Installing Linux on a E250 with serial console: cannot get the boot prompt

Installing Linux on a E250 with serial console: cannot get the boot prompt

[Stephane Bortzmeyer]

Hello, everybody,

I try to boot a Sun E250 which has no monitor or keyboard. Following
the instructions in the UltraLinux FAQ
<URL:http://www.ultralinux.org/faq.html>, I configured a PC with
FreeBSD and minicom to act as the serial console. (I also tried
minicom on a RedHat, without more success.)

When I power on the machine in the Diagnostics position, I see the
boot messages. So my cables and emulator are OK. But sending Break
with Ctrl-A F does not seem to have any result: I cannot get the boot
prompt (ok).

When I power on the machine in Power-On mode, I get nothing on the
screen, not one message.

Last screen of messages in Diagnostics mode (after that, nothing
moves):

Primary I/O probing
Probing /pci@1f,4000 at Device 1  network
Probing /pci@1f,4000 at Device 3  scsi disk tape scsi disk tape
Probing /pci@1f,4000 at Device 2  Nothing there
Probing /pci@1f,4000 at Device 4  Nothing there
Probing /pci@1f,4000 at Device 5  Nothing there
Probing /pci@1f,2000 at Device 0  This slot excluded from probing...
Probing /pci@1f,2000 at Device 1  Nothing there
Probing /pci@1f,2000 at Device 2  Nothing there
Probing /pci@1f,2000 at Device 3  Nothing there
Probing /pci@1f,2000 at Device 4  Nothing there
Probing /pci@1f,2000 at Device 5  Nothing there

RE: Installing Linux on a E250 with serial console: cannot get the boot prompt

[William (BT) Griffin]

do you have the telnet card in the machine? and if its configured you wont
get anything from the serial connection in normal power-on mode. I had this
problem and just removed the card and then I had serial output.

William


-----Original Message-----
From: ultralinux-owner@vger.kernel.org
[mailto:ultralinux-owner@vger.kernel.org]On Behalf Of Stephane
Bortzmeyer
Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2003 12:39 AM
To: ultralinux@vger.kernel.org
Subject: Installing Linux on a E250 with serial console: cannot get the
boot prompt


Hello, everybody,

I try to boot a Sun E250 which has no monitor or keyboard. Following
the instructions in the UltraLinux FAQ
<URL:http://www.ultralinux.org/faq.html>, I configured a PC with
FreeBSD and minicom to act as the serial console. (I also tried
minicom on a RedHat, without more success.)

When I power on the machine in the Diagnostics position, I see the
boot messages. So my cables and emulator are OK. But sending Break
with Ctrl-A F does not seem to have any result: I cannot get the boot
prompt (ok).

When I power on the machine in Power-On mode, I get nothing on the
screen, not one message.

Last screen of messages in Diagnostics mode (after that, nothing
moves):

Primary I/O probing
Probing /pci@1f,4000 at Device 1  network
Probing /pci@1f,4000 at Device 3  scsi disk tape scsi disk tape
Probing /pci@1f,4000 at Device 2  Nothing there
Probing /pci@1f,4000 at Device 4  Nothing there
Probing /pci@1f,4000 at Device 5  Nothing there
Probing /pci@1f,2000 at Device 0  This slot excluded from probing...
Probing /pci@1f,2000 at Device 1  Nothing there
Probing /pci@1f,2000 at Device 2  Nothing there
Probing /pci@1f,2000 at Device 3  Nothing there
Probing /pci@1f,2000 at Device 4  Nothing there
Probing /pci@1f,2000 at Device 5  Nothing there

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Re: Installing Linux on a E250 with serial console: cannot get the

[Eric Brower]

 From the RSC Users Guide:

> ok diag-output-to ttya
> ok setenv input-device keyboard
> ok setenv output-device screen

You should be able to use the serial connector on the RSC card to boot 
to OBP.  From there, run the above commands and you'll have a console on 
the standard serial port after upon reboot.  I've not removed the RSC card.

Take a look at docs.sun.com (search for RSC) for information on RSC and 
the system console.

E

William (BT) Griffin wrote:
> do you have the telnet card in the machine? and if its configured you wont
> get anything from the serial connection in normal power-on mode. I had this
> problem and just removed the card and then I had serial output.
> 
> William
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ultralinux-owner@vger.kernel.org
> [mailto:ultralinux-owner@vger.kernel.org]On Behalf Of Stephane
> Bortzmeyer
> Sent: Tuesday, December 09, 2003 12:39 AM
> To: ultralinux@vger.kernel.org
> Subject: Installing Linux on a E250 with serial console: cannot get the
> boot prompt
> 
> 
> Hello, everybody,
> 
> I try to boot a Sun E250 which has no monitor or keyboard. Following
> the instructions in the UltraLinux FAQ
> <URL:http://www.ultralinux.org/faq.html>, I configured a PC with
> FreeBSD and minicom to act as the serial console. (I also tried
> minicom on a RedHat, without more success.)
> 
> When I power on the machine in the Diagnostics position, I see the
> boot messages. So my cables and emulator are OK. But sending Break
> with Ctrl-A F does not seem to have any result: I cannot get the boot
> prompt (ok).
> 
> When I power on the machine in Power-On mode, I get nothing on the
> screen, not one message.
> 
> Last screen of messages in Diagnostics mode (after that, nothing
> moves):
> 
> Primary I/O probing
> Probing /pci@1f,4000 at Device 1  network
> Probing /pci@1f,4000 at Device 3  scsi disk tape scsi disk tape
> Probing /pci@1f,4000 at Device 2  Nothing there
> Probing /pci@1f,4000 at Device 4  Nothing there
> Probing /pci@1f,4000 at Device 5  Nothing there
> Probing /pci@1f,2000 at Device 0  This slot excluded from probing...
> Probing /pci@1f,2000 at Device 1  Nothing there
> Probing /pci@1f,2000 at Device 2  Nothing there
> Probing /pci@1f,2000 at Device 3  Nothing there
> Probing /pci@1f,2000 at Device 4  Nothing there
> Probing /pci@1f,2000 at Device 5  Nothing there
> 
> -
> To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe ultralinux" in
> the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org
> More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
> 
> -
> To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe ultralinux" in
> the body of a message to majordomo@vger.kernel.org
> More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
> 
> .
> 

Re: Installing Linux on a E250 with serial console: cannot get the boot prompt

[Stephane Bortzmeyer]

On Wed, Dec 10, 2003 at 11:30:38AM -0500,
 William (BT) Griffin <bt@cw.net> wrote 
 a message of 53 lines which said:

> do you have the telnet card in the machine?

We thought about it later and we removed the RSC card (it is not only a
telnet card) but it changed nothing. But thanks for the tip.

> and if its configured

It should not since the machine is new.

Re: Installing Linux on a E250 with serial console: cannot get the boot prompt

[Stephane Bortzmeyer]

On Wed, Dec 10, 2003 at 09:38:28AM -0800,
 Eric Brower <ebrower@usa.net> wrote 
 a message of 77 lines which said:

> You should be able to use the serial connector on the RSC card to
> boot to OBP.

It just displays "login:" and, of course, I do not have the login and
password. According to the RSC user's guide, you need Solaris to
install it, anyway. The machine is new so RSC should not be configured.