boot(8) DG/UX R4.11 boot(8)
NAME
boot - booting a stand-alone executable
SYNOPSIS
[boot] phys-dev-name [ volume-name ] [ -f filename ]
[ -r [root-pdisk-name] root-vdisk-name ]
[ -s [swap-pdisk-name] swap-vdisk-name ]
[ -i init-options ] [ -k root-fsck-options ]
[ -a ] [ -d ] [ -I ] [ -D ] [ -R ] [ -l keyboard-language ]
[ -n nodenumber ] [ -c [cdbpdiskname] cdbvdiskname ] [ -g ]
where:
phys-dev-name
is a physical device or network controller to be used as a
boot source.
volume-name
is a virtual disk or IP address associated with phys-dev-name.
DESCRIPTION
The boot operation loads and executes stand-alone executables.
Although boot is used primarily for loading and executing the DG/UX
system kernel or the stand-alone sysadm utility, it can load and
execute other programs that are linked for stand-alone execution.
The implementation of the boot operation varies on different hardware
platforms. On some hardware, the boot command itself is not issued,
and booting is accomplished via a menu or other interactive dialogue.
Some platforms offer the ability to boot from a diskette or a CD-ROM.
Some boot options apply only to specific hardware or DG/UX features.
This man page describes operations that are common across all systems
as well as those unique to certain systems. Use your hardware
documentation and DG/UX release notice in combination with this man
page to determine the options and features applicable to your system.
Boot operation parameters common to all systems
The phys-dev-name argument is the only piece of information always
required for booting on any system. It must specify a physical disk
device, tape device, or network controller in DG/UX common device
name format. The boot operation interacts with this physical device
and attempts to locate a stand-alone executable stored there.
The search for an executable can be limited to a specific volume on
the physical device. The volume can be specified in the volume-name
argument. Otherwise, a default will be used.
The meaning of volume-name varies with the device type, as follows:
· If phys-dev-name is a disk, volume-name is the name of a virtual
disk that exists entirely on that physical disk. If volume-name
is not specified, the physical disk is examined for a default
root virtual disk previously set by the admpdisk(1M) command.
If no default is set on the physical disk, the name root is
used.
· If phys-dev-name is a network device, volume-name is the IP
address, in Internet dot notation (e.g., 111.222.333.444), to be
used by the network controller. If volume-name is not
specified, the default address is obtained by sending a network
broadcast request.
Options common to all boot operations
[ -f filename ]
The name of the executable to be booted. If phys-dev-name is
a disk, filename is a pathname within the file system on
volume-name. If phys-dev-name is a network device, filename
is the pathname of the kernel image to be booted, relative to
the boot client root directory on the boot server host. In
either case, the default filename is /dgux. If phys-dev-name
is a tape device, filename is a tape file number, where 0 is
the first file on the tape. The default is tape file 1.
Beginning with the selected tape file, the boot operation will
examine all remaining files on the tape. It will boot the
first one that is recognized as an executable file.
Most remaining options affect the operation of the booted executable
rather than the boot operation itself.
Options affecting DG/UX kernels
[ -r [root-pdisk-name] root-vdisk-name ]
The virtual disk device to be used as the root file system.
root-vdisk-name specifies the name of the virtual disk device,
and root-pdisk-name specifies the name of the physical disk
containing it. root-pdisk-name is required only if multiple
virtual disks named root-vdisk-name exist among the physical
disks that will be registered by the kernel. If -r is not
specified, the booted kernel attempts to find the following
defaults, in this order:
1. A default root virtual disk name previously set on
phys-dev-name by the admpdisk(1M) command.
2. A virtual disk named root on phys-dev-name.
3. A default root virtual disk on any registered disk.
[ -s [swap-pdisk-name] swap-vdisk-name ]
The virtual disk device to be used as the swap device. swap-
vdisk-name specifies the name of the virtual disk device, and
swap-pdisk-name specifies the name of the physical disk
containing it. swap-pdisk-name is required only if multiple
virtual disks named swap-vdisk-name exist among the physical
disks that will be registered by the kernel. If -s is not
specified, the booted kernel attempts to find the following
defaults in this order:
1. A default swap virtual disk name previously set on
phys-dev-name by the admpdisk(1M) command.
2. A virtual disk named swap on phys-dev-name.
3. A default swap virtual disk on any registered disk.
[ -i init-options ]
The options to be supplied as arguments to the init(1M)
command after the kernel starts running. The most common
argument is the run level.
[ -k root-fsck-options ]
The options to be supplied as arguments to the fsck(1M)
command for checking the root file system during system
initialization.
Options specific to DG/UX Clusters
[ -n nodenumber ]
The node number used by the DG/UX kernel to join a cluster.
In addition, if neither volume-name nor -f filename are
specified on the boot command line, the boot operation
accesses a cluster database located on phys-dev-name. Using
nodenumber as an index, it retrieves phys-dev-name, volume-
name, and filename from the cluster database and uses them to
locate the executable image to be booted.
[ -c [cdbpdiskname] cdbvdiskname ]
Virtual disk cdbvdiskname, located on physical device
cdbpdiskname, specifies the location of the cluster database
used by the boot operation. If -c is not specified,
"cluster_db" is used as the default cdbvdiskname. If
cdbpdiskname is not specified, physdevname is used as the
default. The -c option is ignored unless -n is specified.
[ -g ] Boot the node in cluster administration mode. If this option
is specified while any other nodes are already active, the
boot will fail.
Options specific to stand-alone sysadm
[ -I ] Boot stand-alone sysadm as a diskful installer kernel.
[ -D ] Boot stand-alone sysadm as a diskless installer kernel.
[ -R ] Boot stand-alone sysadm as a CD-ROM installer kernel.
Options specific to the boot operation
The following options are recognized solely by the boot operation and
have no effect on DG/UX stand-alone executables.
[ -a ] Ask the user for a boot command line instead of using the one
that initiated the boot operation. This option is used only
for debugging.
[ -d ] Invoke a diskless client memory dump. The DG/UX system uses
this option only when halting abnormally. It should never be
entered on a command line.
Options specific to hardware without SCM
[ -l keyboard-language ]
A four-character string describing the system keyboard. The
first two characters represent the country, as specified by
ISO 3166. The second two characters represent the language,
as specified by ISO 639. Currently supported keyboards are:
USen United States / English; this is the default.
CHde Switzerland / German.
DEde Germany / German.
DKdk Denmark / Danish.
ESes Spain / Spanish.
FRfr France / French.
GBen Great Britain / English.
ITit Italy / Italian.
NOno Norway / Norwegian.
PTpt Portugal / Portuguese.
SEsv Sweden / Swedish.
Booting without SCM
Hardware without an SCM relies on DG/UX support that may not be
described in the hardware documentation. This section provides
additional information necessary for booting without an SCM.
NVRAM database parameters
Most hardware platforms that support the DG/UX system offer a System
Control Monitor (SCM) that stores default system information in Non-
Volatile RAM (NVRAM). Platforms lacking this support can use a DG/UX
feature called the NVRAM database (NDB) to store the same
information. The NDB can be modified only while the DG/UX system is
running.
The admnvram(1M) command can be used to store parameter/value pairs
in the NDB while the DG/UX system is running. When the system is
next booted, the boot operation examines the NDB and acquires values
associated with certain parameters. See the admnvram(1M) man page
for examples of setting these parameters.
The following NDB parameters are used by the boot operation:
bootcommandn
NDB entries of this type represent default command lines that
can be executed by the boot operation. These command lines
MUST NOT include the boot keyword. All arguments and options
are acceptable, subject to hardware restrictions.
boottimeout
The decimal number of seconds the bootstrap will wait before
automatically booting the command line specified by
bootcommandn. A value of 0 disables automatic booting.
keyboardlanguage
Same action as the -l option. If both -l and a
keyboard_language NDB entry are present, the value supplied
with -l is used.
Initiating the boot operation
If the DG/UX system is running, it initiates the boot operation at
completion of the halt(1M) or reboot(1M) command. The boot operation
is also initiated whenever the system is powered-up or the reset
button is actuated. Once initiated, the boot operation acquires
information from a boot disk.
Most hardware with no SCM will have both a diskette drive and a hard
disk. Either can be used as a boot disk if it is properly formatted
and DG/UX bootstraps are installed (see admpdisk(1M)). If a diskette
is installed in the diskette drive, the hardware usually ignores the
hard disk and attempts to use the diskette as the boot disk. (This
behavior may be configurable in firmware.) Most hardware without an
SCM cannot boot directly from CD-ROM.
Automatic booting
If the boot disk contains an NDB with any default boot command lines,
the lowest-numbered bootcommandn string in the NDB is used as the
initial default. A timer runs for boottimeout seconds to allow the
user to override this default. When the timer expires, the boot
operation attempts to boot the default command line. If the boot
fails, the boot operation attempts to boot the remaining
bootcommandn entries in numerical order. If they all fail, the
user is prompted for a boot command line. The command line MUST NOT
contain the boot keyword.
If no default boot command lines are stored, or if the user requests
an override during the timeout period, the boot operation prompts for
some or all of the following information:
· On hardware with several installed operating systems, the DG/UX
boot operation prompts the user to select one of them. If an
operating system other than DG/UX is selected, control transfers
to that operating system's boot operation. Otherwise, the DG/UX
boot operation proceeds.
· If default boot command lines are stored on the boot disk, the
DG/UX boot operation prompts the user to select one of them for
booting or to enter a boot command line. The command line MUST
NOT contain the boot keyword.
Selecting a system console
The DG/UX boot operation and the stand-alone executables both
communicate with the user through a system console. If the hardware
has a keyboard directly attached when the boot operation begins, that
keyboard and its associated display are used as the system console.
If no keyboard is attached, the console serial port is used (COM1
port on Intel machines).
EXAMPLES
To boot stand-alone sysadm on an 88K machine with an integrated SCSI
adapter, enter a boot command line similar to the following at the
SCM prompt:
SCM> boot sd(insc()) usr -f /stand/sysadm
To boot an 88K machine using a kernel from virtual disk root on
physical disk sd(ncsc(0),0) and then have that kernel use virtual
disk root4 from the same disk as the root file system and virtual
disk swap2 from sd(ncsc(1),1,2) as the swap device, enter a boot
command line similar to the following at the SCM prompt:
SCM> b sd(ncsc(0),0) -r root4 -s sd(ncsc(1),1,2) swap2
To boot an Intel machine with a Swedish keyboard to run level 3,
enter a boot command line similar to the following when prompted for
a boot command:
Boot Command: sd(npsc(pci(),b),3) -l SEsv -i 3
To boot a kernel named /dgux.myhost to run level 1 on an Intel
machine, enter a boot command line similar to the following when
prompted for a boot command:
Boot Command: sd(npsc(pci(),d),0) -f /dgux.myhost -i 1
WARNINGS
The firmware in some machines may not accept certain fully-qualified
device names in the boot path. In some instances, sysadm may attempt
such a pathname during reboot, and the reboot will fail. In this
case, it may be necessary to manually enter a simpler boot path from
SCM. SCM's "view system configuration" feature will display a device
name which is acceptable to the firmware. A firmware update may be
available to correct the problem on some machines.
Examples of device names which may fail are:
Anything containing the string "vme"
Specification of the host adapter scsi id, such as
"sd(ncsc(0,7))"
SEE ALSO
admnvram(1M), init(1M).
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