Dear MAnagers,
First, I would like to give my thanks to
- Dr. Tom Blinn <tpb_at_doctor.zk3.dec.com>
- Peter Reynolds
<PReynolds_at_synstar.com>
My Original posting was:
--------------------------------
Dear Managers,
We have a DEC 2000/300 with 192MB that used to be with DU 3.2D-1. So, we decided to move to DU 4.0D boing a fresh install.
To begin, we planned to upgrade the firmware. And that's where the problem is.
First, we upgraded the firmware that resides on the CD V5.3. We followed the steps in the manual and ended up with Firmware revision V2.2. No problem with that.
At a certain point of the process, we were asked to insert the Eisa Config Utility floppy, after a power-cycle. That was done, and, after several messages it displays the existence of 3 errors:
- environment variable
- configuration tree
- EISA configuration
After that it showed the boot menu. From here we moved to supplementary menu->setup menu, where we got a list of options, with three in yellow (in this order):
- set default environment variables
- set default configuration
- run EISA configuration utility from floppy
The system forced us to correct these situations in order.
So, in the 1st, we told that the default boot partition was in SCSI 0 3. But, when it asked for the filesystem type, we just left it in blank. It is strange because the only to option available were FAT or NTFS, and we aren't using any of them.
On the 2nd we choosed first floppy 3.5" 2.88MBytes, second floppy none and us-101 keyboard. Actually the default options given by the system.
On the 3rd, the system send some messages NVRAM update, then says that the system will reboot, then asks for a power-cycle. And we do it.
The systems seems to power up fine.
Then we tried to do a normal boot from the default disk, and we get the following messages:
- Alpha boot: available memory from 0x92a000 to 0xc000000
- Digital UNIX V3.2D-1 (Rev. 41); Thu Jan 8 09:08:35 GMT 1998
- phisical memory = 192.00 megabytes
- available memory = 182.83 megabytes
- using 729 buffers containing 5.69 megabytes of memory
- DEC 2000 model 300 system
- Firmware revision: 2.2
- PALcode: OSF version 1.35
- ibus0 at nexus
- ace0 at ibus0
- gpc0 at ibus0
- panic (cpu0): e_get_config: no ECU data
Then sends a message stating that it was unable to dump to a device.
It seems to me that "run EISA utility" does nothing, since that, in all literature about it, a menu is refered, but it never appears.
Are we missing something ?
This description sums up sereral attempts that we already made. We also looked into the tru64-unix-managers archives.
This system is not vital for us, but as we already spent a week trying to figure out the problem, all the help will be apreciated.
Thanks in advance.
Yours sincerely
Antonio Urbano
--------------------------------
Then I added this
--------------------------------
Dear Managers,
In relation to the previous message, I forgot to say that the floppy from were we try to run ECU utility is label with
"ECU diskette V1.11A DEC Alpha for use in configuration of systems to be used with OpenVMS and Digital UNIX"
Yours sincerely
Antonio Urbano
--------------------------------
Peter Reynolds answered:
--------------------------------
You are missing something..... The arc console environment is for NT, and
the initial things you were asked to correct refer to booting an NT disk.
After you do the initial two corrections you should go back and do the
procedure again, doing the ECU this second time.
--------------------------------
Dr Blinn answerd this:
--------------------------------
After you run the ECU, you must save the updated configuration data. It's not
clear to me from your description that you did this. If you don't do it, then
when you reboot, the kernel may not be able to find the EISA data. That's the
error you got.
Re-do the ECU step, and be SURE that (a) you configure things correctly for
the hardware actually present in the system, and (b) you save the data before
you power cycle the system.
Tom
--------------------------------
Actually I still wasn't moving ahead. The problem was what ECU really is and in wich context. Meanwhile I called Digital and the final solution was this one:
- do the firmware update as described in the manual that is in the Firmware Update CD-ROM v5.3.
- at the point where it asks for the Eisa Config Utility floppy, after a power-cycle, insert the diskette and answer Y to the prompt.
- the system runs the steps as I described in my original posting, showing the same errors.
- go to the setup menu.
- correct the "set environment" and "set default ..." errors. Now, as Peter said, this is not important to DU. The problem is that we have to answer something to be able to continue.
- do the "run EISA ...". At this point he does several things and end by asking for a power-cycle. Do it leaving the diskette inserted.
- the system boots to console mode stating that is OK.
- type the command "RUNECU <enter>". Now your are in the correct application. If you have no hardware changes (adding memory doesn't count as a change) it does some automatic corrections and shows a menu where you can configure boards and so on.
- there is an option to save information and exit. Now, even is you haven't made changes, it seems a good policy to save information due to automatic corrections.
- leave the ECU and power-cycle.
At this point I was already able to boot.
Conclusions:
- I missed the SRM console command RUNECU;
- the process after the firmware update and asking for the diskette is not documented anyware I could see;
- information about using ECU can only be accessed after entering ECU.
I hope this can be useful to anyone. Thank you to all managers.
Greetings
Antonio Urbano
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Tel.: +351-2-9953000 (ext. 1131)
Fax: +351-2-9955062
e-mail: a.urbano_at_mailcity.com
--------------------------------
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Received on Tue Apr 20 1999 - 09:59:54 NZST