drive after I swap?
>
> The kernel should ask for the disk.
Thanks, good to know.
>
>> 3. would it be possible at this point to boot from the CD? If so, what
>> flags would be needed?
>
> I don't think the SuSE cdrom is bootable or contains a root fs, but I
> could be wrong.
I thought it was but don't remember where I read this.
>
>> 4. In order to educate myself better on the boot process, can someone
>> give me a pointer to the inner workings, man page, docs, etc. of aboot?
>> Obviously I don't have the machine up and running so can't use it to
>> look into the man pages.
>
> The SRM howto gives you a little info on this:
> http://www.alphalinux.org/faq/srm.html
Thanks for the pointer.
>
> I would expect your boot command to be something like this:
>
> boot dva0 -fi vmlinux.gz -fl "root=/dev/fd0 load_ramdisk=1"
>
>
> but again, I didn't see the original post.
Okay, I'll try that.
Thanks a lot, Alex.
P.S.: On the other hand, perhaps it is the kernel image. Ruediger
Oertel just posted a message. I will try that one out, too and keep the
list posted on my progress.
-- Dr. Alexander Angerhofer Associate Professor of Chemistry Department of Chemistry The University of Florida Box 117200 Gainesville, FL 32611-7200 USATel.: (+1) 352 846 3281 alt.: (+1) 352 392 9489 lab : (+1) 352 846 3283 FAX : (+1) 352 392 0872
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