Device Drivers

[Vaish Raj]

Hi,
I want to know steps for installing a new device(when device drivers are not built into kernel) and configure device drivers for it .

To play around i tried to remove and reconfigure tape drive built into my server. Here are my steps

1) took out "stape" reference from /stand/system and deleted all device files from /dev/rmt.

2) rebooted the server and checked agin "ioscan -funC tape". Still it shows tape drive is configured and CLAIMED.

I had to go to SAM--> Kernel configuration--> Drivers to remove device drivers and later reinstall device drivers.

question
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1) What are the sequence of steps SAM is following to do this task.where do we get info on this.

2)If i have to install a new device(say tape/network card etc) whose drivers are not built into kernel what are the steps i have to follow. Are drivers supplied by vendor ?

Vaish

[Bill Hassell]

To take a driver out of the kernel, you can remove it with SAM or remove it from /stand/system. Bit while SAM will generate and build a new kernel and reboot, when you edit the /stand/system file, you must build the kernel manually, including renaming the old kernel.

Removing device files with rm is never recommended for peripherals. Instead, you must use rmsf to remove devices. rmsf does two things: it will delete the device files but it also removes the kernel's mapping of the device (which connects the driver and the device files).

Once stape is not in your currently running kernel (SAM will show the drivers), ioscan will show the device but no longer claimed (it will show NO DRIVER).

SAM handles new devices pretty much as you've seen but has a complete inventory of drivers and their state (in or out). Then ioscan is used to find all the connected devices. When a new device is located, the insf command is run to create the device files. ioscan has some really useful options:

-k (runs very fast, does not scan new hardware)
-n (shows device files)
-C (list only a clas like disk or tape or lan)

So the steps are:
1. add the driver, regen kernal (if necessary)
2. connect the device and boot up
3. during bootup, insf -e will be run and the device files will be created

Although not recommended, if the driver is already in the kernel, the new device could be connected and powered on. Then ioscan -f run to make sure the device is respoonding with an ID, and run insf -e to add the new device files.

Virtually all drivers for HP-UX are supplied by HP, not the peripheral manufacturers.

[Vaish Raj]

Hi Bill,
You mentioned :

So the steps are:
1. add the driver, regen kernal (if necessary)

Virtually all drivers for HP-UX are supplied by HP, not the peripheral manufacturers.

I am not bit clear(add the driver) on both you mentioned.Assume if driver is not found in kernel( in SAM if i don't see at all)i assume i have to get the driver from manufacturer and install. Do they come in depot format ?

How we add the driver. I assume just add driver name to /stand/system and recreate kernel will not solve the issue.Do we have to install soemthing(driver) before we add driver name in /stand/system OR we see it from SAM

I am clear if driver is found in kernel but if it not found i am not clear how we install it and in what format we get them to be installed.

Is it granted that any HP compataible hardware will have drivers provided in kernel ?

Thanks

[Bill Hassell · Accepted solution]

You add the driver to the kernel using SAM. All the drivers that are available for your system are listed in the SAM menu with the status, in or out. You can also use the lsdev command. If a needed driver does not appear in the list, it is usually supplied from HP as a hardware patch bundle known as a HardWare Enablement (HWE) bundle. Unlike PCs where peripheral manufacturers commonly supply Windows drivers, HP-UX drivers are seldom available from a peripheral manufacturer.

The important business peripherals (tape drives, disks, libraries, CDs and DVDs, etc) are mostly industry standard and the HP-UX drivers should work. However, I/O cards are definitely limited in support. Even if there is a PC-style I/O slot, very few cards will actually work. If a manufacturer does actually supply a driver, it is unpredictable as to what format the driver will be supplied. The most likely format is a tar archive, occasionally it will be packaged into a Software Depot form. It will be up to the manufacturer to supply to give you the documentation for the driver's installation.

So all the drivers you need are already on disk, extras just need to be added. SAM is by far the easiest way to find and install drivers. If you feel comfortable generating a new kernel, adding it to /stand/system, generating a new kernel and rebooting will work. Be sure to make backup copies of the old kernel and system file so you can easily revert back to the previous system.

[Vaish Raj]

Thanks Bill for answer