Installing OS on HP9000

[David Crowe]

I am attempting to HPUX 11 onto an HP9000 A500 server. I have an external DVD ROM drive connected to the SCSI port. It is detected as P1 and when I try to BOOT P1, it find the drive and starts to load. Shortly after it starts I get an error message ALERT LEVEL 12: Software Failure. Once I finish stepping through the messages the server reboots. Does anyone have any ideas??

[Jeff Schussele]

Hi David,

Is that DVD device an HP drive?
If not that could be the cause of your problems.
HP firmware is vital to booting 9000 systems properly.

If it is an HP drive, then I'd suspect faulty media.

Rgds,
Jeff

[Bill Hassell]

How old is your HP-UX 11.0 media? 11.0 was first released in Nov 1997, there was no such product as the A-series (or L or N, etc). The architecture (I/O structures, boot firmware, etc) has changed a lot since then. You'll need a Core/Install CDROM from about 2001 or later.

[Michael Steele_2]

Latest PDC for is 42.19

To check your PDC version:

/usr/sbin/diag/contrib/pdcinfo

-or-

stm - select - cpu - pdc version

-or-

Reboot
interupt boot up
Enter the command "in"
Enter the command "fv"

Here is the latest firmware patch name and URL: PF_CHAW4209

http://www1.itrc.hp.com/service/cki/patchDocDisplay.do?patchId=PF_CHAW4209

-or-

Alternatively, use this patch which is the same as the above just loaded a little different:

PHSS_26539

http://www1.itrc.hp.com/service/patch/patchDetail.do?patchid=PHSS_26539&context=hpux:800:11:00