[parisc-linux] Installation on a K370 with Debian 3.0r1 + RAID1 boot.

[parisc-linux] Installation on a K370 with Debian 3.0r1 + RAID1 boot.

[Siraj 'Sid' Rakhada]

A few notes on a successful installation on a HP K370 box, using Debian
3.0r1 and a netinstall CD (for PDC console support). Also the boot disk is
on a RAID1.

Written in the hopes it might help someone, possibly...

This was all done via a console.

Boot with the 2.4.20-pa32 netinstall CD. When it prompts you to interact
with IPL choose yes.
At the following prompt, which sould be PALO, change console=ttyS0 to
console=ttyB0

You should then have the kernel bootup and after a few moments the debian
installer menu should appear

Proceed with the install by following the prompts, taking care to read the
instructions about the partition types.

When you get to the stage where the system wants to reboot do *not* reboot
(yet).

Instead go to a shell

find the /dev directory in /mnt/target somewhere (I have forgotten the
exact location, you can find it with just a 'mount' command and read the
output)

delete the *target* /dev/ttyB0 if it does not look like this:

# ls -l ttyB0
crw-------    1	root	root	11,   0	May 27 07:48 ttyB0

then do

# mknod ttyB0 c 11 0
# CTRL-D (to logout)

You should now be able to reboot safely.

If you skip this step, Debian will boot, but you will be unable to use the
console.
Note I have not actually done the above when I was installing - I cheated
and installed sshd via a chroot setup - because I did not realise the
ttyB0 major number was incorrect on the install CD. I'm expecting that
modifying the device as above should work. If I had more time I would have
tried the above method.

I believe the major number has changed from 30 to 60, and now to 11, which
is it's final resting place (can someone confirm that)?

Once the machine reboots you should be greeted with the Debian second
stage installer - carry on with whatever options you want to pick and you
should then be dropped at a root prompt.

Debian should now be installed on your box (I hope) and that's it. Read
below if you want to have a RAID1 boot drive...

As I had 4 x 9GB disks (all identical) I decided to follow Martin
Petersen's RAID1 boot howto
http://lists.parisc-linux.org/pipermail/parisc-linux/2003-January/018892.html

General packages required: mdadm, palo (>=1.2), and associated debian
build packages.

Most of the steps make perfect sense, though I had a few issues as I
wanted to stick to debian/stable as much as I could - therefore I could
not install the palo 1.2 binary package - which is required if you wish to
boot from a RAID partition.

So what you should do is get hold of the palo 1.2 debian source, and then
you should be able to build the package yourself:

# dpkg-source palo_1.2.dsc
# cd palo-1.2
# dpkg-buildpackage -r fakeroot -b
# dpkg -i ../palo_1.2_hppa.deb

If you are able to upgrade to testing, then this is not a big deal - you
should be able to simply upgrade your palo binary (along with libc etc),
and skip the above steps. Though make sure you have version 1.2 of Palo by
running '/sbin/palo | grep version' - do this as a normal user if you are
worried of breaking things.

I also had an issue as I had multiple partitions for /, /home, /var,
/boot, and /usr so I had to use multiple 'tar' commands (I'm not an expert
on tar, so I'm sure there are better ways than how I did it). I am also
uncertain how Martin's command worked for /boot in his setup too...

Anyway, it was as simple as this: (read in addition to step 5 on the Howto)

Mount new partitions in place. I mounted the RAID / onto /mnt, and then
mounted the RAID /usr onto /mnt/usr etc.

These steps should be done in single user mode - 'init 1' should get you
there (do this via console).

mount /dev/md2 /mnt
mount /dev/md0 /mnt/boot
mount /dev/md3 /mnt/usr
mount /dev/md4 /mnt/home
mount /dev/md5 /mnt/var

cd /mnt
tar -C / -clspf - . | tar -xlspvf -
cd /mnt/usr
tar -C /usr -clspf - . | tar -xlspvf -
cd /mnt/boot
tar -C /boot -clspf - . | tar -xlspvf -
cd /mnt/home
tar -C /home -clspf - . | tar -xlspvf -
cd /mnt/var
tar -C /var -clspf - . | tar -xlspvf -

You should be able to carry right on at step 6 now.

Suggested reading...

Boot Howto: http://tldp.org/HOWTO/PA-RISC-Linux-Boot-HOWTO/index.html
FAQ: http://www.parisc-linux.org/faq/index.html
Also uses the RAID1 Boot Howto:
http://www.parisc-linux.org/faq/raidboot-howto.html

I hope this helps someone! The documentation out there was very useful -
though the ttyB0 change of the major number really got me for a while (I
only found out that this had changed through searching the mailing
list)...

This is also the first time I've ever really used a HP box, and they are
... interesting :) e.g. is it normal that the machine will take about 10+
minutes to boot up? (just to get to the boot ROM, nothing to do with linux
- self tests are enabled, though disabilng them does not make too much of
a difference).

Also, anyone aware if SMP will work on this box? I have two CPU's, but I'm
only using one, as I believe the netinstall CD only comes with a SMP
disabled kernel, and I have not got the 2.4.20 kernel source available at
the moment (The HP box is not connected to the Internet).

Anyway, great project. I'm glad it all works now :)

Best regards,

Sid

Re: [parisc-linux] Installation on a K370 with Debian 3.0r1 + RAID1 boot.

[Joel Soete]

Hello Sid,

First of all congratulation for your great job [I am not quiet sure to 
reach this result at my first atempt) and many thanks for your kind 
reports: very clear and fine appropriate details.

Siraj 'Sid' Rakhada wrote:

[...]

>cd /mnt
>tar -C / -clspf - . | tar -xlspvf -
>cd /mnt/usr
>tar -C /usr -clspf - . | tar -xlspvf -
>cd /mnt/boot
>tar -C /boot -clspf - . | tar -xlspvf -
>cd /mnt/home
>tar -C /home -clspf - . | tar -xlspvf -
>cd /mnt/var
>tar -C /var -clspf - . | tar -xlspvf -
>  
>
I also split my fs copy at this stage but normaly if you mount all your 
fs under "/mnt" then:
cd /mnt
tar -C / -cspf - . | tar -xspvf  # just remove 'l' (el) option and 
remove v option shlould be quicker

should work also in one step (as you have 4*9Gb disks, may be do you 
still have 2 free to test and confirm this; many thanks in advance)

>I hope this helps someone! The documentation out there was very useful -
>though the ttyB0 change of the major number really got me for a while (I
>only found out that this had changed through searching the mailing
>list)...
>
>This is also the first time I've ever really used a HP box, and they are
>... interesting :) e.g. is it normal that the machine will take about 10+
>minutes to boot up? (just to get to the boot ROM, nothing to do with linux
>- self tests are enabled, though disabilng them does not make too much of
>a difference).
>
hmm, I am not quiet sure but may be this pb is solved in 2.4.20-pa35...

>Also, anyone aware if SMP will work on this box? I have two CPU's, but I'm
>only using one, as I believe the netinstall CD only ces with a SMP
>disabled kernel, and I have not got the 2.4.20 kernel source available at
>the moment (The HP box is not connected to the Internet).
>
SMP kernel should work on your K. Afaik, as there few K's running linux, 
the best would be to experiment by your self (the tips is that your 
original kernel config file stand in /boot; so you copy it into your 
linux src tree as .config and use make menuconfig to change SMP config 
:-) ).

To grab the kernel src now? How do you grab the last net boot install?

My HP boches ( :-) ) are not more connected to Internet (well just a 
light weight firewall with a pstn connection at 33000 bauds and trust me 
it is not enough to download a full kernel src in a quick way: just 
enough for some cvs update (personnaly I am awaiting a subversion server 
...) ). So I grab src (tar.gz available on ftp.parisc-linux.org/cvs or 
just patch .gz or via cvs server) on my pc and just transfer this to my 
HP box via ftp or scp (you just have be sure to have a well configured 
NIC and a ftpd or sshd server installed either on your pc (if also a 
linux) or on your hp box)

Hope this help,
    Joel

>
>Anyway, great project. I'm glad it all works now :)
>
>  
>
Well come to the club :-)

Re: [parisc-linux] Installation on a K370 with Debian 3.0r1 + RAID1 boot.

[Stian Søiland]

On 2003-05-31 15:54:36, Siraj 'Sid' Rakhada wrote:

> If you skip this step, Debian will boot, but you will be unable to use the
> console.
> Note I have not actually done the above when I was installing - I cheated
> and installed sshd via a chroot setup - because I did not realise the
> ttyB0 major number was incorrect on the install CD. I'm expecting that
> modifying the device as above should work. If I had more time I would have
> tried the above method.

For later boots, devfs and devfsd should be able to handle this if your
kernel supports it.

> This is also the first time I've ever really used a HP box, and they are
> ... interesting :) e.g. is it normal that the machine will take about 10+
> minutes to boot up? (just to get to the boot ROM, nothing to do with linux
> - self tests are enabled, though disabilng them does not make too much of
> a difference).

Oh yeah, my K250 takes ages just to get started, the LCD display and
status line on the serial console changes with different numbers. Any
idea of what all those numbers mean? I suppose they are different parts
that are tested, but a translation would be nice.=20

My manuals does not explain these messages in detail..

How ever, nice guide, I wish I had it when I set up my system =3D)


=2E.. goes off-topic:

I have 6 SCSI disks connected, distributed in two raid1-sets for / and
/usr, and a raid5-set for /home. Some of the disks are 4 GB, the rest 2
GB, so I've done dirty tricks with partitions to get the whole thing up,
and not waisting any space, and I now even have a spare disk, although
tests reveal the disk is broken.. I've managed to get two more 2
GB-disk to replace it.. =3D)

Ah, yes, the K250 is BIG, but there's only room for 4 disks! Stupid!
I've placed one disk beside the CD-rom, connected to the other
controller, and the last disk in an external cabinet =3D)

I've wondered if it would not be possible to modify the housing to get
room for more disks... Would it be immoral of me to destroy the beauty
of a K250 by cutting some holes here and there? =3D)


--=20
Stian S=F8iland               Work toward win-win situation. Win-lose
Trondheim, Norway           is where you win and the other lose.
http://www.soiland.no/      Lose-lose and lose-win are left as an
                            exercise to the reader.  [Limoncelli/Hogan]
K250 at http://beist.ntnu.nu/  =3D)                           =20

Re: [parisc-linux] Installation on a K370 with Debian 3.0r1 + RAID1 boot.

[Derek Engelhaupt]

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I could tell you what all those codes are upon boot-up, but it would take awile.  They take up half of the K-Class Service Manual.... ;)  The K-Class manual is not posted on the web, but if you ever have any fault codes scrolling on your terminal or on the LCD I'm sure someone here can help decifer them.  It will actually say FLT XXXX or WARN XXXX.  Warnings will not typically not affect system start-up.  By the way, the way the disks mount in that internal drive housing I think it would be futile to even try to mount anymore disks in there.  Plus you would need a longer/terminated HVD cable with more drive connectors.  You are better off using an external enclosure slaved off of the 10/0 bus which is the external extension of the internal disk cage.
 
derek


Stian Søiland <stian@soiland.no> wrote:
On 2003-05-31 15:54:36, Siraj 'Sid' Rakhada wrote:

> If you skip this step, Debian will boot, but you will be unable to use the
> console.
> Note I have not actually done the above when I was installing - I cheated
> and installed sshd via a chroot setup - because I did not realise the
> ttyB0 major number was incorrect on the install CD. I'm expecting that
> modifying the device as above should work. If I had more time I would have
> tried the above method.

For later boots, devfs and devfsd should be able to handle this if your
kernel supports it.

> This is also the first time I've ever really used a HP box, and they are
> ... interesting :) e.g. is it normal that the machine will take about 10+
> minutes to boot up? (just to get to the boot ROM, nothing to do with linux
> - self tests are enabled, though disabilng them does not make too much of
> a difference).

Oh yeah, my K250 takes ages just to get started, the LCD display and
status line on the serial console changes with different numbers. Any
idea of what all those numbers mean? I suppose they are different parts
that are tested, but a translation would be nice. 

My manuals does not explain these messages in detail..

How ever, nice guide, I wish I had it when I set up my system =)


... goes off-topic:

I have 6 SCSI disks connected, distributed in two raid1-sets for / and
/usr, and a raid5-set for /home. Some of the disks are 4 GB, the rest 2
GB, so I've done dirty tricks with partitions to get the whole thing up,
and not waisting any space, and I now even have a spare disk, although
tests reveal the disk is broken.. I've managed to get two more 2
GB-disk to replace it.. =)

Ah, yes, the K250 is BIG, but there's only room for 4 disks! Stupid!
I've placed one disk beside the CD-rom, connected to the other
controller, and the last disk in an external cabinet =)

I've wondered if it would not be possible to modify the housing to get
room for more disks... Would it be immoral of me to destroy the beauty
of a K250 by cutting some holes here and there? =)


-- 
Stian Søiland Work toward win-win situation. Win-lose
Trondheim, Norway is where you win and the other lose.
http://www.soiland.no/ Lose-lose and lose-win are left as an
exercise to the reader. [Limoncelli/Hogan]
K250 at http://beist.ntnu.nu/ =) 
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