Messed with run levels, now system wont start.

[Eric Bakken]

Being the incredible noob that I am, i wanted to change the default run level and edited the /ect/inittab file... in the first line, i changed the init:3:initdefault to a init:2:initdefeault. I thought this would bring the system up to 2 intstead of all of the way to 3... since i've done that... i cant get my system to boot up.

Any Suggestions?

-Eric

[Pete Randall]

Interrupt the boot process at the "10 second prompt" and boot into single user mode with "hpux -is". Then fix /etc/inittab.


Pete

[melvyn burnard]

Well it should bring it up into run level 2, which basically just does everything except start NFS, Serviceguard and one or two other subsystems.
If you have made a typo, then it should be booting up into single user mode.
What actual symptoms do you get?

[Eric Bakken]

Any suggestions on what key to hit? this was the first thing i tried, and i tried it serveral time... but nothing ever came up.. I dont know when to do it because my monitor isn't fired up yet, i just keep hitting spacebar but it doesn't work, the only thing i can get to is a screen where i can type, but not commands, and hit the "f Keys" but they dont do anything...

[melvyn burnard]

Hmm, is this a graphics monitor? If so, then you have to have an ascii terminal set for your console.
What model 9000 is this?

[melvyn burnard]

just another though, can yopu ping the server from another system? if so, can you then telnet to it?

[Eric Bakken]

this is a c3600, I was just about to set up a network but hadn't gotten that far, so i cant get into it that way. about the monitor... it's basically just a really big computer monitor... I stumbled across something to do with ascii in the f key options.. so maybe i just need to adjust the terminal. now that i think about it, it never did show the startup and shutdown process, only the login and desktop.

i'll go try that...

[Torsten.]

You are right, if the console path isn't set to graphics, the console is the serial port. If you set the run level 2 and you have no network configured, the serial console is the only way to connect and interact.
Good time to change the path ;-)

[Eric Bakken]

hmmm... bad news for me then... do i have to find a serial terminal then?

[Eric Bakken]

so you're saying that i have to find a terminal that uses the serial port or I suppose i could take my hard drive to someone else who has hp-ux and use that to edit the file.... or is it possible to use my pc running xp to edit it somehow if i can plug the hard drive into it...

anyone have a serial terminal i can borrow?

[Denver Osborn · Accepted solution]

You can get a null modem cable and use HyperTerminal on your WinXP PC, or try to get the console path set back to graphics device.

With the keyboard and monitor on, power on the workstation and press tab after you see numb locks come on. The workstation should try to select a correct monitor type.

If that doesn't work, get the null modem cable. Connect the null modem cable to serial 1 on c3600 and pc. Be sure to disconnect the keyboard before you power on the workstation. W/out the keyboard connected the console path should default to serial. in hyperterminal connection should be 9600 bps and defaults for the rest.

hope this helps,
-denver

[Eric Bakken]

I tried both things and haven't had sucess yet... right now i'm trying to get something in the hyperterminal. i went to radio shack bought a cable that went to bot serial ports.... i also bought some adapters that say null modem on them to try putting them on both ends.... to see if that helped... and i set up hyperterminal just how you said.... i tried opening hyperterminal before i turned on my c3600. Do i need to have anything else plugged into my c3600? like the monitor that doesn't work... or the mouse.... I figured i didn't need anything since it's in run level two...

[Torsten.]

Hi Eric,

there could be one trap: Secure Mode option is set. That means, no boot menu will be displayed. So there won't be any output to the console until the OS is up.

Switch off the workstation and pull the disks out (not completely) or open the box and disconnect the power from the harddrives (at the moment not aware how a c3600 looks inside). Disconnect keyboard, mouse and screen.

Connect your serial cable to serial port 1 on the workstation and to COM1 on your PC.

Start hyperterminal, give the new connection a name, choose connect using COM1, Bits per second to 9600. Switch on the workstation.

The workstation starts now and stop at boot menu. Success?

[Denver Osborn]

you don't need anything else plugged in. The idea is to connect the null modem cable between the pc and workstation. Without a keyboard when the workstation boots it will set the console path to serial 1.

Does hyperterminal connect? If you're not getting anything on the console, then I'd suspect a problem w/ cable. Either the wrong type of cable or it isn't connected to com1 (or port used in hyperterm settings) on your pc.

Do you not see any output to the console?

-denver

[Eric Bakken]

ok, well so far i'm getting absolutely nothing in the hyperterminal display.. so that looks like maybe the cable is wrong...

I've got a rs-232c cable and two null modem adapters(one for each end) I haven't really dealt with null modem cables before so maybe i did get the wrong one and i'll have to go find something else

thanks for all the help so far

[Denver Osborn]

you should only need one of the null modem adapters. :)

take off one of the adapters and let us know if you still don't see any output.

-denver

[Eric Bakken]

Hallelujah!!!! hallelujah!!!! it works with only one adaptor, thanks a lot to those who helped me with this, and thanks for continually suggesting things, the problem has been solved,

-Eric

[Torsten.]

One adapter makes the "X", with two you have a X-X cable (double crossed).

Please post your console path information:

Configuration Menu: Enter command >PA CON

[Eric Bakken]

hmmm... couldn't log in because of this:

Starting SAMBA Server ............................................... N/A
Configure HP Fibre Channel Tachyon TL/TS Mass Storage interfaces .... OK

* - An error has occurred !
* - Refer to the file /etc/rc.log for more information.



The system is ready.

GenericSysName [HP Release B.11.11] (see /etc/issue)
Console Login:
INIT: Command is respawning too rapidly.
Will try again in 5 minutes.
Check for possible errors.
id:samd "/usr/sam/lbin/samd # system mgmt daemon"

[Eric Bakken]

nevermind, i interupted it before the 10 seconds was up... and did what you said... and this is what i got:

Configuration Menu: Enter command > PA CON

Console path: GRAPHICS(2)

[Pete Randall]

Eric,

Isn't this where we started, sort of? I think you'll need to interrupt the boot sequence at the "10 second" prompt and boot into single user mode using "hpux -is" in order to go through the startup logs and figure out what failed.


Pete

[Eric Bakken]

yes pete, i'm sorry, i forgot... but now i remember, i got lost in the excitement of seeing something work finally.

[Denver Osborn]

ok, so have you booted to single user mode yet?

bo pri
(yes to interract...)
hpux -is

once at a prompt...
mount -a

cp -p /etc/inittab /etc/inittab.2
export TERM=vt100
vi /etc/inittab
(make your change from 2 back to 3)

shutdown -hy 0

Now you should be fine to disconnect the console and plug in your monitor keyboard mouse and network and bring the box up. I'm suspecting the boot error you saw last could've been due to no network connect.

-denver

[Eric Bakken]

i've gotten into single user mode but the i cant interact with the prompt like i could before... nothing shows up when i type..

[Denver Osborn]

hmmm... maybe try changing the hyperterminal settings. in hyperterm, disconnect and look at properties. try something different for flow control... maybe 'none'? can't remember, but I think I've had this happen to me before.

-denver