Solaris

sounds like you have an unbootable drive ...


anyways, you have some options ...


1. loosen the drives so they do not have contact with the bus but are still in their slots
>> remove the network cable
>> boot up the box
>> reseat the drives once you get the ok prompt
>> reconnect network cable
>> boot with cd
>> change alom password through scadm command

2. remove drives from box and set aside
>> remove network cable
>> grab working drive from another v240 and insert into v240 to be built --- make sure you know root password of "key" box
>> boot up box to be built
>> change alom password through scadm command
>> powerdown box and remove "key" drive
>> reinstall original drives into box to be built
>> reconnect network cable
>> boot up box with cd


good luck!

The first thing I'd ask, why would you want to install Solaris 8 in a server that already has Solaris 9?

#. is the command to go from console to alom, just like "console" is the command to go from alom prompt to console. It will not send a break. You should however be able to send a break through whatever terminal emulator you are using to connect to the serial port. The default user for an ALOM is admin. try admin w/ password admin or changeme.

Other than a GUI, there is nothing that cannot be done through the serial console. You get full access
to the OBP and the OS.

If the OBP is set to autoboot and won't stop at the ok prompt, easiest thing to do is remove the drives. After the OBP starts, it won't sense any disks and should leave you at the OK prompt (unless the OBP has instructions to boot from net or other device, but I doubt that is set at this point).

System Shock,

Your points are valid. But at this place where I work, we are building a test lab/VMWare where we can test everything (patches/software/utility software etc) on a test box before moving to production. Right now, there is no test box to test anything (strange I know...as I came from a SysAdm shop where we had test boxes for every server). This V240 will host a Sol8 and we test everything with this...I believe the production box is a legacy system so probably will keep it like that until they decide to upgrade. Besides, this is a great way to learn about VMware

Now, seeing the LOM issue I have, there is no password that I know of. I *once* read that there is a LOM jumper on the V240 box that we can remove and then power up the system and then will be prompted for a LOM password...I think I got the procedure right. This makes sense, as SUN don't want us locked out of a system even when we have access to a Sun Unix box. I have looked high and low for docs on the V240 board, to find where the LOM jumper is...still cannot find this doc even on SUN's Sunsolve website. Anyone knoe where the LOM jumper is? If there is only one LOM jumper on the board, my guess is I can just pull that and try booting up the system? What is the prodecure to remove the jumper and booting up? When do I put the jumper back in?

Right now, I am trying the idea of booting up the system with the disk in slot 0 out, and see if drops to the ok prompt. Also, the other disk in slot 1 will not disconnect so this is another dang thing to worry about!

Thanks for your help, let me know if you guys know where the LOM jumper is on the motherboard. And when/how I should put it back on...that is with the system down and after setting the password?

TIA

OK. But keep in mind that Solaris 8 is at EOL and the servers that run it are at or close to EOL'd. I also don't see how you are going to run VMWare on a Solaris SPARC server.

As for resetting the ALOM password, off the top of my head, I don't recall a jumper. You can do it from the OS, though. Of course, you don't know your passwd OK, here's what you can do:

Power off the server. Remove the power cord. Count to 10 Plug the power cord back in.
Remove the harddrives.
Power on the server. It will go through POST, then will prompt you for a login into the ALOM. DON'T TOUCH IT. Wait a couple minutes. The login prompt should time out and drop to the {}ok prompt.
At this point, you can do either one of 2 things: install Solaris 8, or boot to cdrom and remove the root passwd.
Whichever one you choose to do, once you are in the OS as root, do:

Code:

# /usr/bin/cd /usr/platform/`uname -i`/sbin
# ./scadm userpassword admin

SS,

Yeah, you are right. Cannot run VMWare on a Solaris Sparc. I was just informed this yesterday. But we still need to build a Sol8 box so we can test patches/software on this test box before moving to installing on production.

I know this can be done from the OS...but am unable to login root. I have powered down the server, removed the power cord and waited several minutes. Plugged power cord back in and disconnected the HD and powered up the system. Then came to the LOM prompt and I waited a couple minutes and then a prompt comes up stating to type #. to go to the ALOM prompt. I am not dumped to the ok prompt. This has been my problem since then. I think the LOM over-rides the ok prompt because if I do not type in a userid/password at the LOM prompt, I do not get dumpted to the ok prompt.

I know there is a LOM jumper and recall reading (oh, yeah forgot where I read that there was a LOM jumper) but have never been able to find out where the jumper is. Basically, I read that you remove the jumper associated with LOM, then boot up the system and it will prompt you for a LOM password. Where the heck is this jumper...docs at SUN are HARD to find. And not only that, some of the content on SUN require a service plan which we don't have at this moment!

I tried another V240 box, and had the same problem <sighs> but I build two V240's and never set the LOM password. I am not sure, but when you go to LOM, is it a must that you set the LOM password to use LOM? In other words, can you use LOM without setting LOM'd password? I think a SysAdm is required to set the LOM password to use LOM, its a security feature. But I don't know for sure.

Meanwhile...I am stumped! ...

Ok. So you get to a message that tells you to "type #. to return to the ALOM". This message appears after you have entered the console and you have access to the OBP/OS. If you hit enter a few times after you see that message, what do you see? Hitting enter a couple of times should yield the ok prompt or the os login prompt, unless your terminal client is not configured with the proper baud rate, parity, etc.