# FreeBSD install issue on Sunfire v880



## xcxeon (Mar 21, 2010)

I'm having an odd issue installing FreeBSD on a sunfire v880. The system configuration is as follows:

2x 1.2Ghz CPUs, 8GB RAM
1x 18.2GB SCSI HD on integrated controller
6x 146GB FC-AL HDs on backplane 0

When attempting an 8.0 install using keyboard/mouse/video, using a TechSource RAPTOR GFX-8P the system halts at "Jumping to Kernel Entry 0xc0088000". This is not such a problem, however, because everything seems to work fine over serial console.

When installing over serial console, the entire install goes through without a hitch, however, when installing the base system to the SCSI drive, I never get the option to install a bootloader, So the system won't boot.

When installing over serial console, and installing the base system to any of the six fiber channel drives, I DO get the option to install a bootloader, then I can continue to the openboot firmware and set it to autoboot from that drive and everything works perfectly.

However, the issue is I would like the system installed on the SCSI drive, so that the six fibre channel drives can be raided as a seperate partition.

So, my question is: Why do I get the option to install a bootloader when using the fiber drives, but not the SCSI? Is there any way to fix this so that I can install freebsd on the scsi drive and boot from it instead?


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## Oko (Mar 21, 2010)

Where did you get idea that FreeBSD supports sunfire v880? Apparently you have not read the hardware notes for sparc64 of FreeBSD.

The *only* BSD that supports sunfire v880 is OpenBSD.


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## xcxeon (Mar 21, 2010)

http://www.freebsd.org/releases/8.0R/hardware.html#PROC-SPARC64

"Starting with 7.2-RELEASE, sparc64 systems based on UltraSPARC III and beyond are also supported by FreeBSD, which includes the following known working systems:

    *

      Sun Blade 1000
    *

      Sun Blade 1500
    *

      Sun Blade 2000
    *

      Sun Blade 2500
    *

      Sun Fire 280R
    *

      Sun Fire V210
    *

      Sun Fire V250
    *

      Sun Fire V440 (support for the on-board NICs first appeared in 8.0-RELEASE)
    *

      Sun Fire V880
    *

      Netra 20/Netra T4
"


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## alphachi (Mar 23, 2010)

*Install FreeBSD8-sparc64 on Sun Fire V880 -- boot crash*

I want to install FreeBSd8-sparc64 on Sun Fire V880. The OpenBoot PROM is the lastest. When the machine under Solaris 10, I use commands "halt" and "boot cdrom" to reboot.

This is the error info after reboot:

```
Rebooting with command: boot cdrom
Boot device: /pci@8,700000/scsi@1/disk@6,0:f File and args:

>> FreeBSD/sparc64 boot block
   Boot path: /pci@8,700000/scsi@1/disk@6,0:f
   Boot loader: /boot/loader
Consoles: Open Firmware console

Booting with su4u support.
Boot path set to /pci@8,700000/scsi@1/disk@6,0:a

FreeBSD/sparc64 bootstrap loader, Revision 1.0
(root@araz.cse.bufalo.edu, Sat Nov 21 15:42:12 UTC 2009)
bootpath="/pci@8, 700000/scsi@1/disk@6,0:a
Loading /boot/defaults/loader.conf
/boot/kernel/kernel data=0x972148+0x75368 syms=[0x8+0xa2f78+0x8+0x95b11]
\
Hit [Enter} to boot immediately, or any other key for command prompt.
Booting [/boot/kernel/kernel]...
jump to kernel entry at 0xc0088000.
```

Boot crash, no respond.

I have some Sun Fire V280 and V480, having the same problem - "jump to kernel entry at 0xc0088000".

Need help, thanks.

*[ thread merged in due to similarities - Mod. ]*


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## mmoll (Mar 23, 2010)

alphachi said:
			
		

> Boot crash, no respond.
> 
> I have some Sun Fire V280 and V480, having the same problem - "jump to kernel entry at 0xc0088000".
> 
> *[ thread merged in due to similarities - Mod. ]*



A crash would look different.

I run FreeBSD on a V280 and know of at least one person running it on a V880. This seems like a problem with console-output. If the machine has any graphic card installed, remote it and try again. Another point may be some problem with the serial connecton (handshake/flow control) - how do you connect to the console?


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## mmoll (Mar 23, 2010)

xcxeon said:
			
		

> The system configuration is as follows:
> 
> 1x 18.2GB SCSI HD on integrated controller
> 6x 146GB FC-AL HDs on backplane 0



That's odd... According to the hardware docs on Sunsolve, V880s have only FC-AL HDs. How is the SCSI HD connected?


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## xcxeon (Mar 24, 2010)

alphachi said:
			
		

> I want to install FreeBSd8-sparc64 on Sun Fire V880. The OpenBoot PROM is the lastest. When the machine under Solaris 10, I use commands "halt" and "boot cdrom" to reboot.
> 
> This is the error info after reboot:
> 
> ...



This happens when you try to install freebsd using framebuffer card. If you install over serial console, the system won't hang, and you can go about the install normally.



			
				mmoll said:
			
		

> That's odd... According to the hardware docs on Sunsolve, V880s have only FC-AL HDs. How is the SCSI HD connected?




If you look at the diagram here: http://www.sunshack.org/data/sh/2.1...es/I_O/images/IO_SunFire_V880_IO_Board.01.gif

You can see the two SCSI interfaces on the I/O board. One connects to the DVD-ROM, and one to the 18GB SCSI.

When I received this server, it had solaris installed on the 18GB with the /home partition on a 72GB FC-AL. I installed FreeBSD, and at the time, installed it on the 72 GB FC-AL, and ignored the 18GB SCSI. However, later, I purchased six 146GB FC-AL drives, and was hoping to install freebsd on the scsi drive, so all of the six FC-AL's could be raided. I know that the system can boot from the SCSI, because it boots from the cdrom OR SCSI hard drive when issuing either the "boot cdrom/boot disk" commands, or "boot /device@bus/type@ID,LUN" command. However, since the freebsd install doesnt install the BSD bootloader, it can't find the kernel.


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## mmoll (Mar 25, 2010)

xcxeon said:
			
		

> You can see the two SCSI interfaces on the I/O board. One connects to the DVD-ROM, and one to the 18GB SCSI.



Ah, I see... 



			
				xcxeon said:
			
		

> When I received this server, it had solaris installed on the 18GB with the /home partition on a 72GB FC-AL. I installed FreeBSD, and at the time, installed it on the 72 GB FC-AL, and ignored the 18GB SCSI. However, later, I purchased six 146GB FC-AL drives, and was hoping to install freebsd on the scsi drive, so all of the six FC-AL's could be raided. I know that the system can boot from the SCSI, because it boots from the cdrom OR SCSI hard drive when issuing either the "boot cdrom/boot disk" commands, or "boot /device@bus/type@ID,LUN" command. However, since the freebsd install doesnt install the BSD bootloader, it can't find the kernel.



Do you also get no question on installing a bootloader when you change the partition-layout of this disk in the installer? Then you likely hit some installer bug and you should send a PR.

You could try to boot a live system and install the bootblock on your disk from this environment. Otherwise I'm out of ideas...


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## xcxeon (Mar 25, 2010)

mmoll said:
			
		

> Ah, I see...
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I'll try again later today with a different partition layout and see what happens.


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## xcxeon (Mar 27, 2010)

Tried again last night with a different layout. Same problem. 

Did notice however if I put a partition on one of the fc-al drives, it gives the option also.

Thus far:

Only SCSI: No
Only FC-AL: Yes
SCSI + FC-AL: Yes

Partition scheme seems to make no difference.


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## cerox (Feb 13, 2011)

Hello.

I've got my hands on a old unused Enterprise 450 server which I want to test out with FreeBSD, But I have the same issue.

As I unfortunately don't have a serial console available the only option is to use framebuffer, so my question is then if there's a "Workaround" like some kernel parmeters I can pass at boot time, or am I hopelessy lost?

Sorry for my bad english


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## sossego (Feb 13, 2011)

Why not use an adapter and find an old usb pci card?
Sun video to vga adapters are on ebay.
No reason why an old pci usb card wouldn't be.
Or, you could look for an older nvidia card.


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## randux (Jun 29, 2011)

You can use a serial console from a pc with a serial port. That is what I do with my servers. Minicom works great. Use a CISCO DB9<->RJ45 cable.


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## sossego (Jun 30, 2011)

xcxeon said:
			
		

> I know that the system can boot from the SCSI, because it boots from the cdrom OR SCSI hard drive when issuing either the "boot cdrom/boot disk" commands, or "boot /device@bus/type@ID,LUN" command. However, since the freebsd install doesnt install the BSD bootloader, it can't find the kernel.



Does the openboot prompt come up? 

http://tldp.org/HOWTO/SPARC-HOWTO-14.html

Run the diagnostics. You may need to have the exact path for booting when the device is on a non-standard path.

http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/gentoo-sparc-faq.xml

The second is Gentoo; but, the information on the page is somewhat helpful.




			
				cerox said:
			
		

> Hello.
> 
> I've got my hands on a old unused Enterprise 450 server which I want to test out with FreeBSD, But I have the same issue.
> 
> ...



Use the suggestion above. If a video card is in question, find a compatibility list for OpenBoot/OpenFirmware.



			
				mmoll said:
			
		

> You could try to boot a live system and install the bootblock on your disk from this environment. Otherwise I'm out of ideas...



The BSD installer image from Whitehorn should work as a live cd.


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