[Sunhelp] Sparcserver 1000E Startup Message Question

[Bjrn Ramqvist]

Gregory Leblanc wrote:
> 
> > My SS1000E fires up with Open Boot through an attempt to boot the sd at 0,0
> > drive.
> >
> > /io-unit at f,e200000/sbi/dma at 0,81000/esp at 0,80000/sd at 0,0
> >
> > I then get a message, "Missing SCSI Message. Fatal error.  SCSI device 0,0
> > is not responding.  Can't open boot device."
> 
> Does the drive spin up?  What drives do you have installed?  How about
> termination on the SCSI bus?

That seems like an awfully odd message, but then again, it points out
it's looking for an "OK"-message from the drives. A response, but the
machine doesn't get one.

Pick up the frontcover, along with the metal-plate, and physicly inspect
the cables there. The cables involved are cut just so tight that it
shouldn't be any problem with any cable-lenght or bad conenction. Just
in case, push the SCSI- and power-connectors in just to be sure.
You can inspect the drive-cage more easily if you simply pull out the
whole thing from the backplane - the so-called "XDBus".
Check that you have a black sort-of thingie at the end of the
SCSI-cable, in the back of the 5.25" cage. That's the terminator. If
you're missing that piece, that could be one reason why the failure.

Also, do a "probe-scsi" or even "probe-scsi-all" in the OpenBoot PROM to
check if it can still see the disks.
There you also can check if the SCSI-ID's are matching with the boot
parameter:

/io-unit at f,e200000/sbi/dma at 0,81000/esp at 0,80000/sd at 0,0
                                               ^^^^

> > Stop-A followed by "boot" will get me another device:
> >
> > /io-unit at f,e200000/sbi/ebuffer at 0,40000/le at 0,60000
> >
> > which gets me "Timeout waiting for ARP/RARP Packet." repeating until I
> > Stop-A.
> 
> Yeah, it's trying to boot from the network there, and it's looking for a
> server to netboot from.

Yup. That's normal Sun-diag behaviour.
Default NVRAM diag mode is to boot from network. (since no bootable
media was found, it's considered "un-installed")

> > I don't have any documentation and docs.sun.org is no help on SS1000s.
> > Nothing in my (meager) experience to help me.  On power up I see no activity
> > on the internal drives or the CDROM other than power and self diagnostic
> > blinking.  The front panel LEDs go from "green -yellow-off" to
> > "green-off-green"  The disks appear normal.
> 
> I haven't gotten a chance to see what information is in the SHR about
> the SS1000, but at least one other person on the list has one.  It might
> have information on what those little blinkies mean.

That sounds like someone like me. :-)
The first light (green) means something like "Power OK", so it should
always lit up.
The second (orange) LED should lit up at power-on, then stay off when
the 3rd (green) LED lights up.

If it's "green-off-green" everything is OK and you can start breathing
again.

> > If I plunk a CDROM and disks on the external SCSI port of the motherboard, I
> > can boot and load Solaris, but he internal disks are still "off line."  The
> > Diags in Open Boot don't provide any indication of the internal drives in
> > Probe-scsi or Probe-scsi-all...hough they exit normally.  Test-all exits
> > normally.  I'm stumped.  Anyone with help would be appreciated.
> 
> Sounds like your disks are either bad (ie broken and need to be replace)
> or set to NOT spin up on boot.  You might check the settings on the
> drives, and put your hand on them after the machine powers up to see if
> they're spinning.

That sounds like the problem.
If anything else fails; take out the drives and try them on another
machine. There could be a verrrry slight possibility that there may be
something wrong with the SCSI-board, but it sounds unlikely since the
LEDs are telling us "OK".


Greg,
I'd love to see the SS1000(E) part in the new SHR when we're getting
there. I can contribute with some info here-and-there, from what I know.

	/Regards, Bjorn