Booting F50 from CD for 4.3.x->5.x Upgrade

[Tim Evans]

Just spent a couple of fruitless hours attempting to upgrade an F50
from AIX 4.3.x to 5.x.

Per the install instructions, you are to hit F5 when the keyboard icon
appears on the IBM graphical console. When I do this, I get a message
about AIX booting from the CD-ROM (actually, from the SCSI target id
the CD has), after which everything just stops. The LCD display shows
"c31" which is the "identify console" code. Still nothing ever
happens, even with repeated presses of F5, 5, and pretty much every
other key on the keyboard. Waited 15 minutes for something to happen
before
giving up

System still boots 4.3.x from normal boot disk when they keyboard
isn't touched. FWIW, 'bootlist' shows nothing at all in the bootlist.

[at]

On 28 Sep 2003 08:31:09 -0700, [email]tkevans@tkevans.com[/email] (Tim Evans) wrote:

>Just spent a couple of fruitless hours attempting to upgrade an F50
>from AIX 4.3.x to 5.x.
>
>Per the install instructions, you are to hit F5 when the keyboard icon
>appears on the IBM graphical console. When I do this, I get a message
>about AIX booting from the CD-ROM (actually, from the SCSI target id
>the CD has), after which everything just stops. The LCD display shows
>"c31" which is the "identify console" code. Still nothing ever
>happens, even with repeated presses of F5, 5, and pretty much every
>other key on the keyboard. Waited 15 minutes for something to happen
>before
>giving up
>
>System still boots 4.3.x from normal boot disk when they keyboard
>isn't touched. FWIW, 'bootlist' shows nothing at all in the bootlist.

A few odd ball suggestions:

- If you are using the graphical console and have a mouse connected...
disconnect the mouse and try it again (don't ask why).

- Be sure the key is in the Wrench position

- You might have to resort to a serial terminal connected to S1 @ 9600
BPS and press the "5" key repeatedly when you start to see the bootup
info on the terminal screen.

Some of these ideas might get you where you need to be.
Let us all know how you make out.

B

[Steve Nottingham]

[email]tkevans@tkevans.com[/email] (Tim Evans) wrote in message news:<119e154f.0309280731.183ee93b@posting.google. com>...

> Just spent a couple of fruitless hours attempting to upgrade an F50
> from AIX 4.3.x to 5.x.
>
> Per the install instructions, you are to hit F5 when the keyboard icon
> appears on the IBM graphical console. When I do this, I get a message
> about AIX booting from the CD-ROM (actually, from the SCSI target id
> the CD has), after which everything just stops. The LCD display shows
> "c31" which is the "identify console" code. Still nothing ever
> happens, even with repeated presses of F5, 5, and pretty much every
> other key on the keyboard. Waited 15 minutes for something to happen
> before
> giving up
>
> System still boots 4.3.x from normal boot disk when they keyboard
> isn't touched. FWIW, 'bootlist' shows nothing at all in the bootlist.

When c31 appears, just press 1 and enter.

Steve

[Holger Emme]

Hi

if nothing is shown on your monitor during c31, maybe your graphics card
isn't supported by AIX 5 anymore.

Bye
Holger

--
Hadrolino@IRCNet
#wuppertal

[kannix]

>

> When c31 appears, just press 1 and enter.
>
> Steve
>

wasn't it "1" on ascii-screens and "F1" on graphical consoles?

kannix


--
-----------------------------------------------------
to reach me by mail, pls. replace "kannix_devnull" by "kannixop" in the
adress. - kannix
(kannix_devnull is a real adress - the whole inbox dumped every 2 days or
whenever it reaches 1 MB)

[Mats Sj?blom]

[email]tkevans@tkevans.com[/email] (Tim Evans) wrote in message news:<119e154f.0309280731.183ee93b@posting.google. com>...

> Just spent a couple of fruitless hours attempting to upgrade an F50
> from AIX 4.3.x to 5.x.
>
> Per the install instructions, you are to hit F5 when the keyboard icon
> appears on the IBM graphical console. When I do this, I get a message
> about AIX booting from the CD-ROM (actually, from the SCSI target id
> the CD has), after which everything just stops. The LCD display shows
> "c31" which is the "identify console" code. Still nothing ever
> happens, even with repeated presses of F5, 5, and pretty much every
> other key on the keyboard. Waited 15 minutes for something to happen
> before
> giving up
>
> System still boots 4.3.x from normal boot disk when they keyboard
> isn't touched. FWIW, 'bootlist' shows nothing at all in the bootlist.

Hi Tim!

There are som good documentations regarding AIX 5.2 on this site:
[url]http://publib16.boulder.ibm.com/pseries/en_US/infocenter/base/aix52.htm[/url]

I recomend you to read the Release Notes AIX 5L Version 5.2(07/2003)
carefully!

Have you confirmed that F50 is an server type CHRP? (I'm not really
sure??!)
Qoute from Release Notes:
"
Only Common Hardware Reference Platform (CHRP) machines are supported.
To see if you have a CHRP machine, log into the machine as the root
user, and run the following command:
bootinfo -p
"

One other issue to consider is your type of CD-ROM and what firmware
you got.
Quote from Release Notes:
"
Some AIX Systems May Not Boot From CD-ROM
Some AIX systems may not boot from CD-ROM because of firmware issues.
To determine if your system will be affected by this problem, do the
following (before migrating or installing a running AIX 4.3 or AIX 5.1
system):

At the command prompt, type the following:
lscfg -vl cd*
Examine the data that is returned.
If Part Number is 04N2964 and ROS Level and ID is less than or equal
to 1_04 (for example, 1_02, 1_01, or 1_00), contact your local service
representative. Tell your service representative that your system
requires the CD-ROM firmware upgrade that is described in RETAIN TIP
H1332.

If the data returned does not match the data described in the
preceding paragraph, your system is not affected by this problem.
"
//mats

[Dan Foster]

In article <76b51d53.0310011034.14234e1c@posting.google.com >, Mats Sj?blom <mats.sjoblom@tele2.se> wrote:

>
> Have you confirmed that F50 is an server type CHRP? (I'm not really
> sure??!)

It is indeed CHRP -- was one of the first CHRP-based AIX systems.

> One other issue to consider is your type of CD-ROM and what firmware
> you got.

That's possible but very unlikely since a F50, being substantially older,
probably doesn't have the buggy CD drives in question. We had these with a
very specific batch of B50s made in 2000 and quickly flashed a fix.

-Dan

[Iain]

Dan Foster <dsf@globalcrossing.net> wrote in message news:<slrnbnm867.cbf.dsf@gaia.roc2.gblx.net>...

> In article <76b51d53.0310011034.14234e1c@posting.google.com >, Mats Sj?blom <mats.sjoblom@tele2.se> wrote:

> >
> > Have you confirmed that F50 is an server type CHRP? (I'm not really
> > sure??!)

>
> It is indeed CHRP -- was one of the first CHRP-based AIX systems.
>

> > One other issue to consider is your type of CD-ROM and what firmware
> > you got.

>
> That's possible but very unlikely since a F50, being substantially older,
> probably doesn't have the buggy CD drives in question. We had these with a
> very specific batch of B50s made in 2000 and quickly flashed a fix.
>
> -Dan

Try updating the firmware to the latest version. Some old versions of
F50 firmware don't play well with 5L CDs.

[url]http://techsupport.services.ibm.com/server/mdownload//download.html[/url]

Iain.