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HP Servers and Workstations: Managing Systems and Workgroups > Chapter 5 Administering a System: Booting and Shutdown

Booting Systems

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Whenever you turn on (or reset) your computer the hardware, firmware, and software must be initialized in a carefully orchestrated sequence of events known as the boot sequence.

The Boot Sequence:  Starting an HP-UX System

HP-UX based systems go through the following sequence when you power them on or reset them:

  1. Hardware and/firmware-based routines on-board the processors and I/O cards perform self-tests and initialize those items along with enough memory to continue the boot process. They also locate and initialize communications with console display and keyboard devices, and a boot device.

  2. Pre-boot firmware/software routines then load and execute the HP-UX boot loader.

  3. The HP-UX boot loader:

    • Locates, opens, and reads the kernel file and copies the kernel into memory

    • Initiates the HP-UX kernel

  4. HP-UX goes through its initialization process and begins normal operation.

NOTE: The HP-UX operating system currently runs on two different hardware platforms:
  • HP 9000 Systems — PA-RISC processor family

  • HP Integrity Servers — Itanium processor family

An HP Integrity Server uses the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI). If your system displays the EFI boot manager following the initial firmware test results, then you are booting an HP Integrity Server.

If you are booting an HP Integrity Server see “Booting HP-UX on HP Integrity Servers: Details and Variations”.

If you are booting a PA-RISC System see “Booting HP-UX on HP 9000 (PA-RISC) Systems: Details and Variations”.

Booting HP-UX on HP Integrity Servers: Details and Variations

“The Boot Sequence:  Starting an HP-UX System” describes the basic sequence of events that occurs when you turn on, reset, or reboot an HP Integrity Server. This section covers the boot process more thoroughly because there are times when you will need to manually control the boot process; for example:

  • When you need to boot your system from a device other than the device from which you normally boot.

  • When you need to boot your system from a kernel file other than the kernel file from which you normally boot.

  • When you need to boot the system into Single-User Mode to ensure that special tasks you are doing are not affected by other users of the system.

  • When you need to boot your system into LVM Maintenance mode to correct a problem with your computer’s logical volumes or volume groups.

  • When you are installing, or updating to a new release of HP-UX.

Here is a detailed look at the boot process, and its variations.

CAUTION:

ACPI Configuration for HP-UX Must Be “default” on nPartitionable HP Integrity Servers. HP-UX will not boot on an nPartition-capable system if the ACPI configuration value is not set to “DEFAULT”.

To check the current ACPI configuration, at the EFI Shell interface enter the acpiconfig command with no arguments. If the acpiconfig value is not set to default, then HP-UX cannot boot; in this situation you must reconfigure acpiconfig or else booting will be interrupted with a panic when launching the HP-UX kernel.

To set the ACPI configuration for HP-UX: in the EFI Shell interface enter the acpiconfig default command, and then enter the reset command for the nPartition to reboot with the proper (default) configuration for HP-UX.

A Standard Boot

Here are more details about what happens during a typical HP-UX boot-up sequence on an HP Integrity Server.

  1. Power on external devices: If necessary, turn on all external peripherals and devices that are attached to your computer (for example, disk drives, tape drives, printers, terminals, bus converters).

    Once the devices have completed their self-check tests, proceed to the next step.

  2. Power on your system (or nPartition): Turn on or reset the computer or nPartition.

    System hardware (or hardware associated with an nPartition you are booting) will go through a series of self-tests to verify that the processors, memory, and other system components are in working order.

  3. Boot device selection: Your system (or the nPartition you are booting) must locate a kernel file to boot from. There are two parts to the search:

    Part 1

    determine the hardware path to the boot device

    Part 2

    determine which kernel file on the hardware path to boot (see Step 4)

    Path variables stored in non-volatile memory set up to three possible boot paths from which to attempt a boot:

    PRI

    The PRImary boot path is the first boot path to try. Set the value of this path to point to the device from which you will boot most often.

    HAA

    The High-Availability Alternate boot path is the path you want your system to boot from should your primary boot path fail.

    ALT

    The ALTernate boot path is the hardware path to an alternate boot source (for example, a tape drive, network-based boot source, or optical disc drive).

    On HP Integrity Servers, the PRI boot path is tried during an automatic boot. You can manually override an automatic boot by interrupting the boot process before the AUTOBOOT DELAY expires. If an autoboot from the primary boot path (first item in the Boot Options List) is not possible, you will need to manually select a boot path from the EFI Boot Manager menu.

    Boot disks on HP Integrity servers contain a special partition called an EFI partition. The EFI partition, a derivative of the FAT file system commonly found on PCs, contains EFI applications that can be run before HP-UX is initiated. One such application, the EFI boot manager, is automatically launched and in turn launches the HP-UX boot loader, hpux.efi (also an EFI application).

    NOTE: A diagram and brief description of the disk layout for disks containing EFI partitions is available at “Mirroring a Boot Disk with LVM on HP-UX 11i for HP Integrity Servers”.
  4. Kernel file selection: Once a boot device is selected, the HP-UX-specific boot loader hpux.efi is initiated. hpux.efi uses the contents of the AUTO file on the selected boot device to locate the kernel file to boot.

    Typically, the AUTO file contains:

    boot vmunix

    which tells hpux.efi to load the kernel from the file called vmunix from the default file system (/stand) -- the file /stand/vmunix.

  5. Load and initiate the HP-UX operating system: hpux.efi then opens, and loads the HP-UX kernel into memory and initiates it.

  6. HP-UX goes through its initialization process and begins normal operation. 

Automatic Versus Manual Booting

Whether your system boots automatically (providing for the option of unattended booting in the case of a power failure or other unexpected boot situations) or requires manual intervention is determined by several things, most notably:

  • the setting of the autoboot flag in non-volatile memory

  • whether an AUTO file is present in the EFI partition on the selected boot device

  • whether you intend to boot from your system’s primary boot device

  • whether your primary boot device (or the High-Availability Alternate boot device) is available

Usually, the primary boot path points to the device from which you most frequently boot and that device is available. If the autoboot flag is enabled, your system will automatically boot from the selected boot device (following a preset time-out).

autoboot on

If the autoboot flag is set to on, hpux.efi will attempt to boot using the items in the boot options list, in the order specified. It reads the \EFI\HPUX\AUTO file from the EFI file system on the first available device containing an AUTO file. hpux.efi uses the contents of AUTO to locate the kernel file to load and determine which boot options (if any) to use. It then loads and initiates the kernel.

If no AUTO file is located the boot process stops at the hpux.efi loader (you will see the HPUX> prompt) and you can manually boot HP-UX or perform other tasks.

autoboot off

If the autoboot flag is set to off the boot process stops at the EFI Boot Manager from which you can manually boot HP-UX or perform other tasks.

Overriding an Automatic Boot

If the autoboot flag in the nonvolatile memory of your system or nPartition is enabled, your system or nPartition will attempt to automatically boot following a boot delay. By default, the boot delay is set to 10 seconds however you can change this.

To override an automatic boot, hit any key (for example the space bar) before the autoboot delay period expires. Instead of continuing with the autoboot, your system or nPartition will allow you to interact with the EFI Boot Manager.

You can override an automatic boot to manually interact with the EFI Boot Manager to:

  • Specify a boot device (other than that which would be automatically used)

  • Specify a boot kernel file (other than that which would be automatically used)

  • View or adjust your system’s pre-boot settings

At this point, you can select a device to boot from using the options provided in the EFI Boot Manager’s main menu or you can choose to interact with the EFI shell to boot your system.

Using the EFI Shell to Manually Boot Your System

To use the EFI shell to boot your system:

Procedure 5-2 Booting from the EFI Shell

  1. Access the EFI Shell.

    From the system console, use the up/down arrow keys to select the “EFI Shell” entry from the EFI Boot Manager menu to access the shell.

  2. Access the EFI System Partition for the HP-UX boot device.

    Use the map EFI Shell command to list the file systems (fs0, fs1, and so on) that are known and have been mapped.

    To select a file system to use, enter its mapped name followed by a colon (:). For example, to operate with the boot device that is mapped as fs0, enter fs0: at the EFI Shell prompt. When you hit Enter to complete the command the shell prompt will change to reflect your device selection: (fs0:\>)

  3. Enter HPUX at the EFI Shell command prompt to launch the HPUX.EFI loader.

    If needed, you can specify the loader’s full path by entering \EFI\HPUX\HPUX at the EFI Shell command prompt.

  4. Allow the HPUX.EFI loader to proceed with the boot command specified in the AUTO file, or manually specify the boot command.

    By default, the HPUX.EFI loader boots using the loader commands found in the \EFI\HPUX\AUTO file on the EFI System Partition of the selected boot device. The AUTO file typically contains the boot vmunix command.

    To interact with the HPUX.EFI loader, interrupt the boot process (for example, type a space) within the time-out period provided by the loader. To exit the loader use the exit command.

Adjusting the Autoboot Delay

By default, the automatic boot delay is set to 10 seconds. You can change this value:

Example 5-1 Setting the autoboot delay using the EFI Boot Manager’s Boot Options:

  1. Select “Boot Option Maintenance Menu” from the boot manager’s main menu

  2. Select “Auto Boot TimeOut” from the boot option maintenance menu

  3. Select “Set TimeOut Value

  4. Enter the number of seconds you want to use for the boot delay (for example 30).

Example 5-2 Setting the autoboot delay using the EFI Shell’s autoboot command:

To set the autoboot delay to 30 seconds, use the EFI Shell command:

autoboot 30

Enabling / Disabling Autoboot

The value of the autoboot flag can be set or changed in several ways:

Example 5-3 Enable Autoboot (using EFI Shell’s autoboot command)

Shell> autoboot on

Example 5-4 Disable Autoboot (using EFI Shell’s autoboot command)

Shell> autoboot off

Example 5-5 Enable Autoboot (using setboot from a running HP-UX system)

/usr/sbin/setboot -b on

Example 5-6 Disable Autoboot (using setboot from a running HP-UX system)

/usr/sbin/setboot -b off


Booting from an Alternate Boot Source

There are times when you will need to boot from a device other than the device that you normally boot from. For example, if your primary boot disk fails, you will need to boot your system either from a different disk or from a recovery tape.

Booting from an Alternate Boot Device

You can boot from an alternate device in following ways. If your system is set up to automatically boot you will need to override the autoboot sequence by hitting any key on the console keyboard during the autoboot delay (time-out) period.

  • If the alternate device that you want to boot from is listed in the boot options menu (the main EFI Boot Manager menu), use the arrow keys to highlight the entry for the alternate device and press Enter on the keyboard to boot from that device

  • If the alternate device that you want to boot from is not listed in the boot options menu:

    1. Select “EFI Shell [Built-in]” from the boot options menu to run the EFI shell.

    2. Enter map at the EFI shell prompt to list bootable devices on your system.

      The devices will be listed. Look for entries that begin with fs#: (where # is a number such as 0, 1, 2, 3, etc.).

    3. Determine which entry maps to the device you are trying to boot from and enter the fs#: name at the shell prompt.

      For example, if the entry for the device you want is tagged as “fs0:”, enter fs0: at the shell prompt:

      Shell> fs0:

      The device associated with entry fs0: is now the selected boot device. The EFI Shell prompt will change to reflect this.

    4. Enter hpux to start the boot loader. The boot loader (hpux.efi) will now run and use the AUTO file on the selected device to determine which kernel file to use.

Booting from an Alternate Kernel File

The default kernel file name (and the kernel file name that is usually used) is vmunix. The AUTO file in the EFI partition on a boot device typically contains the entry: “boot vmunix” which references the file vmunix in the /stand file system on the selected boot device.

If you normally boot from the kernel file /stand/vmunix but (for example) need to temporarily boot from an alternate kernel file, follow this procedure substituting your kernel file name for testvmunix:

  1. If your system automatically boots, interrupt the autoboot sequence by hitting any key on the console keyboard during the autoboot (time-out) delay.

  2. Select EFI Shell [Built-in] from the boot options menu to start the EFI shell.

  3. Make sure the selected boot device is the one that contains the kernel file you want to boot from. If you are not sure:

    1. Enter map at the EFI shell prompt to list bootable devices on your system.

      The devices will be listed with entries that begin with fs#: (where # is a number such as 0, 1, 2, 3, etc.). For example:

      fs0  : Acpi(HWP0002,500)/Pci(2|0)/Ata(Primary,Master)/HD(Part1,Sig88F40A3A-B992-11E1-8002-D6217B60E588)
      fs1  : Acpi(HWP0002,500)/Pci(2|0)/Ata(Primary,Master)/HD(Part3,Sig88F40A9E-B992-11E1-8004-D6217B60E588)
      blk0 : Acpi(HWP0002,500)/Pci(2|0)/Ata(Primary,Master)
      blk1 : Acpi(HWP0002,500)/Pci(2|0)/Ata(Primary,Master)/HD(Part1,Sig88f40A3A-B992-11E1-8002-D6217B60E588)
      blk2 : Acpi(HWP0002,500)/Pci(2|0)/Ata(Primary,Master)/HD(Part1,Sig88f40A6C-B992-11E1-8003-D6217B60E588)
      blk4 : Acpi(HWP0002,500)/Pci(2|0)/Ata(Secondary,Master)
    2. Determine which entry maps to the device containing the kernel file you are trying to boot from, and enter the fs#: name at the shell prompt.

      For example, if the entry for the device you want to boot from is tagged as “fs7:”, enter fs7: at the shell prompt:

      Shell> fs7:

      The device associated with entry fs7: is now the selected boot device.

  4. Enter the command hpux at the shell prompt and be prepared to stop the autoboot sequence (again by hitting any key on the console keyboard) if you see a countdown timer showing that an autoboot is about to commence.

    NOTE: If the AUTO file on the now selected boot device will cause the system to boot from the alternate kernel file you are trying to use, there is no need to interrupt this second autoboot sequence. Otherwise, stop the automatic boot.
  5. If you stopped the automatic boot in the previous step you should now be in the HP-UX boot loader; the prompt should now be “HPUX>”.

    At the boot loader prompt, enter the command boot filename where filename is the name of the kernel file you are trying to boot from.

    Example 5-7 Booting from an alternate kernel file called testvmunix

    HPUX> boot testvmunix

Changing the PRI, HAA, and ALT Boot Paths

On HP Integrity Servers, the primary, high-availability alternate, and alternate boot paths are based on the first, second, and third items that appear in the boot options list for the server, respectively.

You can manage the boot paths using the setboot command when HP-UX is running, or by using the “Boot Option Maintenance Menu” in the EFI Boot Manager.

Setting the PRI, HAA, and ALT Boot Paths Using the HP-UX setboot Command:

When you use setboot to configure the first (PRI), second (HAA), or third (ALT) item in the boot options list, the new device path that you specify either replaces the original boot option, or it is inserted in the original’s place (with the original item being shifted toward the end of the boot options list):

  • If the boot option is currently not set to an HP-UX device, the new boot device path is inserted as a new item in the boot options list.

    In this case the original list item, if any, moves toward the end of the boot options list and the new boot device path becomes the first (PRI), second (HAA), or third (ALT) item in the list, as specified by setboot.

  • If the boot option is currently set to an HP-UX device and the list item has the standard description (for example, “HP-UX Primary Boot for PRI” or “HP-UX Alternate Boot for ALT”) then the new boot device path replaces the original item in the boot options list.

  • If the boot option currently is set to an HP-UX device and the list item’s description is not standard for its place in the boot options list, then the new boot device setting is inserted as a new item in the boot options list.

    In this case the original list item is moved toward the end of the boot options list.

NOTE: The boot device path that you specify in the setboot command (path in the following examples) must be a valid HP-UX hardware path to a bootable HP-UX device.
  • Use the setboot -p path command to set the primary boot path, for example:

    /usr/sbin/setboot -p 0/0/2/0/0.6

  • Use the setboot -h path command to set the high-availability alternate boot path, for example:

    /usr/sbin/setboot -h 0/0/0/3/1.6

  • Use the setboot -a path command to set the alternate boot path, for example:

    /usr/sbin/setboot -a 0/0/0/3/0.6

Setting the PRI, HAA, and ALT Boot Paths Using the Boot Option Maintenance Menu in the EFI Boot Manager:

You can use the Boot Option Maintenance Menu in the EFI Boot Manager to manage the PRI, HAA, and ALT boot paths. Just remember that:

PRI

The primary boot path (PRI) corresponds to the first boot option in the list

HAA

The high-availability alternate boot path (HAA) corresponds to the second boot option in the list

ALT

The alternate boot path (ALT) corresponds to the third boot option in the list

NOTE: You can have more than three items in your boot options list. The first three correspond to the boot paths as listed above. Additional items can be chosen manually from the boot options list during a manual boot.
  1. Select “Boot Option Maintenance Menu” from the EFI Boot Manager’s main menu

  2. Use the following three Boot Option Maintenance Menu items to edit the boot options list so that it reflects the devices on your system that you want to use for your PRI, HAA, and ALT boot paths (and any additional boot paths you want to add to the list):

    Add a Boot Option

    Presents you with a list of possible boot devices and allows you to select one to add to your boot options list

    Delete Boot Option(s)

    Allows you to interactively delete one or more entries from your boot options list

    Change Boot Order

    Allows you to reorder your boot options list

  3. When the boot options list for your system is as you want it, select “Exit” to return to the EFI Boot Manager’s main menu (which should now reflect your new edits to the boot options list).

Changing the Contents of an AUTO File on a Boot Device

On an HP Integrity Server, during an automatic boot (and some manual boots), the file \EFI\HPUX\AUTO on the device you are booting from is used to locate the kernel file to boot from.

Typically the contents of the AUTO file are “boot vmunix”. You can temporarily override the contents of the AUTO file, for example to boot from an alternate kernel file (see “Booting from an Alternate Kernel File”), but if you want to boot from the other kernel file by default, or want to regularly use certain boot options, you need to change the contents of the AUTO file to reflect the appropriate settings.

NOTE: The AUTO file can only specify the boot command. To issue other hpux.efi loader commands, you must interact directly with the loader.

There are three basic ways to change the contents of the AUTO file on a device. Two of these can only be accomplished using the pre-boot EFI environment. The third can be accomplished while HP-UX is running.

Procedure 5-6 Changing the AUTO file from the EFI Shell (pre-boot)

This procedure cannot be done from a running HP-UX system. It assumes that your system has not yet been booted. If you need to change the contents of a device’s AUTO file while HP-UX is running, see “Changing AUTO from a Running HP-UX Environment”.

To list and configure an HP-UX boot device’s AUTO file from the EFI Shell use EFI Shell commands (such as cd, ls, and edit) to display and edit the EFI\HPUX\AUTO file on the selected device.

  1. Access the EFI Shell environment using the server’s (or nPartition’s) system console. Access the system console either via the server’s management processor (MP) or via a hardwired console terminal.

    If necessary, interrupt the autoboot process by hitting a key during the autoboot time-out period. The EFI Boot Manager will display the boot options menu (the EFI main menu).

    From the boot options menu, select EFI Shell.

  2. Select the device with the AUTO file that you want to change!

    IMPORTANT: Do not forget this step, especially if you have multiple bootable devices. On HP Integrity Servers every bootable device can have its own AUTO file. If you have not selected the device containing the AUTO file you want to change, you might be editing an AUTO file on a different device.

    To list all currently mapped file systems, enter map at the EFI Shell prompt:

    Shell> map

    The map command displays all file systems that are known and have been mapped. For example:

    fs0  : Acpi(HWP0002,500)/Pci(2|0)/Ata(Primary,Master)/HD(Part1,Sig88F40A3A-B992-11E1-8002-D6217B60E588)
    fs1  : Acpi(HWP0002,500)/Pci(2|0)/Ata(Primary,Master)/HD(Part3,Sig88F40A9E-B992-11E1-8004-D6217B60E588)
    blk0 : Acpi(HWP0002,500)/Pci(2|0)/Ata(Primary,Master)
    blk1 : Acpi(HWP0002,500)/Pci(2|0)/Ata(Primary,Master)/HD(Part1,Sig88f40A3A-B992-11E1-8002-D6217B60E588)
    blk2 : Acpi(HWP0002,500)/Pci(2|0)/Ata(Primary,Master)/HD(Part1,Sig88f40A6C-B992-11E1-8003-D6217B60E588)
    blk4 : Acpi(HWP0002,500)/Pci(2|0)/Ata(Secondary,Master)

    In the list that is displayed locate the entry corresponding to the device containing the AUTO file you want to change. Look at the entries in the list that begin with the string fs#, where # will be a number (for example fs0, fs1, fs2 ... and so on). At the EFI Shell prompt enter the fs# for the desired device followed by a colon:

    Shell> fs0:

    Your device is now selected and the EFI Shell prompt will change to reflect that:

    fs0:\>

  3. Change directories to where the AUTO file is located. In the EFI file system for each HP-UX bootable device the AUTO file is located in the \EFI\HPUX directory:

    fs0:\> cd \EFI\HPUX

    The prompt changes again to reflect your new location:

    fs0:\EFI\HPUX>

    1. You can display the contents of the directory using the ls command:

      fs0:\EFI\HPUX> ls

      Directory of: fs0:\EFI\HPUX
        06/03/04  03:31p <DIR>             512  .
        06/03/04  03:31p <DIR>             512  ..
        06/03/04  03:35p               421,590  HPUX.EFI
        06/03/04  03:35p                24,576  NBP.EFI
        06/03/04  03:35p                    12  AUTO
                3 File(s)     446,196 bytes
                2 Dir(s)

      fs0:\EFI\HPUX>
    2. You can display the current contents of the AUTO file using the cat command:

      fs0:\EFI\HPUX> cat AUTO

      FILE: fs0:\EFI\HPUX\AUTO, Size 12

      boot vmunix

      fs0:\EFI\HPUX>
  4. To change the contents of the AUTO file you can either use the edit command to edit the file using the full-screen EFI editor, or use the echo command and redirect its output to the AUTO file:

    • To use the edit command, enter edit AUTO and configure the AUTO file using the full-screen editor.

      To save changes to the file, depending on the system you have and whether you are using a hardwired console or network-based access, press the “F2” key or type Esc 2 (press “Esc” then press “2”). Use the editor’s on-screen prompts to determine which key sequence to use.

      To exit the EFI editor press the “F3” key (or type Esc 3 depending on your system as described in the previous paragraph).

    • To configure the AUTO file without using the full-screen editor, use the echo command:

      fs0:\EFI\HPUX> echo boot testvmunix > auto

    The above command replaces the previous contents (if any) of the AUTO file with the string “boot testvmunix”. Substitute the name of your kernel file for testvmunix in the example.

    NOTE: Because the EFI Shell (EFI file system) is not case sensitive “auto” and “AUTO” (in the previous example) are considered equivalent.

    As with HP-UX shells, in the above example the “>” character causes the echo command’s output to be redirected to the “auto” file. If auto exists its contents are overwritten. If auto does not exist it is created and will contain the output of the echo command.

  5. Verify the new contents of the AUTO file. Use the command cat AUTO to verify that the contents of AUTO now reflect what you want them to.

Procedure 5-7 Changing AUTO from the HPUX.EFI Boot Loader (pre-boot)

To list and configure an HP-UX boot device’s AUTO file from within the HPUX.EFI loader use the showauto and setauto loader commands.

  1. Access the HPUX.EFI loader for the boot device that contains the AUTO file you want to configure.

    You can do this either by launching the loader from the EFI Shell interface, or by selecting the device from the EFI Boot Manager and interrupting the HP-UX boot process to access the loader’s HPUX> prompt.

    NOTE: If you use the EFI Shell interface, be sure to select the correct boot device before starting the HPUX.EFI boot loader or you might change the wrong AUTO file. For details on how to select the correct device, see “Changing the AUTO file from the EFI Shell (pre-boot)”.
  2. At the HP-UX boot loader’s HPUX> prompt, enter the showauto command to display the current contents of the AUTO file:

    HPUX> showauto

    \EFI\HPUX\AUTO => boot vmunix

    HPUX>
  3. Enter the setauto command to delete or modify the AUTO file.

    • setauto -d deletes the AUTO file from the current boot device. You might want to do this if you want to disable automatic booting.

    • setauto string sets the AUTO file to contain the string specified.

      The string specified must be of a form of the boot loader command. No other HPUX.EFI commands are allowed in the AUTO file.

      boot

      Specifies to boot the /stand/vmunix HP-UX kernel with no boot options. For example: setauto boot creates an AUTO file that contains only the boot command.

      boot kernel

      Specifies to boot from the named kernel file. For example: setauto boot testvmunix creates an AUTO file that contains only the boot testvmunix command.

      boot option kernel

      Specifies to boot the specified kernel file using the loader option given. For example: setauto boot -is vmunix command creates an AUTO file containing boot -is vmunix (which indicates to boot in single-user mode, as specified by the -is option).

      See the hpux(1M) manpage for details on loader options, which include LVM maintenance mode (-lm), VxVM maintenance mode (-vm), tunable maintenance mode (-tm), and others.

  4. Enter the showauto command again to verify the AUTO file’s new configuration.

Procedure 5-8 Changing AUTO from a Running HP-UX Environment

Changing the AUTO file for a given HP-UX boot device from within a running HP-UX operating system is a three step process:

  1. Copy the AUTO file from the EFI partition on the boot device to a file on an HP-UX file system.

  2. Edit the contents of the AUTO file to reflect the new settings.

  3. Copy the edited AUTO file back to the EFI partition on the boot device.

  1. Copy the AUTO file from the EFI partition on the boot device to a file on an HP-UX file system. Use the efi_cp command to do this. See efi_cp(1M) for details. For example, if the EFI file system represented by the device file /dev/rdsk/c1t4d0s1 contains the AUTO file you want to change, use the following command to copy the AUTO file to your current directory:

    efi_cp -d /dev/rdsk/c1t4d0s1 -u /EFI/HPUX/AUTO AUTO

    IMPORTANT: The -u option in the command above tells efi_cp to copy the AUTO file from the EFI file system to the HP-UX file system. Think of it as copying the file up from the lower level EFI pre-boot environment. In Step 3 of this procedure, the efi_cp command, used without the -u option, will copy the edited AUTO file back to the EFI file system.

    The most difficult part of this step is determining which device file to use to reference the proper EFI file system. If the AUTO file you want to change is the one associated with the device you are currently booted from, here is one way to determine which device file to use:

    Example 5-8 Determining the EFI disk partition of your current boot device

    1. Use the bdf command to display the device file for the logical volume that contains your boot directory (/stand):

      bdf

      /dev/vg00/lvol1     311296   66368  243064   21% /stand

      In this case (and probably in most cases) the device file for the /stand logical volume is /dev/vg00/lvol1.

    2. Next, use the lvdisplay command to determine the name of the device file(s) of the physical devices associated with the logical volume in the previous step of this example (use grep and tail to filter the lines you need):

      lvdisplay -vk /dev/vg00/lvol1|grep /dev|tail +3

       /dev/dsk/c0t0d0s2  38        38

      In this example, the HP-UX file system on the one physical device associated with the /stand directory (the directory containing the kernel file we booted from) is /dev/dsk/c0t0d0s2. The “s2” at the end of the file name refers to partition number 2 on the physical device. This is usually the partition on the disk that contains HP-UX file systems. The EFI partition is almost always contained in partition 1, so if you change the “s2” to “s1” in the file name you should have the device file you need to use for the efi_cp command (/dev/dsk/c0t0d0s1).

    3. If the logical volume containing the /stand file system contains more than one physical device, you have a little more work to do. You have to determine which of them you booted from, or more importantly, which one you will boot from after changing its AUTO file. Though not always, it is usually the device associated with your PRI (primary) boot path.

      Use the setboot command with no options to determine which device your primary boot path currently points to, then use the lssf command with each device file associated with the logical volume containing /stand. Look for which device file has a hardware address that matches your primary boot path. Change the “s2” to “s1” as in the previous sub-step and you have the name to use with efi_cp.

    NOTE: You can use this procedure with devices other than your current boot device if you have multiple devices you alternately boot from. Example Example 5-8 “Determining the EFI disk partition of your current boot device” describes a common occurrence.
  2. Use the method or editor of your choice to change the contents of the AUTO file in your current directory. For example, you might want to change the contents of the AUTO file to automatically boot from an alternate kernel file:

    Before the change AUTO contains:

    boot vmunix

    After your edits AUTO contains:

    boot testvmunix

  3. Copy the changed AUTO file back to the EFI file system using the efi_cp command (without the -u option):

    efi_cp -d /dev/rdsk/c1t4d0s1 AUTO /EFI/HPUX/AUTO


Booting into Single-User Mode

You can boot HP-UX in single-user mode by using the following procedure:

Procedure 5-9 Booting HP-UX Into Single-User Mode on HP Integrity Servers

From the EFI Shell environment, boot in single-user mode by stopping the boot process at the HPUX.EFI interface (the HP-UX Boot Loader prompt, HPUX>) and enter the boot -is vmunix command.

  1. Access the EFI Shell environment for the nPartition on which you want to boot HP-UX in single-user mode.

    Login to the service processor (MP or GSP) and enter CO to access the Console list. Select the nPartition console.

    When accessing the console, confirm that you are at the EFI Boot Manager menu (the main EFI menu). If at another EFI menu, select the Exit option from the sub-menus until you return to the screen with the EFI Boot Manager heading.

    From the EFI Boot Manager menu, select the EFI Shell menu option to access the EFI Shell environment.

  2. Make sure the selected boot device is the one that contains the kernel file you want to boot from. If you are not sure:

    1. Enter map at the EFI shell prompt to list bootable devices on your system.

      The devices will be listed with entries that begin with fs#: (where # is a number such as 0, 1, 2, 3, etc.). For example:

      fs0  : Acpi(HWP0002,500)/Pci(2|0)/Ata(Primary,Master)/HD(Part1,Sig88F40A3A-B992-11E1-8002-D6217B60E588)
      fs1  : Acpi(HWP0002,500)/Pci(2|0)/Ata(Primary,Master)/HD(Part3,Sig88F40A9E-B992-11E1-8004-D6217B60E588)
      blk0 : Acpi(HWP0002,500)/Pci(2|0)/Ata(Primary,Master)
      blk1 : Acpi(HWP0002,500)/Pci(2|0)/Ata(Primary,Master)/HD(Part1,Sig88f40A3A-B992-11E1-8002-D6217B60E588)
      blk2 : Acpi(HWP0002,500)/Pci(2|0)/Ata(Primary,Master)/HD(Part1,Sig88f40A6C-B992-11E1-8003-D6217B60E588)
      blk4 : Acpi(HWP0002,500)/Pci(2|0)/Ata(Secondary,Master)
    2. Determine which entry maps to the device containing the kernel file you are trying to boot from, and enter the fs#: name at the shell prompt.

      For example, if the entry for the device you want (from a list that is longer than the above example) is tagged as “fs7:”, enter fs7: at the shell prompt:

      Shell> fs7:

      The device associated with entry fs7: is now the selected boot device.

  3. When accessing the EFI System Partition for the desired boot device, issue the HPUX command to invoke the \EFI\HPUX\HPUX.EFI loader on the selected device.

  4. Boot to the HP-UX Boot Loader prompt (HPUX>) by typing any key within the ten seconds given for interrupting the HP-UX boot process. You will use the HPUX.EFI loader to boot HP-UX in single-user mode in the next step.

    After you type a key, the HPUX.EFI interface (the HP-UX Boot Loader prompt, HPUX>) is provided. For help using the HPUX.EFI loader, type the help command. To return to the EFI Shell, type exit.

    fs7:\> hpux

    (c) Copyright 1990-2002, Hewlett Packard Company.
    All rights reserved

    HP-UX Boot Loader for IA64 Revision 1.723

    Press Any Key to interrupt Autoboot
    \efi\hpux\AUTO ==> boot vmunix
    Seconds left till autoboot - 9

    [User Types A Key to Stop the HP-UX Boot Process and Access the HPUX.EFI Loader ]

    Type ’help’ for help

    HPUX>
  5. At the HPUX.EFI interface (the HP-UX Boot Loader prompt, HPUX>) enter the boot -is vmunix command to boot HP-UX (the /stand/vmunix kernel) in single-user (-is) mode. If you are booting from a different kernel file into single-user mode substitute the other file’s name for vmunix. The -is option is what specifies single-user mode.

    HPUX> boot -is vmunix
    > System Memory = 4063 MB
    loading section 0
    ................................................... (complete)
    loading section 1
    ........ (complete)
    loading symbol table
    loading System Directory(boot.sys) to MFS
    ....
    loading MFSFILES Directory(bootfs) to MFS
    ......
    Launching /stand/vmunix
    SIZE: Text:25953K + Data:3715K + BSS:3637K = Total:33306K

    Console is on a Serial Device
    Booting kernel...

  6. If you are accessing the system console through the management processor and you are no longer using it, exit the console and service processor interfaces.

    To exit the EFI environment type ^B (Control-B); this exits the nPartition console and returns to the service processor Main Menu. To exit the service processor, type X at the Main Menu.

Booting into LVM (or VxVM) Maintenance Mode

The procedure for booting HP-UX into LVM Maintenance Mode is the same as for booting into single user mode (“Booting HP-UX Into Single-User Mode on HP Integrity Servers” for details), except use the -lm boot option instead of the -is boot option:

HPUX> boot -lm vmunix

For VxVM Maintenance Mode use:

HPUX> boot -vm vmunix

Booting HP-UX on HP 9000 (PA-RISC) Systems: Details and Variations

A Standard Boot (PA-RISC Systems)

Here are more details about what happens during a typical HP-UX boot-up sequence on an HP 9000 System. If you are booting an HP Integrity Server see “Booting HP-UX on HP Integrity Servers: Details and Variations”.

  1. Power on external devices: . If necessary, turn on all external peripherals and devices that are attached to your computer (for example, disk drives, tape drives, printers, terminals, bus converters).

    Once the devices have completed their self-check tests, proceed to the next step.

  2. Power on your system (or nPartition): . Turn on or reset the computer or nPartition.

    System hardware or hardware associated with an nPartition you are booting will go through a series of self-tests to verify that the processors, memory, and other system components are in working order.

  3. Boot device selection: . Your system (or the nPartition you are booting) must locate a kernel file to boot from. There are two parts to the search:

    Part 1

    determine the hardware path to the boot device

    Part 2

    determine which kernel file on the hardware path to boot (see Step 4)

    Path variables stored in non-volatile memory set up to three possible boot paths from which to attempt a boot:

    PRI

    The PRImary boot path is the first boot path to try. Set the value of this path to point to the device from which you will boot most often.

    HAA

    The High-Availability Alternate boot path, on systems that support it, is the path you want your system to boot from should your primary boot path fail.

    ALT

    The ALTernate boot path is the hardware path to an alternate boot source (for example, a tape drive, network-based boot source, or optical disc drive).

    On some systems only the primary boot path is automatically tried. On those systems, in order to boot from the alternate boot path you need to override the 10 second autoboot delay.

    On other systems, firmware can be configured to associate various boot actions with each boot path. These boot actions allow you to tell the system:

    • whether to attempt or ignore a boot path

    • if unsuccessful booting from a boot path, whether or not to try the next path in the sequence PRI -> HAA -> ALT

    • whether or not to use the Boot Console Handler (BCH) interface

    For information about the specific hardware paths available on your system, refer to the output of ioscan (see ioscan(1M) for details on how to run ioscan). Also, some path information is physically printed on your system.

    Usually, the primary boot path points to the device from which you most frequently boot and that device is available.

    Once the boot device has been initialized, PDC (firmware routines) access a specially formatted area on the boot device, called a LIF volume. PDC loads the Initial System Loader (ISL) into memory and transfers control to it.

  4. Kernel file selection: . If uninterrupted (and if the autoboot flag is enabled -- “Automatic Versus Manual Booting”) ISL will load and initiate the HP-UX-specific boot loader hpux.

  5. Load and initiate the HP-UX operating system: . HP-UX uses the contents of the AUTO file in the LIF area on the boot device to:

    1. locate the kernel file to boot

    2. load the HP-UX kernel into memory

    3. initiate the HP-UX kernel

    Typically, the AUTO file contains:

    hpux vmunix

    which tells hpux to load the kernel from the file called vmunix from the default file system (/stand -- the file /stand/vmunix).

  6. HP-UX goes through its initialization process and begins normal operation. 

Automatic Versus Manual Booting

PDC sets up the boot and console devices using the Boot Console Handler (BCH). Which actions the BCH takes once the console and boot devices have been initialized depend on whether or not the operator manually interrupts an autoboot, and on the state of two flags in nonvolatile memory: autoboot and autosearch.

Overriding an Automatic Boot

To override an automatic boot, hit any key on the console keyboard within the autoboot delay period (usually 10 seconds). The Boot Console Handler will display its main menu and allow you to interact with it.

Enabling / Disabling Autoboot

HP 9000 systems running HP-UX are usually set up to boot automatically when their power is turned on. This is an important feature when systems are installed in locations that are not always attended by an operator or system administrator. Should the power fail at the computer site, the system can (usually) reboot itself without input from an operator. The autoboot feature is also a convenience.

There are times when you do not want systems to automatically boot themselves, such as when you want to boot from a different device or kernel file. See “Booting from an Alternate Device” or “Booting from an Alternate Kernel”.

The following table describes how the autoboot and autosearch flag settings affect the boot sequence:

Table 5-1 How autoboot and autosearch Flag Settings Affect the Boot Sequence

autoboot

autosearch Boot Type

What happens

OFF

OFFManual BootThe BCH interacts with the user to obtain the bootable device path
OFFONBoot SearchThe BCH searches for all bootable devices, then interacts with the user to select one

ON

OFFAuto BootThe BCH tries the primary boot path in nonvolatile memory; if it is not bootable, the BCH interacts with the user to obtain a bootable device path

ON

ONAuto SearchThe BCH tries the primary boot path; if it is not bootable, the BCH searches to find the first device that is bootable and boots from it.

 

To have your computer boot itself when powered on or reset, the autoboot flag should be enabled.

To require action by an attendant to boot the computer, the autoboot flag should be disabled.

Setting the Value of the autoboot Flag

The values of the autoboot and auto search flags can be set or changed in several ways:

  • In the pre-boot environment, you can set them from the Boot Console Handlers configuration menu

  • From a running HP-UX system you can use the setboot command

Procedure 5-11 Setting Autoboot and Autosearch Flags Using the Boot Console Handler

  1. After powering on or resetting your computer (or nPartition) take control of the boot process by hitting any key on the console keyboard so that autoboot/autosearch will not boot the system automatically (if they are currently enabled). The Boot Console Handler will display its main menu.

    The Boot Console Handler (BCH) will display its main menu and prompt for a command:

    Main Menu: Enter command >

  2. Enter one of the following BCH commands (depending on your needs):

    Example 5-9 Enabling the Autoboot Flag Using the BCH

    Main Menu: Enter Command > co au bo on

    TIP: The above command is a shortcut for entering a command that actually resides in the BCH configuration menu (the co portion of the command indicates that the next part of the command is from the configuration menu).

    The au portion of the above command is shorthand for the “auto” command within the configuration menu.

    The bo portion of the above command is shorthand for the “boot” argument to the auto command in the configuration menu which indicates the autoboot flag. And the on portion of the above command says you want the autoboot flag enabled.

    Therefore, the shorthand command replaces the following two commands:

    Main Menu: Enter Command > co

    Configuration Menu: Enter Command > auto boot on

    Example 5-10 Disabling the Autoboot Flag Using the BCH

    Main Menu: Enter Command > co au bo off

    Example 5-11 Enabling the Autosearch Flag Using the BCH

    Main Menu: Enter Command > co au sea on

    Example 5-12 Disabling the Autosearch Flag Using the BCH

    Main Menu: Enter Command > co au sea off

Setting Autoboot and Autosearch Flags Using the HP-UX setboot Command. You can set the values of the autoboot and autosearch flags from a running HP-UX system. To do this, use the setboot command (see setboot(1M) for complete details).

Example 5-13 Enabling the Autoboot Flag Using setboot

/usr/sbin/setboot -b on

Example 5-14 Disabling the Autoboot Flag Using setboot

/usr/sbin/setboot -b off

Example 5-15 Enabling the Autosearch Flag Using setboot

/usr/sbin/setboot -s on

Example 5-16 Disabling the Autosearch Flag Using setboot

/usr/sbin/setboot -s off


Changing the PRI, HAA, and ALT Boot Paths

HP 9000 systems allow you to define a primary boot path and an alternate boot path, and in many cases a high-availability alternate boot path.

The primary boot path allows autoboot to work properly, and all three definitions allow you to easily refer to the corresponding hardware paths when you need to (for example, in the Boot Console Handler you can use the command “boot alt” to boot from the hardware device associated with the ALT boot path).

You can manage the boot paths using the setboot command when HP-UX is running, or by using the Boot Console Handler interface in a pre-boot environment.

Setting the PRI, HAA, and ALT Boot Paths using the HP-UX setboot command: When you use setboot to configure the primary (PRI), high-availability alternate (HAA), or alternate (ALT) boot paths, the new device path that you specify replaces the original boot option setting.

NOTE: The boot device path that you specify in the setboot command (path in the following examples) must be a valid HP-UX hardware path to a bootable HP-UX device.
  • Use the setboot -p path command to set the primary boot path, for example:

    /usr/sbin/setboot -p 0/0/2/0/0.6

  • Use the setboot -h path command to set the high-availability alternate boot path, for example:

    /usr/sbin/setboot -h 0/0/0/3/1.6

  • Use the setboot -a path command to set the alternate boot path, for example:

    /usr/sbin/setboot -a 0/0/0/3/0.6

Procedure 5-12 Setting the PRI, HAA, and ALT Boot Paths Using the Boot Console Handler

  1. After powering on or resetting your computer (or nPartition) take control of the boot process by hitting any key on the console keyboard so that autoboot/autosearch will not boot the system automatically (if they are currently enabled). The Boot Console Handler will display its main menu.

    The Boot Console Handler (BCH) will display its main menu and prompt for a command:

    Main Menu: Enter command >

  2. Enter one of the following BCH commands (depending on your needs):

    Example 5-17 Setting the PRI (Primary Boot Path) Using the BCH

    Example:  Set the primary boot path address to 0/0/0/2/0.5

    Main Menu: Enter Command > pa pri 0/0/0/2/0.5

    TIP: In the above command pa is a shortcut for the path command. In the Boot Console Handler interface, you can often abbreviate commands and options (pri for “primary”). See the help system in the BCH interface for acceptable abbreviations.

    Example 5-18 Setting the HAA (High-Availability Alternate Boot Path) Using the BCH

    Example:  Set the high availability alternate boot path address to 0/0/0/3/1.6

    Main Menu: Enter Command > pa haa 0/0/0/3/1.6

    Example 5-19 Setting the ALT (Alternate Boot Path) Using the BCH

    Example:  Set the alternate boot path address to 0/0/0/3/0.6

    Main Menu: Enter Command > pa alt 0/0/0/3/0.6

Booting PA-RISC Systems from an Alternate Boot Source

A boot source consists of two parts:

  1. A boot device containing a file system where kernel files are stored

  2. A kernel file containing the kernel to boot

Your primary boot source is a kernel file on your primary boot device. This is where (if your system is set up for automatic booting) your system will boot from during an autoboot.

You can override where your system boots from by manually interrupting the automatic boot and specifying a different boot device or a different kernel file on your primary boot device.

Booting from an Alternate Device

There are times when you will need to boot from a device other than the device that you normally boot from. For example, if your primary boot disk fails, you might need to boot your system either from a different disk or from a recovery tape.

NOTE: If you have an older HP 9000 system with firmware that does not use the Boot Console Handler, follow the firmware’s on screen prompts. The basic process is the same; only the specific commands differ:
  • Interrupt the automatic boot process

  • Use the boot command to specify where to boot from

Proce