IA-64 Install "I'm alive and well"

[Rod_14]

On a rx4640
When booting from the Linux enablement kit CD and selecting any of the install options, I get:
========
Uncompressing Linux... done
Loading initrd \efi\boot\root.bin...done
I'm alive and well
I'm alive and well
I'm alive and well
I'm alive and well
=====================
then it just hangs forever.
I have updated to the latest firmware revs:
FW Rev: 3.11
BMC : 3.47
MPR : 3.13
SCSI : 1.03.01.00
I have set all console in/out/err to be basic vt100. I did not see any "PNP" identifiers, only "HWP" ones. I am connected to the serial port with a Lantronix.
System is healthy, runs HP-UX 11.23 with no problems.
Help!

[Rod_14]

OK, I just hooked up a VGA monitor and can see that boot is continuing "over there". Looks like I need a different way in to configure those PNP devices. I looked at the the back of the box and my Lantronix serial cable is connected to the local MP port.

[Florian Heigl (new acc)]

When You installed linux You turned it into a pc - pc's use VGA :)

(just kidding)

the kernel also takes some boot flags for activating a serial console, maybe that will do the trick.

in the worst case, I'd remove the vga board :)

[rick jones · Accepted solution]

As you have found, under linux, kernels default to using the VGA port after the initrd stuff. You need to add a "console=ttyS0" to the boot command (edit elilo.conf and/or add it manually when you boot) and it will use the serial console for the console.

Might also be good to go into the EFI and make sure that there is only one serial console enabled. I do not recall the details, but suspect there will be a manual - either rx4640 hw/system manual, or linux at docs.hp.com that will explain how if no-one else posts those instructions.

[Rod_14]

OK console=ttyS0, did the trick. Thanks!
As far as turning it into a PC..
Later, I'm also going to install Windows 2003 on it. I hope the hardware is not too insulted!

[Florian Heigl (new acc)]

It's an Itanium - how could it :))
Also it makes sense, graphics performance should be quite interesting for a windows system.