rx2600 LAN Console problems

[Brian Amstutz]

We're running an rx2600 on HPUX 11iV2. Whenever we restart the system, the LAN Console displays everything fine up until /stand/vmunix is launched - then it just hangs and nothing additional is displayed. Here are the last lines that are displayed:

- - - - - - - - - - Prior Console Output - - - - - - - - - -
.............. (complete)
loading symbol table
loading System Directory (boot.sys) to MFS
....
loading MFSFILES directory (bootfs) to MFS
....................
Launching /stand/vmunix
SIZE: Text:30529K + Data:7134K + BSS:5281K = Total:42944K
- - - - - - - - - - - - Live Console - - - - - - - - - - - -

We rebooted 19 days ago and if I connect to it now, the above listing is all that I see.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

Brian

[Bill Hassell]

The obvious questions are:

How are you connected to the console (serial terminal, LAN console, KVM)?

What happens when you press the Enter/Return key?

What happens when you type CTRL-B?

If CTRL-B works OK, then it would appear that the console for HP-UX is hung. Can you connect to HP-UX with ssh, remsh or telnet? If so, what does: fuser /dev/console show?

[Bill Costigan]

Can we assume that the system is up? If so then I think the settings for the console is wrong in EFI. Check the EFI console command.

The console can be set to different devices (e.g. serial, VGA, etc.)

I don't recall exactly where you set this, I think under the console config of the boot config menu.

[Brian Amstutz]

@Bill Hassell:
I connect via LAN console (i.e. ssh to LAN Console IP) and choose CO at MP Main Menu. Enter/Return does nothing.
CTRL-B returns to MP Main Menu.

fuser /dev/console shows process for:
/usr/sbin/rpc.lockd
/usr/sbin/syslogd -D
/usr/sbin/netfmt -C -F -f /var/adm/nettl.LOG000 -c /var/adm/conslog.opts
/usr/sbin/rpc.statd
/usr/sbin/getty console console

@Bill Constigan:
Yes the system is up. I know that I messed with the EFI settings when I first noticed the problem and I'm pretty sure I set it to VGA. Is there anyway to check the settings WITHOUT rebooting?

[Bob_Vance]

A long time ago, when I was fooling with this situation, I made some notes, which I have attached.

I say therein:

"The bottom line is that I shouldn't have had the
UARTs (serial ports) enabled for it to act like
it does on the PARisc servers and HPUX.
"

But, unfortunately, I'm having trouble understanding exactly what I wrote !?!
But maybe something therein will give you a clue, like the discussion UARTs, PCI, etc.
I do know that I had to reboot each time to make a change.


Also, in the

HP-UX Installation and Update Guide

there is a section,

"Selecting Your HP-UX Console for Integrity Systems"

but doesn't appear to help much.



bv

[Brian Amstutz]

Just some follow-up info... About a year ago, I followed instructions to use the EFI to set VGA to Primary and Serial to Not Configured. This didn't seem to make any difference.

[Brian Amstutz]

One other slight correction. If I only have one connection via SSH (or http), then when I press Enter/Return nothing happens.

However, if I make a separate (second) connection with SSH, then when I press Enter/Return, I get

[Read only - use Ctrl-Ecf for console write access.]

And when I use Ctrl-Ecf, I get

[bumped user - Admin]

but then nothing else works or is displayed on either connection (except Enter/Return and Ctrl-Ecf to bump back and forth between connections).

If I disconnect from one of the connections, then Ctrl-Ecf no longer works on the remaining connection.

[Torsten.]

If the console is set to VGA, you need to reboot and use the boot menu to select serial (over MP) as console.

[Bill Costigan]

I don't think that is telling up anything.

Cntl-E,c,f will bump another connection. so if you are the second conection you can use it to bump the first. If there is only one connection - there is nothing to bump.

I believe the isssue is that you are connecting to the console but the the HPUX messages are not going to the console because of the console conf in the EFI.

According to some notes I have there are three confs. Consle Output, Console Input and Standard Error Devices

I also read that all three should have a single device selected - It should be the one with the names PCI, Uart and the prefered emulation (e.g. vt100) in the description.

[ck3]

HPUX is using a console device other than the serial port on the MP.  Boot to the EFI Shell and use the conconfig command to change your primary console.  There should only be 2-3 choices, so if it's not obvious which one is the MP serial port just try each until you get it.

-Charles