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Re: Tru64 5.1B4 Installation on DS20E fails

 
Garrett Cooper
Advisor

Tru64 5.1B4 Installation on DS20E fails

I have been able to sucessfully perform a full install of Tru64 5.1B4 from CD to an Alphaserver ES40 (Single CPU, 4GB mem).
Trying to do the same on a DS20E (Single CPU, 1GB mem) fails prior to initiating the installation procedure on the CD.
I have been running OpenVMS 7.3-2 for over a year on this server with no issues.
I have followed the install instructions for the Tru64 right to the letter, including applying the most recent 7.3 firmware upgrade.

Anyone been down this troubled road before?
25 REPLIES 25
Ivan Ferreira
Honored Contributor

Re: Tru64 5.1B4 Installation on DS20E fails

Probably you need to install with the "New Hardware Delivery" CD. This enables you to install Tru64 on new hardware.

Please ensure to review the NHD documentation for information about how to install Tru64 with NHD.

Basically you need to have the NHD CD and boot the installation CD with:

boot -fl fa -fi "GENERIC" dqb0

Check the attached release notes.

Don't forget to set the os type to Unix.
Por que hacerlo dificil si es posible hacerlo facil? - Why do it the hard way, when you can do it the easy way?
Hein van den Heuvel
Honored Contributor

Re: Tru64 5.1B4 Installation on DS20E fails

If is was running OpemVMS then the default boot flag argument is probably set to 0,0
To boot Unix you want that to be 'a',
and for a fresh Tru64 install you want that to be 's': -fl s
You also want to set the OS type to Tru64 at the >>> prompt.

Hein.
Rob Leadbeater
Honored Contributor

Re: Tru64 5.1B4 Installation on DS20E fails

Hi Garrett,

> Trying to do the same on a DS20E (Single CPU, 1GB mem)
> fails prior to initiating the installation procedure on the CD.

How exactly does it fail ? What error messages do you get ?

Cheers,

Rob
Michael Schulte zur Sur
Honored Contributor

Re: Tru64 5.1B4 Installation on DS20E fails

Hi Garrett,

as Hein mentioned, check out the SRM console variables regarding boot. It is wise to clear the variables that refer to the old boot device. TRU64 tries to read the old configuration and who knows, what will happen with the VMS partition.

greetings,

Michael
Garrett Cooper
Advisor

Re: Tru64 5.1B4 Installation on DS20E fails

I was "good to go" on the SRM environment variables. I didn't think about the NHD-7 route since the DS20E model has been around for quite a while and I thought that a recent release of 5.1B-4 would accomodate most of the Alpha models (well maybe not the DS15 or the DS25). I'll persue the NHD-7 method, today.

Also, in answer to one of the other threads,
I wish I got an error message. All I get is dead silence. The last displayed messages were complaining about the swap space being missing and that it was using an over-commitment method instead.
jim owens_1
Valued Contributor

Re: Tru64 5.1B4 Installation on DS20E fails

NHD is not needed for DS20E.

Check the SRM variable "console" is "serial",
a "graphics" setting works with COM1 up to
the point that install tries to use a missing vga.
jim owens_1
Valued Contributor

Re: Tru64 5.1B4 Installation on DS20E fails

A mistake I often make is to attach my serial cable to COM2 instead of COM1. Then I press a terminal key and the SRM will then talk to COM2 as if it was COM1. This works until the OS takes over and goes to the real COM1, which has no terminal.

The easy way to check is power-on the DS20E and just wait for the SRM diagnostics to display. DON'T TOUCH ANY KEYS. If the diagnostics print, you are on COM1. If you have to touch a key to get the prompt, you are on COM2.
Garrett Cooper
Advisor

Re: Tru64 5.1B4 Installation on DS20E fails

Tried the install using the NHD-7 and got the same results as just doing it from the main 5.1B-4 OS media. Attached is the extract from the DS20E console when I reached the phase for the installation activating the install scripts. Hopefully someone has a clue as to what is happening.
jim owens_1
Valued Contributor

Re: Tru64 5.1B4 Installation on DS20E fails

I suggest you post the output of:

>>>show config
>>>show
Garrett Cooper
Advisor

Re: Tru64 5.1B4 Installation on DS20E fails

The config listing is attached.

Thanks.
jim owens_1
Valued Contributor

Re: Tru64 5.1B4 Installation on DS20E fails

I would still like to see the SRM variables

>>> show
Garrett Cooper
Advisor

Re: Tru64 5.1B4 Installation on DS20E fails

Jim,

Console Environment Variables are in the attachment.

Thanks.
jim owens_1
Valued Contributor

Re: Tru64 5.1B4 Installation on DS20E fails

Garrett,

Your SRM variables look correct.

I would pull that VGA card. It is an old one that was not available on the DS20E. Elsa Gloria was used on DS20Es and I even remove those from my systems.

If that isn't the problem, it will be time to look closer at the hardware and run exercisers.

jim
Garrett Cooper
Advisor

Re: Tru64 5.1B4 Installation on DS20E fails

Thanks.

I'll probably have time to pull the card tomorrow and see what happens.

I'll keep everyone posted...
Garrett Cooper
Advisor

Re: Tru64 5.1B4 Installation on DS20E fails

Hey Folks,

I removed the VGA card this morning and unfortunately the results are the same.
This is getting very frustrating.

Any other suggestions?
Rob Leadbeater
Honored Contributor

Re: Tru64 5.1B4 Installation on DS20E fails

Hi,

You *might* have a duff CDROM drive...

Can you try a VMS install and see if that works ?

Cheers,
Rob
Garrett Cooper
Advisor

Re: Tru64 5.1B4 Installation on DS20E fails

I have used this CD drive sucessfully in the past (The initial OpenVMS install in 2006, and the server firmware upgrade last week).

I am looking for a replacement drive to verify that this is not the point of failure.
Garrett Cooper
Advisor

Re: Tru64 5.1B4 Installation on DS20E fails

Still grasping at straws. Re-installed the VGA card as this was not the problem.
Replaced the TOY clock battery, still no help.
As a side note, if yo set the correct TOY date/time using the alphabios, it remains valid and stable until the first attempt to boot from the Tru64 V5.1B-4 OS install CD. It then trashes the TOY clock setting.

The jury is still out on any issues with the Cypress 82C693 multifunction card driving the CD-224E (dqa0).
jim owens_1
Valued Contributor

Re: Tru64 5.1B4 Installation on DS20E fails

First thing... I just noticed your original attachment of the failed install shows a lot of "Insert boot media," messages. I have never seen this so I wonder what procedure you are following. What you should do is put the "Operating System Volume 1" cd in dqa0.

>>> init
>>> boot dqa0

If you are doing what I just said, then continue reading the rest of this post.

I have reconfigured a lot of DS20Es and had many frustrations. The only shortcut is to give the system to someone else.

The TOY clock problem is one I have not seen, but leads me to think you have some really basic bad hardware.

(I know you will say... but it was running)

___Assume nothing works___

I would...

- check you have only 4 DIMMs in the machine,
the config says that, but I have seen bad DIMMs that the SRM can't find.

- pull out ALL I/O cards,
I have seen bad Fibre Channel and GBE cards that only fail when the OS activated them.

- disconnect ALL external cables except COM1

You will still have the CD available since:

bus 0, slot 5, function 1 -- dqa -- Cypress 82C693 IDE
bus 0, slot 5, function 2 -- dqb -- Cypress 82C693 IDE
bus 0, slot 5, function 3 -- usba -- Cypress 82C693 USB
bus 0, slot 6, function 0 -- pka -- Adaptec AIC-7895
bus 0, slot 6, function 1 -- pkb -- Adaptec AIC-7895

are on the motherboard.

With the OS install cd in dqa0, do:

>>> init
>>> sys_exer

Let the diagnostic run for an hour. If it reports 0 errors:

>>> init
>>> boot dqa0

The install should get past where you had the failure and terminate with an error that you have no disks to install on.

If all that works, try adding back some cards.

By the way, I have also had these problems:
- A cd drive that worked, but not with one cd.
- An out-of revision motherboard/sfm. This is difficlut to deal with unless you call HP service.
Garrett Cooper
Advisor

Re: Tru64 5.1B4 Installation on DS20E fails

Jim,

The insert media messages were from an attempt to boot, integrating the NHD-7 CD with the OS install CD (The infamous 20 CD swaps). This was done to see if there was any issue with hardware that V5.1B-4 wasn't used to seeing. (This was a big waste of time, of course).

I will try your advice about exercising the CD-ROM drive to flush out any potential errors.

Thanks.
Michael Schulte zur Sur
Honored Contributor

Re: Tru64 5.1B4 Installation on DS20E fails

Hi,

do you have any EISA equipment in there?
Maybe you need to run ECU again.

greetings,

Michael
Garrett Cooper
Advisor

Re: Tru64 5.1B4 Installation on DS20E fails

No EISA installed.
Garrett Cooper
Advisor

Re: Tru64 5.1B4 Installation on DS20E fails

No EISA installed.

Thanks.
Garrett Cooper
Advisor

Re: Tru64 5.1B4 Installation on DS20E fails

To All:
I have decided to no longer persue loading Tru64 on this DS20E. It will return to a function very well suite for it (running OPenVMS). I will procure another ES40 which seems much more Tru64 friendly.

Thank-you all for the help and guidance. I'm sure you'll be hearing from me in the near future.

Best regards...

Garrett Cooper