HELP can't boot

HELP can't boot

[Ian]

OK I'm having some problems here.

I recently received an SGI Indy (complete with all hardware except disk)
and I installed a blank 1-GB scsi disk (no disk errors reported on bootup)
but without sash I cannot netboot linux.

My question is this:  How can I netboot linux (using bootp, tftp, and nfs,
all confirmed working)?  I the kernel and the hardhat kit, but I can't get
the Indy to load the kernel.

I have no IRIX kits available, nor a CD-writer (although I have
access to a CD-writer if needed).  PLEASE help!

Thanks in advance!

--
Ian Cooper
ian@wpi.edu

HELP can't boot

[Ian]

OK I'm having some problems here.

I recently received an SGI Indy (complete with all hardware except disk)
and I installed a blank 1-GB scsi disk (no disk errors reported on bootup)
but without sash I cannot netboot linux.

My question is this:  How can I netboot linux (using bootp, tftp, and nfs,
all confirmed working)?  I the kernel and the hardhat kit, but I can't get
the Indy to load the kernel.

I have no IRIX kits available, nor a CD-writer (although I have
access to a CD-writer if needed).  PLEASE help!

Thanks in advance!

--
Ian Cooper
ian@wpi.edu

Re: HELP can't boot

[Soeren Laursen]

You need (as I know) to use irix to prepare the disk.

But read the following links:

http://black.hole.org/indy-boot.html
http://foobazco.org/~wesolows/Install-HOWTO.html
http://www.stafwag.f2s.com/indy/index.php?lang=eng


Søren,

> OK I'm having some problems here.
> 
> I recently received an SGI Indy (complete with all hardware except disk)
> and I installed a blank 1-GB scsi disk (no disk errors reported on bootup)
> but without sash I cannot netboot linux.
> 
> My question is this:  How can I netboot linux (using bootp, tftp, and nfs,
> all confirmed working)?  I the kernel and the hardhat kit, but I can't get
> the Indy to load the kernel.
> 
> I have no IRIX kits available, nor a CD-writer (although I have
> access to a CD-writer if needed).  PLEASE help!
> 
> Thanks in advance!
> 
> --
> Ian Cooper
> ian@wpi.edu

Re: HELP can't boot

[Soeren Laursen]

You need (as I know) to use irix to prepare the disk.

But read the following links:

http://black.hole.org/indy-boot.html
http://foobazco.org/~wesolows/Install-HOWTO.html
http://www.stafwag.f2s.com/indy/index.php?lang=eng


Søren,

> OK I'm having some problems here.
> 
> I recently received an SGI Indy (complete with all hardware except disk)
> and I installed a blank 1-GB scsi disk (no disk errors reported on bootup)
> but without sash I cannot netboot linux.
> 
> My question is this:  How can I netboot linux (using bootp, tftp, and nfs,
> all confirmed working)?  I the kernel and the hardhat kit, but I can't get
> the Indy to load the kernel.
> 
> I have no IRIX kits available, nor a CD-writer (although I have
> access to a CD-writer if needed).  PLEASE help!
> 
> Thanks in advance!
> 
> --
> Ian Cooper
> ian@wpi.edu

Re: HELP can't boot

[Guido Guenther]

On Wed, Aug 08, 2001 at 10:25:44AM +0200, Soeren Laursen wrote:
> You need (as I know) to use irix to prepare the disk.
No need for Irix. Linux fdisk can handle sgi disklkabels since quiet
some time now.
 -- Guido

Re: HELP can't boot

[Ian]

I was in the middle of a HardHat install, and fdisk was able to partition
the disks.  The problem is that I deleted all of the partitions on the
original disk, including sda9 and sda11, which store the SGI sash
bootloader and associated files.  Without the bootloader, the system is
inoperable.  I did not realize that those partitions contained it at that
time.

On Wed, 8 Aug 2001, Guido Guenther wrote:

> On Wed, Aug 08, 2001 at 10:25:44AM +0200, Soeren Laursen wrote:
> > You need (as I know) to use irix to prepare the disk.
> No need for Irix. Linux fdisk can handle sgi disklkabels since quiet
> some time now.
>  -- Guido
>

--
Ian Cooper
ian@wpi.edu

Re: HELP can't boot

[Ian]

I was in the middle of a HardHat install, and fdisk was able to partition
the disks.  The problem is that I deleted all of the partitions on the
original disk, including sda9 and sda11, which store the SGI sash
bootloader and associated files.  Without the bootloader, the system is
inoperable.  I did not realize that those partitions contained it at that
time.

On Wed, 8 Aug 2001, Guido Guenther wrote:

> On Wed, Aug 08, 2001 at 10:25:44AM +0200, Soeren Laursen wrote:
> > You need (as I know) to use irix to prepare the disk.
> No need for Irix. Linux fdisk can handle sgi disklkabels since quiet
> some time now.
>  -- Guido
>

--
Ian Cooper
ian@wpi.edu

Re: HELP can't boot

[Guido Guenther]

On Wed, Aug 08, 2001 at 08:59:15AM -0400, Ian wrote:
> I was in the middle of a HardHat install, and fdisk was able to partition
> the disks.  The problem is that I deleted all of the partitions on the
> original disk, including sda9 and sda11, which store the SGI sash
> bootloader and associated files.  Without the bootloader, the system is
> inoperable.  I did not realize that those partitions contained it at that
> time.
You simply need to recreate a sgi partition table which is no problem
with a current fdisk. That's all you need  to make linux bootable from
harddisk.
This is kind of off-topic but I'd recommend switching to s.th. more
recent than hardhat like debian or the rpms by H.J Lu on oss. Hardhat is
way out of date.
 -- Guido

Re: HELP can't boot

[Ian]

> You simply need to recreate a sgi partition table which is no problem
> with a current fdisk. That's all you need  to make linux bootable from
> harddisk.

Right.  But how to I get to that point?  There is NO bootloader?  I have
no Irix 6.x media available to restore those partitions.

> This is kind of off-topic but I'd recommend switching to s.th. more
> recent than hardhat like debian or the rpms by H.J Lu on oss. Hardhat is
> way out of date.

I was planning to use HardHat as a basis to build a custom LFS
(http://www.linuxfromscrtach.org) system from.  It would be sufficient.

--
Ian Cooper
ian@wpi.edu

Re: HELP can't boot

[Guido Guenther]

On Wed, Aug 08, 2001 at 10:46:24AM -0400, Ian wrote:
> > You simply need to recreate a sgi partition table which is no problem
> > with a current fdisk. That's all you need  to make linux bootable from
> > harddisk.
> 
> Right.  But how to I get to that point?  There is NO bootloader?  I have
> no Irix 6.x media available to restore those partitions.
E.g. use the base system at:
 ftp://ftp.uni-mainz.de/pub/Linux/debian-local/mips/
with a kernel from:
 ftp://ftp.rfc822.org/pub/local/debian-mips/kernel
or the debian "bootdisks" consisting of a small nfs-root and kernel at:
 http://honk.physik.uni-konstanz.de/linux-mips/debian/bootdisks/
these contain fdisk & dvhtool, so hopefully everything to get your
disk "back into shape".
 -- Guido

Re: HELP can't boot

[Florian Lohoff]

On Wed, Aug 08, 2001 at 10:46:24AM -0400, Ian wrote:
> 
> > You simply need to recreate a sgi partition table which is no problem
> > with a current fdisk. That's all you need  to make linux bootable from
> > harddisk.
> 
> Right.  But how to I get to that point?  There is NO bootloader?  I have
> no Irix 6.x media available to restore those partitions.
> 

tftp/nfs-root boot ? The prom is enough.

> I was planning to use HardHat as a basis to build a custom LFS
> (http://www.linuxfromscrtach.org) system from.  It would be sufficient.

Hardhat is VERY old and you will get really in trouble to get any
current software integrated into the distribution.

Flo
-- 
Florian Lohoff                  flo@rfc822.org             +49-5201-669912
     Why is it called "common sense" when nobody seems to have any?

Re: HELP can't boot

[Ian]

> tftp/nfs-root boot ? The prom is enough.

When I type "boot bootp():/tftpboot/kernel-hardhat" at the PROM command
monitor, I get an error that it can't find Sash (the Irix [6.2]
bootloader).  Sash appears to be necessary to do a netboot.

> Hardhat is VERY old and you will get really in trouble to get any
> current software integrated into the distribution.

HardHat will a sufficient base to build a new system on (i.e. LFS) from
scratch.  LFS is a program where you simply build a complete Linux system
from source (current sources, including libraries and *everything*).
However you need some kind of basic system to start with, and HardHat will
do the trick (if I can get it to boot).

--
Ian Cooper
ian@wpi.edu

Re: HELP can't boot

[Thiemo Seufer]

Ian wrote:
> > tftp/nfs-root boot ? The prom is enough.
> 
> When I type "boot bootp():/tftpboot/kernel-hardhat" at the PROM command
                   ^
boot -f bootp():...


Thiemo

Re: HELP can't boot

[Guido Guenther]

On Wed, Aug 08, 2001 at 03:35:22PM -0400, Ian wrote:
> > tftp/nfs-root boot ? The prom is enough.
> 
> When I type "boot bootp():/tftpboot/kernel-hardhat" at the PROM command
> monitor, I get an error that it can't find Sash (the Irix [6.2]
> bootloader).  Sash appears to be necessary to do a netboot.
Try just "bootp():". The prom is clever enough to figure out the rest. 
>
> HardHat will a sufficient base to build a new system on (i.e. LFS) from
> scratch.  LFS is a program where you simply build a complete Linux system
I doubt that. You can't compile a recent glibc with that outdated toolchain.
 -- Guido

Re: HELP can't boot

[Florian Lohoff]

On Wed, Aug 08, 2001 at 03:35:22PM -0400, Ian wrote:
> > tftp/nfs-root boot ? The prom is enough.
> 
> When I type "boot bootp():/tftpboot/kernel-hardhat" at the PROM command
> monitor, I get an error that it can't find Sash (the Irix [6.2]
> bootloader).  Sash appears to be necessary to do a netboot.

Try to delete the "boot" at the beginning - That means to start the
sash bootloader which will do the bootp request which the prom is
able to do itself.

Flo
-- 
Florian Lohoff                  flo@rfc822.org             +49-5201-669912
     Why is it called "common sense" when nobody seems to have any?

Re: HELP can't boot

[Ian]

> Try just "bootp():". The prom is clever enough to figure out the rest.

Doesn't work.  It complains that Sash is missing.

> I doubt that. You can't compile a recent glibc with that outdated toolchain.

You can.  You just build glibc and gcc with the old gcc (2.7.8?), and then
you chroot into the newly-built environment and rebuild it again with the
new gcc.

--
Ian Cooper
ian@wpi.edu

Re: HELP can't boot

[Ralf Baechle]

On Wed, Aug 08, 2001 at 09:27:17PM -0400, Ian wrote:

> > Try just "bootp():". The prom is clever enough to figure out the rest.
> 
> Doesn't work.  It complains that Sash is missing.
> 
> > I doubt that. You can't compile a recent glibc with that outdated toolchain.
> 
> You can.  You just build glibc and gcc with the old gcc (2.7.8?), and then
> you chroot into the newly-built environment and rebuild it again with the
> new gcc.

Since Hardhat there have been various places in the kernel, libc and tools
where for the sake of sanity and bugfixes we had to break the binary
compatibility.  Add the rest of bugs and you'll find probably have an
interesting even impossible job to upgrade.

Certain packages such as rpm can only sanely be upgraded by upgrading from
a binary package as any attempt to rebuild would automatically inherit
the broken settings of the installed package.  Oh and a rebuild of a
current distribution should need about 3 days of CPU or so ...

  Ralf