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kjones
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PostPosted: Thu May 03, 2007 6:03 pm    Post subject: Sparc64 gets to "Booting Linux..." then crashes Reply with quote

I am unsuccessfully trying to install gentoo 2.6.20 on my SUN Ultra1. I am using a "install sparc64-universal-2006.1.iso" cdrom. I am following to the best of my ability the Gentoo LInux 2006.1 SPARC Handbook.

I can successfully boot the livecd.
-----------snip of proof from livecd--------
livecd / # uname -a
Linux livecd 2.6.17-gentoo-r5 #1 SMP Fri Aug 25 09:10:34 UTC 2006 sparc64 sun4u GNU/Linux
-----------end snip------------

I go through the many steps in the Handbook without complaints, but then when I do the final step it crashes!

he system looks good up to the "Booting Linux..." output. Then it stops and only responds to a power cycle. Please, if you have an idea where I might look for my problem tell me.

Here is the output snip-------------------------

Sun Ultra 1 UPA/SBus (UltraSPARC 200MHz), No Keyboard
OpenBoot 3.11, 192 MB memory installed, Serial #9633364.
Ethernet address 8:0:20:92:fe:54, Host ID: 8092fe54.

Boot device: cdrom File and args:
SILO Version 1.4.13
----------------------------------------------------
Welcome to the Gentoo/Linux SPARC64 InstallCD 2006.1
----------------------------------------------------
boot:
Type 'go' to resume
ok boot disk0 /boot/2.6.20-gentoo-r5
Resetting ...

Sun Ultra 1 UPA/SBus (UltraSPARC 200MHz), No Keyboard
OpenBoot 3.11, 192 MB memory installed, Serial #9633364.
Ethernet address 8:0:20:92:fe:54, Host ID: 8092fe54.

Rebooting with command: boot disk0 /boot/2.6.20-gentoo-r5
Boot device: /sbus/SUNW,fas@e,8800000/sd@0,0 File and args: /boot/2.6.20-gentoo
-r5
SILO Version 1.4.13

Allocated 8 Megs of memory at 0x40000000 for kernel
Loaded kernel version 2.6.20
Remapping the kernel... done.
Booting Linux...
----------end snip--------------
At this point the system crashes

Ken
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Truin
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PostPosted: Thu May 03, 2007 9:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just a guess here, but you might need a "root=" parameter on your kernel line (the "boot" command you're issuing from the OK prompt). I'm betting that the kernel isn't able to find the root file system - at the very least, it's not able to find "init".

Also, another guess, but I noticed the line that reads "Allocated 8 Megs of memory at 0x40000000 for kernel". In the 4.6.20 kernel you can set CONFIG_PHYSICAL_ALIGN which has much to do with where the kernel is physically loaded into memory and executed from. On my x86 machines, this value is set to 0x10000 as the default, and the help suggests it not be changed. So, what I'm wondering here is if the address at which the kernel is being loaded into (0x40000000) is correct. There's a couple other kernel options that affect this as well, so read the help carefully.

So, I'd suggest to first boot from the CD and keep an eye out for what address the kernel is being loaded into. Second, if you built your own kernel (like a good little admin should) then double-check that you didn't alter these values, or set them incorrectly. Lastly, I'd try using a kernel created with the genkernel stuff. If genkernel works, then you can alter it's config to suit your needs, recompile, and go from there.

Good Luck!
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widan
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PostPosted: Fri May 04, 2007 12:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

kjones wrote:
he system looks good up to the "Booting Linux..." output. Then it stops and only responds to a power cycle. Please, if you have an idea where I might look for my problem tell me.

No idea, but you can ask the people in the "Gentoo on Sparc" subforum, they're more likely to be able to help.
Truin wrote:
Just a guess here, but you might need a "root=" parameter on your kernel line (the "boot" command you're issuing from the OK prompt). I'm betting that the kernel isn't able to find the root file system - at the very least, it's not able to find "init".

It crashes much earlier than that. Missing root problems are quite typical, ending with a kernel panic and a "could not find root" message.
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qtothemax
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PostPosted: Fri May 04, 2007 2:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

How big is the kernel file? There is a 3.5M limit for sparc64 kernels. If it is above that try eliminate some built in things, build them as modules, etc.
You can also try stripping the vmlinux file:
Code:
strip -R .comment -R .note vmlinux

That will strip out debuggins symbols, probably making it small enough to boot.
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PostPosted: Fri May 04, 2007 5:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Moved from Installing Gentoo to Gentoo on Sparc.
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PostPosted: Sat May 05, 2007 10:38 pm    Post subject: vmlinux is within correct size limit Reply with quote

Thank you all for your thoughts and suggestions.

My vmlinux for sparc64 required a "strip", but once done it came down to 3.5M - see below.
----------snip---------
(chroot) livecd / # ls -lh ./usr/src/linux-2.6.20-gentoo-r5/vmlinux
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 3.5M May 5 17:35 ./usr/src/linux-2.6.20-gentoo-r5/vmlinux
---------end snip------

Maybe I could trace the origin of my problem if I knew which routine ordered the printing of "Booting linux..." to stdout. Maybe the problem lies in whatever is supposed to happen next....

Ken
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kjones
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PostPosted: Tue May 08, 2007 3:04 am    Post subject: Genkernel did its thing, but still a problem Reply with quote

I used genkernel to compile my 2.6.20-gentoo-r5 kernel.

After much thrashing I got it to boot. All looked good until the very end when it claimed that it "Failed to set the user font" announced the name of my machine and gave me the login prompt and locked up. It would not respond to any keyboard input. After a minute or two it printed a line about "disabled for 5 minutes" and went permanently dead. See below. Any ideas?

Is the input lockup related to the "user font" issue?

---------------snip from almost successful boot---------------

boot:

Type 'go' to resume

ok boot disk0 /boot/kernel-genkernel-sparc64-2.6.20-gentoo-r5

Resetting ...





Sun Ultra 1 UPA/SBus (UltraSPARC 200MHz), No Keyboard

OpenBoot 3.11, 192 MB memory installed, Serial #9633364.

Ethernet address 8:0:20:92:fe:54, Host ID: 8092fe54.







Rebooting with command: boot disk0 /boot/kernel-genkernel-sparc64-2.6.20-gentoo-

r5

Boot device: /sbus/SUNW,fas@e,8800000/sd@0,0 File and args: /boot/kernel-genker

nel-sparc64-2.6.20-gentoo-r5

SILO Version 1.4.13



Allocated 8 Megs of memory at 0x40000000 for kernel

Loaded kernel version 2.6.20



Remapping the kernel... done.

Booting Linux...





NIT: version 2.86 booting



entoo Linux; http://www.gentoo.org/

Copyright 1999-2006 Gentoo Foundation; Distributed under the GPLv2



* Mounting proc at /proc ... [ ok

* Mounting sysfs at /sys ... [ ok

* Mounting /dev for udev ... [ ok

* Seeding /dev with needed nodes ... [ ok

* Setting up proper hotplug agent ...

* Using netlink for hotplug events... [ ok

* Starting udevd ... [ ok

* Populating /dev with existing devices through uevents ... [ ok

* Letting udev process events ... [ ok

* Finalizing udev configuration ... [ ok

* Mounting devpts at /dev/pts ... [ ok

* Skipping root filesystem check (fstab's passno == 0) ... [ ok

* Remounting root filesystem read/write ... [ ok

* Checking all filesystems ... [ ok

* Mounting local filesystems ... [ ok

* Mounting USB device filesystem (usbfs) ... [ ok

* Activating (possible) swap ... [ ok

* Setting system clock using the hardware clock [UTC] ... [ ok

utfont: PIO_FONT: Function not implemented [ ok

utfont: PIO_FONT: Function not implemented

utfont: PIO_FONT: Function not implemented

utfont: PIO_FONT: Function not implemented

utfont: PIO_FONT: Function not implemented

utfont: PIO_FONT: Function not implemented

utfont: PIO_FONT: Function not implemented

utfont: PIO_FONT: Function not implemented

utfont: PIO_FONT: Function not implemented

* Failed to set user font

* Starting lo [ !!
* Bringing up lo
* 127.0.0.1/8
* Adding routes [ ok
* 127.0.0.0/8 ...
* Initializing random number generator ... [ ok
NIT: Entering runlevel: 3 [ ok
* Setting user font ...
putfont: PIO_FONT: Function not implemented
putfont: PIO_FONT: Function not implemented
putfont: PIO_FONT: Function not implemented
putfont: PIO_FONT: Function not implemented
putfont: PIO_FONT: Function not implemented
putfont: PIO_FONT: Function not implemented
putfont: PIO_FONT: Function not implemented
putfont: PIO_FONT: Function not implemented
putfont: PIO_FONT: Function not implemented
putfont: PIO_FONT: Function not implemented
putfont: PIO_FONT: Function not implemented
* Failed to set user font
* Mounting network filesystems ... [ !!
* Starting local ... [ ok
[ ok

This is kjones-sun2.unknown_domain (Linux sparc64 2.6.20-gentoo-r5) 21:42:42

kjones-sun2 login:

INIT: Id "s0" respawning too fast: disabled for 5 minutes

----------end snip----------
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twalter
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PostPosted: Wed May 09, 2007 2:03 pm    Post subject: Update your PROM Reply with quote

Sparc64 doesn't have a kernel size limit - or at least my 220R boots a porky kernel without an issue. What did give me grief was the old PROM version. When I updated my OBP to 3.31 many nuisances were resolved. A quick look at sunsolve suggests you can go to 3.35.
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PostPosted: Wed May 09, 2007 7:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

sparc64 DOES have a kernel size limit, it's 8mb total for kernel+initramfs with silo-1.4.
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PostPosted: Sat May 12, 2007 5:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My understanding of this is is that the boot load only maps up 8mb as a design decision, not a hardware limitation. After all, isn't the UltraSparc memory model flat? I know the UltraSparc 1s had "virtual" 64bit mapping that would get translated to 44bit by the OS but even still could the bootloader not do this paging if it proved necessary?
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PostPosted: Mon May 14, 2007 12:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, but it's the current scenario, there's no use on talking about theory when practice is quite a different story and just generates confusion.
SILO won't handle more than 8mb, and that's it.
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PostPosted: Mon May 14, 2007 2:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

That's a rather defeatist attitude, isn't it? We know what the problem is, we know what the solution is, we have the source code and we won't fix it because... we're Microsoft? Surely the FOSS community can do better. I'll 'git' the sources tonight and see what we're up against.
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PostPosted: Mon May 14, 2007 3:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's not defeatist, it's pointless - if your kernel is bigger than 8mb then you have issues.
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 3119768 2007-05-07 15:51 vmlinux-2.6.21-gentoo -> this is my super-bloated kernel, of course most of the bloat is modules, but everything i need to boot is in there. And bloat = loads of networking stuff, mostly every usb driver available, many network drivers, bluetooth, firewire, a couple framebuffers, most filesystems and so on.
Some time ago it was about 4mb, now it's 8mb because 4 was somewhat constrained.
Also please search a bit before making blind assertions, getting the 8mb limit expanded would have penalties -> http://osdir.com/ml/linux.ports.sparc/2004-10/msg00073.html
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kjones
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PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2007 2:14 am    Post subject: My SUN Ultra still will not boot Reply with quote

I started this thread because I can not get my genkernel created kernel to let me login to an actve run level 3.

My Mon May 07, 2007 10:04 pm posting shows what happens
It gets up to " NIT: Entering runlevel: 3 [ ok" then stumbles along and dies with the words "kjones-sun2 login:"

At this point the SUN teminal displays no reaction to anything I do with the keyboard or the mouse. Neither typing, nor carriage return nor <stop-a> has any affect. All I can do is power-cycle and boot livecd from my install-sparc64-universal-2006.1.iso cdrom.

I have tried to make sense of various documentation. I am at a loss to attack the problem.

Ken
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gust4voz
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PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2007 11:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

genkernel as it is right now in portage can't easily build a kernel for sparc without user help, that help being providing a valid kernel configuration.
The simplest solution is to just use the installcd config - after all it worked for getting you up to there didn't it? It's available as /proc/config.gz
From there you can zcat it to /usr/src/linux/.config if you have some kernel source around, make oldconfig, make, make image, make modules_install and so on as the documentation says. I'd suggest you pick up the latest kernel from the 2007.0 to avoid options that have moved around in the oldconfig part.
From the sound of it i think you lack keyboard interface support in your kernel, maybe something else too.
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PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2007 12:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

gust4voz wrote:
It's not defeatist, it's pointless - if your kernel is bigger than 8mb then you have issues.
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 3119768 2007-05-07 15:51 vmlinux-2.6.21-gentoo -> this is my super-bloated kernel, of course most of the bloat is modules, but everything i need to boot is in there. And bloat = loads of networking stuff, mostly every usb driver available, many network drivers, bluetooth, firewire, a couple framebuffers, most filesystems and so on.
Some time ago it was about 4mb, now it's 8mb because 4 was somewhat constrained.
Also please search a bit before making blind assertions, getting the 8mb limit expanded would have penalties -> http://osdir.com/ml/linux.ports.sparc/2004-10/msg00073.html


"Blind assertion?" There wasn't a single mention of a performance penalty in that thread other than "dude, make your kernel smaller." It stated, quite clearly, it was a design decision. Where are the numbers to back up the claim of performance loss? Your limited thinking is how "640k ought to be enough for anybody," became a famous quote. It's obviously an issue too or we would not have had to bump up the limit to accommodate 2.6 kernels, right? Unless your crystal ball guarantees you that the next generation won't need more then perhaps it is time to address the problem *before* it becomes a problem.
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PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2007 1:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you knew what a TLB is and does you'd know.
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PostPosted: Thu May 17, 2007 6:25 pm    Post subject: Using config.gz from install CDROM Reply with quote

Thank you, gust4voz, for your suggestion that I make use of /proc/config.gz. That sounds like a good approach.

I have a problem of details.

You suggest that I do not use genkernel. Doesn't the "--oldconfig" Flag tell it use the .config that I loaded from the CD? Would not

#genkernel --bootsplash --install --clean --oldconfig all

do the job?

Else, I do not have sufficient knowledge of the "make" command to know which arguments to use. I think you suggest:

# make oldconfig

# make

#make image

#make modules_install

Is that sufficient do you think?

Ken
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PostPosted: Sat May 19, 2007 2:37 am    Post subject: My Ultra1 almost boots.... Reply with quote

I used genkernel as I said in my last posting. It almost boots, but it stops when trying to mount my disk files. Here is what it says.

What do you think? What do I fix? Is there something wrong with /dev/sda??

Ken

------------snip from end of boot process---------------
,
,
,
* Mounting devpts at /dev/pts ... [ ok ]



* Checking root filesystem ...fsck.ext3: No such file or directory while trying
to open /dev/ROOT
/dev/ROOT:
The superblock could not be read or does not describe a correct ext2
filesystem. If the device is valid and it really contains an ext2
filesystem (and not swap or ufs or something else), then the superblock
is corrupt, and you might try running e2fsck with an alternate superblock:

e2fsck -b 8193 <device>

* Filesystem couldn't be fixed :(
[ !! ]

Give root password for maintenance
(or type Control-D to continue):
Login incorrect.
Give root password for maintenance
(or type Control-D to continue): <===the keyboard is alive here...
-------------end snip---------------
here is what e2fsck said:
-----------start snip------------------------------------------------------

livecd root # e2fsck -b 8193 sda
e2fsck 1.38 (30-Jun-2005)
e2fsck: No such file or directory while trying to open sda
The superblock could not be read or does not describe a correct ext2
filesystem. If the device is valid and it really contains an ext2
filesystem (and not swap or ufs or something else), then the superblock
is corrupt, and you might try running e2fsck with an alternate superblock:
e2fsck -b 8193 <device>

livecd root # e2fsck -b 8193 /dev/sda
e2fsck 1.38 (30-Jun-2005)
/dev/sda was not cleanly unmounted, check forced.
Pass 1: Checking inodes, blocks, and sizes
Pass 2: Checking directory structure
Pass 3: Checking directory connectivity
Pass 4: Checking reference counts
Pass 5: Checking group summary information
Free blocks count wrong for group #0 (7921, counted=3313).
Fix<y>? yes

Free blocks count wrong for group #1 (7934, counted=2948).
Fix<y>? yes
Free blocks count wrong for group #2 (7937, counted=7934).
Fix<y>? yes
etc.etc.etc...
---------------end snip of e2fsck------------
-------------snip of fdisk--------------

livecd root # fdisk /dev/sda
Command (m for help): p

Disk /dev/sda (Sun disk label): 16 heads, 135 sectors, 3880 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 2160 * 512 bytes
Device Flag Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 0 463 500040 83 Linux native
/dev/sda2 u 463 694 249480 82 Linux swap
/dev/sda3 0 3880 4190400 5 Whole disk
/dev/sda4 694 3880 3440880 83 Linux native

Command (m for help): q
livecd root # fdisk /dev/sdb

Command (m for help): p
Disk /dev/sdb (Sun disk label): 19 heads, 80 sectors, 2733 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 1520 * 512 bytes

Device Flag Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 0 658 500080 83 Linux native
/dev/sdb2 u 658 2733 1577000 83 Linux native

-------------end snips-----------------
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widan
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PostPosted: Sat May 19, 2007 11:22 am    Post subject: Re: My Ultra1 almost boots.... Reply with quote

Code:
 * Checking root filesystem ...fsck.ext3: No such file or directory while trying to open /dev/ROOT
/dev/ROOT:
The superblock could not be read or does not describe a correct ext2
filesystem.  ...

You need to fix /etc/fstab to refer to the proper device rather than the default /dev/ROOT...
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PostPosted: Mon May 21, 2007 2:50 pm    Post subject: It BOOTS! Reply with quote

Thank you everybody for you help.

My sparc finally booted. I used genkernel with livecd's 2617 config.gz. The last piece of the puzzle was getting fstab correct. Here is proof.

-----------snip of uname -a -----------------------
kjones-sun2 / # uname -a
Linux kjones-sun2 2.6.20-gentoo-r5 #3 SMP Thu May 17 13:58:22 Local time zone must be set--see zic sparc64 sun4u GNU/Linux
kjones-sun2 / #
-------------end snip--------------
Thanks, again.

Ken
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 31, 2007 4:08 pm    Post subject: "Make oldconfig" worked for me too Reply with quote

Thanks for this thread. I've used Gentoo lots on x86, but decided to try it on this UltraSPARC IIe i picked up for $2.00. I had most of the same problems as above, I couldn't get a 2.6.22 kernel to boot, but figured out that the size wasn't an issue since the liveCD image was bigger then the one I was trying to boot.

I pulled the config.gz off the Live CD and used "make oldconfig" on my 2.6.22 kernel sources, selected most of the defaults and it worked right away. Now I just have to figure out what to do with this machine!

Out of curiousity, where does a 500 MHz Ultrasparc IIe rank against the x86 family? In other words, is it roughly like a P3? P4?

-Steve
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