Installing Debian 5.02a IA64 on HP Integrity rx2600

[Karl K.]

Hi.

I'd like to install Debian on a rx2600 machine, but it doesn't even complete the init-sequence.

Uncompressing Linux .... done
Loading file \initrd.gz...done

That's all.

rx2600:

EFI-Version 1.10
Firmware-Version 2.21 [4334]


Any ideas to make it working?

Thanks.
Karl.

[Steven Schweda]

I don't know much, but ...

Around here (Ebay bargain system after
(multi-step) firmware updates):

Shell> info fw

FIRMWARE INFORMATION

Firmware Revision: 2.31 [4411]

PAL_A Revision: 7.31/5.37
PAL_B Revision: 5.65

SAL Spec Revision: 3.01
SAL_A Revision: 2.00
SAL_B Revision: 2.31

EFI Spec Revision: 1.10
EFI Intel Drop Revision: 14.61
EFI Build Revision: 1.22

POSSE Revision: 0.10

ACPI Revision: 7.00

BMC Revision 1.53
IPMI Revision: 1.00
SMBIOS Revision: 2.3.2a
Management Processor Revision: E.03.32


Do you have the Management Processor (a.k.a
"Integrated Lights-Out")? I do, and that's
how I talk to mine.

What are you using as a console terminal?
Connected where? (Is the Installer talking
to a different port? That'd be my first
guess.)

Is this the first OS being installed on this
system?

debi# uname -a
Linux debi 2.6.26-2-mckinley #1 SMP Fri Mar 27 05:13:51 UTC 2009 ia64 GNU/Linux

I believe that that was 5.0.0, but they
couldn't have broken it with the extra 0.0.2,
could they?

If you force me, I could reconnect a DVD
drive to my system, and try to see just what
it did. (I did my installation back around April, didn't keep a careful record, and
don't remember much.)

[Ivan Krastev]

Check your console setting in EFI shell.

regards,
ivan

[Karl K.]

Hi.

I don't have access to the rx2600 now. But it has a Management Processor.
I received this machine reseted and used, but without any OS.

Which console settings should be checked? And how do I need to configure them to get Debian running?

Thanks.

Karl.

[Steven Schweda · Accepted solution]

Step 1: Get an "HP Integrity rx2600 Server
and HP zx6000 Workstation Operations and
Maintenance Guide".

I seem to have an older ("September 2003")
one, lpn04096.pdf, and a newer ("August
2007") one, 5991-5988.pdf. I suspect that a
search for rx2600 at hp.com will find at
least one of them. The System Configuration
chapter discusses the Boot Option Maintenance
Menu, which (perhaps depending on your
firmware version) should offer things like
these:

Select Active Console Output Devices
Select Active Console Input Devices
Select Active Standard Error Devices

Around here:

Select the Console Output Device(s)

Acpi(PNP0501,0)/Uart(9600 N81)/VenMsg(PcAnsi)
Acpi(PNP0501,0)/Uart(9600 N81)/VenMsg(Vt100)
Acpi(PNP0501,0)/Uart(9600 N81)/VenMsg(Vt100+)
Acpi(PNP0501,0)/Uart(9600 N81)/VenMsg(VtUtf8)
Acpi(HWP0002,700)/Pci(1|1)/Uart(9600 N81)/VenMsg(PcAnsi)
* Acpi(HWP0002,700)/Pci(1|1)/Uart(9600 N81)/VenMsg(Vt100)
Acpi(HWP0002,700)/Pci(1|1)/Uart(9600 N81)/VenMsg(Vt100+)
Acpi(HWP0002,700)/Pci(1|1)/Uart(9600 N81)/VenMsg(VtUtf8)
Acpi(HWP0002,700)/Pci(2|0)
[...]

Select the Console Input Device(s)
[Same as Output]

Select the Standard Error Device
[Same as Output]

And then I Telnet into the MP, and go from
there. (There's a section in that chapter on
"Accessing the iLO MP", too.)

I don't claim that that's the optimal
setting, which may depend on various
undisclosed mysteries in your environment,
like where your console terminal is
connected, but I believe that I got all the
operating systems installed on mine that way:

EFI Boot Manager ver 1.10 [14.61] Firmware ver 2.31 [4411]

Please select a boot option

OpenVMS on DKA0: PKA0.0
HP-UX Primary Boot: 0/1/1/0.0x1.0x0
Debian GNU/Linux
EFI Shell [Built-in]
Boot Option Maintenance Menu
System Configuration Menu


Use ^ and v to change option(s). Use Enter to select an option


I also got the latest firmware loaded before
I did anything else. (That same search at
hp.com should lead to the latest firmware,
too.)

[Karl K.]

Well, after firmware update, everything works... Thanks a lot.

Karl.

[rick jones]

Karl - If you are willing, letting the system take part in popularity contest (whatever that package is called) would be goodness.