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Alpha Server 1200 with Tru64 Unix 5.1

 
Emad Omar
Regular Advisor

Alpha Server 1200 with Tru64 Unix 5.1

Dear all,
I have an Alpha Server 1200 with the following specs:
-1 CPU 5/533
-Memory : 768MB
-SRM Console : Version 6.0-4
-OpenVMS PALcode: V1.21-2
-Digital UNIX Palcode : V1.23-2
When I tried to install Tru64 Unix v5.1 I got a message indicating that platform is not supporting. But when I installed V4.0F, system accepted it and installation done without any problem.
So please can anybody advise on how can I fix this issue ????!!!

Regards,

Emad Omar
10 REPLIES 10
Johan Brusche
Honored Contributor

Re: Alpha Server 1200 with Tru64 Unix 5.1


Omar,

Can you provide us a >>>SHOW CONFIG and >>>SHOW DEVICE. One of the possibilities is that you are booting from a RAID controller that is not supported anymore.

__ Johan.

_JB_
Emad Omar
Regular Advisor

Re: Alpha Server 1200 with Tru64 Unix 5.1

Dear Johan,

Thank you for your reply.
I need to tell you that I'm not booting from RAID Controller. Please see my attached file as your requested.

Emad Omar
Aaron Biver_2
Frequent Advisor

Re: Alpha Server 1200 with Tru64 Unix 5.1

I suspect that the de600 is causing the trouble. It is unsupported on this platform.

Please try removing it. It is possible that Tru64 driver support does not exist in the V4* installation disk you are using, but does exist in V51. If this is the case, then the controller is ignored by V4, while V51 attempts to turn it on. It is possible that turning this newer PCI card on may wreak havoc on the PCI or system busses for this slightly older platform.

Some unsupported cards work on some platforms, but this might be one of those other cases.

If the above does not work, I suggest treating this as a hardware troubleshooting issue:


1) Remove all hardware except that which is absolutely necessary for installation (one memory module, one or two disk controllers, one hard disk and one CDROM, for instance). Take special care to note which I/O adapter is in which PCI slot, as you'll be replacing them in exactly the same slots later.

1.5) If installation does not work with the minimal subset of hw, you might have a problem with the installation media, or transmission, or devices.

2) If installation works with this minimal config, start adding hardware one piece at a time and booting the installation media again. Repeat until it fails. At that point, you have a pretty good idea that the last component you added is the cause of the failure. Try to add the PCI cards into the same slots you pulled them from.

3) If you determine that a PCI adapter is to blame from the above experiments, but you really want to use it, try moving it to different PCI slots. Sometimes this trick will work to get an unsupported card to work.
One end of the motherboard or the other might work.

4) It might also be made to work by removing or moving another card. Sometimes, an unsupported card might work fine by itself, but another card on the same bus might trigger bad behavior. You might be able to use "show config" or "hwmgr -v h" to see how PCI slots are arranged.


Ravi_8
Honored Contributor

Re: Alpha Server 1200 with Tru64 Unix 5.1

Hi,

Check the firmware version, if it is lower then you need to upgrade it.
never give up
Ralf Puchner
Honored Contributor

Re: Alpha Server 1200 with Tru64 Unix 5.1

or as a conclusion read the documentation prior to do anything!

Within the support option list you will find the supported hardware options. Remove all unsupported hardware.

Next read the Tru64 5.1 release notes containing information which hardware is not supported by this kind of version. Remove the unsupported hardware and reconfigure the supported hardware as described within the guide (firmware, console settings, etc.). If using newer hardware be sure you have organiced the hardware delivery CD needed for proper work. Be sure patchkit is available.


Help() { FirstReadManual(urgently); Go_to_it;; }
Emad Omar
Regular Advisor

Re: Alpha Server 1200 with Tru64 Unix 5.1

Dear all,
Thank you for your help. But I checked everything you mentioned but still I have the same problem.Also one customer have the same model of this Server AS1200 and it is running with Tru64 V5.1 . I removed all non supported parts but still I have the same problem. The latest Firmware supported is V6.1 not more.I need to ask if there is software to be added to the CPU or Motherboard??!!!
On other hand I installed an Open VMS V7.3-2 at the same server without any problem.
CAN ANYBODY HELP TO FIX THIS ISSUE ????

Regards,

Emad Omar
Aaron Biver_2
Frequent Advisor

Re: Alpha Server 1200 with Tru64 Unix 5.1

Emad Omar,

Can you please strip your system down to the bare essentials, then power on and try the boot, this time saving the console output (I assume its serial console, if not can you make it so?)?

Then, please attach the console output text as a text file in your response.

Also, one of the things I am worried about is the integrity of the image you are trying to boot. Can we be sure the V51 kernel you are trying to boot isn't corrupted? Where did you get this boot installation medium?
Have you tried booting other images? If they also failed, did they come from the same source?

Maybe you can tell me a little about the medium on which this image resides, and how it got there. Did someone burn the CD, or create the RIS installation area?

Emad Omar
Regular Advisor

Re: Alpha Server 1200 with Tru64 Unix 5.1

Hi all,
Thank you for all guys . I did a troubleshooting to diagnose the problem and found that when I installed another Motherboard SP#:54-25147-02 with the old parts , the system started with Tru64 Unix V5.1 and everything becomes OK. So I found that the old motherboard has a rev. D04 but the new one has a rev. D05 in spite that two mother boards have the same PALCode and Bios Firmware(SRM).
The question:Is it possible to get over this problem???

Thank you for all,

Emad Omar
Uwe Zessin
Honored Contributor

Re: Alpha Server 1200 with Tru64 Unix 5.1

You said you have run OpenVMS on the system - what is the contents of the "os_type" variable?
>>> show os*

I don't know if it matters, but I would make sure it is set to UNIX:
>>> set os_type UNIX
.
Emad Omar
Regular Advisor

Re: Alpha Server 1200 with Tru64 Unix 5.1

I checked all the parameters and I selected the os type to Unix. I found that revision of the System Main Board is different and may be this is the reason.
Thank you for your help.

Emad Omar