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On Thursday 28 February 2008 16:39, BRM wrote: |
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> All, |
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> |
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> Thanks for the tips. I'm not sure how it'll all work out right now. |
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> They might provide a method for booting the system via the CD, but then |
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> the only viable option after that seems to be using the specified patch |
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> in kernel builds so that we can boot and gain access to the hard drive. |
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> |
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> The system only has one hard drive, which is attached via the QLA2xxx |
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> controller - so I don't see how relying on udev to load the firmware |
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> would solve the problem of accessing the only hard drive in the |
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> system... |
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|
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|
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|
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Ben, |
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|
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if nobody explicitly mentioned it, it's because we all either forgot, or took |
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it as common knowlegde -- you do need an initramfs in order to bootstrap the |
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init process on QLA2xxx machines. |
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|
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OBP knows how to load silo, silo knows how to load the kernel. Things break |
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when the kernel tries to find the root device and that's where you need an |
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initramfs. You can roll your own. All it needs is the firmware |
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in /lib/firmware/, udev, qla2xxx.ko, scsi.ko, sd_mod.ko, ext3.ko, and any |
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other modules you may need, and udev. You also need /etc/udev with |
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appropriate rules, /lib/udev and all the udev helpers, especially |
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firmware.sh. Your /init script needs to mount /proc, /sys, /dev, start udev |
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and load qla2xxx.ko. udev will take care of firmware loading. After that |
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just switch_root. |
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|
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IvanK. |
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|
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|
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|
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> |
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> It does occur to me that there might be another slight solution to the |
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> problem, from which udev could then be relied on - using an initrd |
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> image, or booting using another device from which udev could be |
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> utilized. |
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> |
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> I'd rather not have to leave a floppy (yes the system has a floppy) or |
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> CD in the drive all the time, from which it would load an initrd image |
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> containing udev, the firmware, and whatever else would be needed; but |
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> it seems the only other method would be to use a USB Storage device. |
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> |
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> Does anyone know if the OpenBoot PROM on the SunBlade 2000 will boot a |
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> USB device? The Service manual seems to indicate it would for a 100 or |
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> 250 Iomega Zip Drive (can you even get those anymore?!!) but that too |
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> is not an ideal solution. I'd rather be able to get a USB Stick (2 |
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> GB?), or even a USB Hard Drive (e.g. WD Passport or the likes) that |
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> could hold the base system and boot from that. Anyone know if that |
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> would work? |
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> |
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> Might one need to upgrade the OpenBoot PROM to to so? If so, how and |
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> where do I get the new image? |
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> |
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> My only other alternative is to go and get OpenSolaris and try that |
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> out. (Hopefully it won't have the same issue.) |
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> |
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> Any how...thanks for all the helpful tips & everything. |
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> |
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> Ben |
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> |
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> --- Ivan Kabaivanov <chepati@×××××.com> wrote: |
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> > On Thursday 21 February 2008 14:50, Friedrich Oslage wrote: |
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> > > Hi, |
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> > > |
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> > > > The problem comes from the fact that the firmware is in the disk |
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> > |
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> > at |
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> > |
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> > > > /lib/firmware starting from kernel 2.6.18 or something. If you |
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> > |
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> > boot |
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> > |
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> > > > the 2617 from the CD it will probably work fine. |
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> > > > Anyway even creating a proper initrd with that /lib/firmware the |
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> > > > kernel does not load it. Don't know why. |
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> > > |
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> > > Using an initrd works fine for me, you probably just forgot to put |
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> > |
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> > udev |
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> > |
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> > > in it. |
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> > > |
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> > > My initrd basicly looks like this: |
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> > > /dev/console |
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> > > /dev/null |
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> > > /bin/busybox |
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> > > /bin/udevd |
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> > > /lib/udev/firmware.sh |
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> > > /lib/udev/udev.conf |
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> > > /lib/udev/rules.d/50-udev.rules |
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> > > /firmware/ql2200_fw.bin |
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> > > /lib/modules/`uname -r`/modules.dep |
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> > > /lib/modules/`uname -r`/kernel/drivers/scsi/qla2xxx/qla2xxx.ko |
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> > > /linuxrc |
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> > > |
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> > > The script I used to create it is available @ |
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> > > http://porno-bullen.de/~bluebird/initrd-qla2xxx/ but don't blame me |
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> > |
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> > if |
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> > |
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> > > it doesn't work ;) |
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> > > |
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> > > Cheers, |
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> > > bluebird |
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> > |
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> > This is the preferred method -- to let udev handle the firmware |
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> > loading. |
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> > However if you don't have udev in the initrd or it doesn't work, all |
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> > is not |
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> > lost. There's a way to manually load the firmware, but it's tricky. |
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> > It's |
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> > tricky because you have to be very quick -- you'll have maybe up to |
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> > 4-5 |
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> > seconds to load the firmware. Here's how: |
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> > |
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> > 1) boot the machine (either with an initrd from the hard drive or |
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> > with an |
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> > installation cd.) |
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> > 2) drop to a shell somehow -- I don't run gentoo so I don't know if |
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> > the |
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> > installer has this option but debian does and so does ubuntu for |
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> > sparc. |
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> > 3) Load qla2xxx.ko (just modprobe qla2xxx) |
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> > 4) Find out the device path in /sys (on my sunfire280r |
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> > it's /sys/devices/pci0001\:00/0001\:00\:04.0/) It might take you a |
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> > few tries |
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> > to find out. Look for a file |
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> > /sys/devices/pci0001:00/0001:00:04.0/obppath |
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> > with this line |
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> > /pci@8,600000/SUNW,qlc@4. (the numbers are not important. the |
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> > important part |
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> > is the qlc bit) |
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> > 5) Type this: echo 1 > /sys/devices/pci0001:00/0001:00:04.0/loading |
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> > 6) Type cat /lib/firmware/ql2200_fw.bin |
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> > |
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> > > /sys/devices/pci0001:00/0001:00:04.0/data (this is one line) |
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> > |
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> > 7) Type echo 0 > /sys/devices/pci0001:00/0001:00:04.0/loading |
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> > |
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> > for 5), 6) and 7) you'll get error message file not found. It |
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> > doesn't matter. |
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> > The point is to cache these three command into the shell history so |
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> > you can |
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> > recall them quickly when you need them. Remember, you have a window |
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> > of a few |
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> > seconds and regardless how fast you type you won't make it without |
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> > using |
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> > cached commands. |
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> > |
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> > 8) Unload qla2xxx (rmmod qla2xxx) |
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> > 9) Now load the kernel module again (modprobe qla2xxx). The clock |
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> > starts |
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> > ticking now. The module tells the kernel that it needs a firmware |
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> > before the |
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> > hardware can be initialized. The module creates a device path in |
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> > /sys and |
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> > creates two files, loading and data. |
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> > 10) Quickly recall from history the command from 5) and press enter |
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> > 11) Quickly recall from history the command from 6) and press enter |
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> > 12) Quickly recall from history the command from 7) and press enter |
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> > |
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> > You'll see messages that the card was initialized. Now you can load |
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> > sd_mod. |
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> > If you had to resort to this, then chances are you don't have udev |
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> > running so |
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> > you may have to manually create the device nodes in /dev. For your |
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> > convenience: |
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> > |
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> > brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 0 2008-02-21 15:03 /dev/sda |
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> > brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 1 2008-02-21 15:03 /dev/sda1 |
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> > brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 2 2008-02-21 15:03 /dev/sda2 |
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> > brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 3 2008-02-21 15:03 /dev/sda3 |
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> > brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 4 2008-02-21 15:03 /dev/sda4 |
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> > brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 5 2008-02-21 15:03 /dev/sda5 |
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> > brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 16 2008-02-21 15:03 /dev/sdb |
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> > brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 17 2008-02-21 15:03 /dev/sdb1 |
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> > brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 18 2008-02-21 15:03 /dev/sdb2 |
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> > brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 19 2008-02-21 15:03 /dev/sdb3 |
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> > brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 20 2008-02-21 15:03 /dev/sdb4 |
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> > |
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> > Once you have all the device nodes in /dev you can go back to the |
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> > installer |
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> > and resume. Make sure you install udev and make sure you copy the |
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> > binary |
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> > firmware into /lib/firmware. |
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> > |
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> > If you're not fast enough the two files loading and data will |
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> > disappear. If |
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> > this happens, don't worry, just unload qla2xxx and load it again, and |
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> > this |
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> > time make sure you're faster :-) |
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> > |
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> > I've done this in the past and I can guarantee that it works. |
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> > |
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> > 2.6.17 was the last kernel where the fimrware was built into the |
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> > module and |
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> > you didn't have to load it separately. If you can live with that old |
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> > kernel, |
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> > you can downgrade. |
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> > |
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> > IvanK. |
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> > |
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> > -- |
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> > gentoo-sparc@l.g.o mailing list |
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|
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