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Support Notes for SUSE LINUX Enterprise
Server 10 Service Pack 4 for HP Integrity
Servers
HP Part Number: 5900-0402
© Copyright 2009 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
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Table of Contents
Support Notes for SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 10 Service Pack 4 for HP Integrity
Servers.................................................................................................................................5
Announcement.......................................................................................................................................5
Support Note Contents...........................................................................................................................5
SLES 10 Service Pack 4 on Integrity Servers...........................................................................................5
Using the HP Smart Setup Application to Prepare for Operating System Installation....................5
Documentation..................................................................................................................................5
Installing Your Operating System ..........................................................................................................5
Registering Software and Getting Updates from the SUSE LINUX Maintenance Web.........................6
Registering Software.........................................................................................................................6
Getting Updates from the SUSE LINUX Maintenance Web.............................................................6
Option 1 - Via the Web.................................................................................................................6
Option 2 - Via the Network using YaST Online Update (YOU)..................................................6
Known Issues..........................................................................................................................................6
Table of Contents
3
4
Support Notes for SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 10 Service
Pack 4 for HP Integrity Servers
Announcement
This document provides instructions for initiating the SLES 10 Service Pack 4 installation using
the HP Smart Setup application, explains how to get updates from SUSE LINUX Maintenance
Web, and lists known problems with SLES 10 Service Pack 4 for the Intel® Itanium® Processor
Family on HP Integrity Servers.
Support Note Contents
1.
2.
3.
4.
“SLES 10 Service Pack 4 on Integrity Servers”
Installing Your Operating System (page 5)
Registering Software and Getting Updates from the SUSE LINUX Maintenance Web (page 6)
Known Issues (page 6)
SLES 10 Service Pack 4 on Integrity Servers
Hewlett-Packard has certified SLES10 Service Pack 4 (SP4) for the Itanium Processor Family
(kernel version 2.6.16.60-0.85.1, glibc 2.4-31.81.11) on Integrity servers.
Using the HP Smart Setup Application to Prepare for Operating System Installation
Use the HP Smart Setup application to prepare your system for installation of the Linux operating
system. The HP Smart Setup application assists with tasks such as configuring storage adapters,
upgrading firmware, preparing a system hardware inventory, and installing diagnostics tools.
After operating system installation, you can use the HP Support Pack to install additional utilities
and tools such as HP system management software.
The HP Smart Setup application is part of the HP Insight Foundation Suite for Integrity with
Linux, which ships with your system hardware. It is also available for free download under the
Linux link at the following website:
http://www.hp.com/go/integritylinuxessentials
Documentation
Novell provides documentation for SLES10 SP4 operating system installation with its installation
media.
Documentation for the HP Insight Foundation Suite for Integrity with Linux and the HP Smart
Setup application come with your system. The HP Insight Foundation Suite for Integrity with
Linux User's Guide describes how to use HP Smart Setup application to install SLES10 SP4.
Installing Your Operating System
Before using the SLES10 SP4 installation media, use the HP Smart Setup application and the
Linux Installer media to load the operating system files on the server. After installation, set up
the system and update it with the latest firmware, drivers, and patches. For details about
installation procedures, see the HP Insight Foundation Suite for Integrity with Linux User's
Guide.
Announcement
5
NOTE: HP recommends backing up all data and doing a cold install of SLES if upgrading from
SLES8 or SLES9.
Recovering your operating system:
The HP Insight Foundation Suite for Integrity with Linux media and HP Smart Setup ship with
your Integrity server. Contact your HP sales representative to obtain the foundation pack kit if
it is not with your order. You can download the HP Insight Foundation Suite for Integrity with
Linux and updates for free from the Linux link at:
http://www.hp.com/go/integritylinuxessentials
Registering Software and Getting Updates from the SUSE LINUX
Maintenance Web
Registering Software
1.
From the following URL, (Novell Customer Center), log in under the Log In section if you
already have a Novell user account. To create an account, click on the Create Account button:
https://secure-www.novell.com/center/regadmin/jsps/home_app.jsp
2.
After logging in to the Novell Customer Center, activate your product by clicking on the My
Products > Activate Product link in the left-hand frame.
Getting Updates from the SUSE LINUX Maintenance Web
Option 1 - Via the Web
1.
Go to the following URL:
http://www.novell.com
2.
3.
4.
Click on "Downloads" in the + Menu area at the top of the page.
Use the Search function in the Downloads home page to locate the products you want to
update.
From the search results, click on the download button of the products to update.
NOTE:
Not all packages are available for every operating system version.
Option 2 - Via the Network using YaST Online Update (YOU)
1.
2.
If running behind a firewall, you may need to modify your proxy settings. This can be done
from YaST.
To access YOU:
a. Type you at the shell prompt and press Enter.
b. Use the Tab key to highlight an option and press the space bar to select. When done
making your selections, tab to Next at the bottom of the screen and press Enter.
c. Select and install any desired updates.
NOTE: When presented with a list of packages to update, a plus (+) sign to the left of the package
indicates “select this package for update.”
Known Issues
1.
6
If the Integrity Integrated Lights-Out (iLO 2) Advanced Pack has been enabled for the
integrated iLO 2 Management Processor, then any USB mouse that is connected will work
2.
3.
as expected during the installation but will be ignored by the X11 server once the system
has been installed. To use the USB mouse in the installed system, remove the file
/etc/X11/xorg.conf and restart the X11 server. Note that if this is done, only the USB mouse
will function and any iLO 2 vKVM mouse that has been configured, will be ignored.
The vKVM mouse enabled in the Integrity Integrated Lights-Out (iLO 2) Advanced Pack
will be ignored during installation. The vKVM mouse will function with the X11 server was
the system has been installed. Another user interface instead of vKVM should be used for
the installation.
No support for uncertified RPM packages.
If you add uncertified RPM packages to the operating system (for example, from an open
source development repository), it will not be supported by Novell. Novell supports only
RPM packages bundled in supported Linux distributions for Integrity servers and official
SLES Service Packs for those distributions. HP supports the Linux software it distributes.
4.
No support for systems with a recompiled kernel.
Although you may recompile your kernel to change configuration parameters, HP does not
support systems on which you have recompiled your kernel for any other reason (for example,
for kernel source code changes).
Supported customizations:
a.
b.
5.
Modifying configuration options found in /usr/src/
linux-version-versionnumber/configs to set values or make modules static
or dynamically loadable.
Changing boot-time parameters found in /usr/src/linux/Documentation/
kernel-parameters.txt (with the kernel-source /rpm).
Before installing or booting SLES10 SP4 on an nPartition on an rx7620, rx8620, or Integrity
Superdome SX1000 server, set the ACPI configuration value to acpiconfig
single-pci-domain.
For rx7620, rx8620, or Integrity Superdome SX1000 servers booting SLES 10:
a.
b.
At the EFI Shell prompt, type acpiconfig single-pci-domain and press Enter.
Type reset and press Enter.
For rx7640 and rx8640 booting SLES10:
a.
b.
6.
At the EFI Shell prompt, type acpiconfig default and press Enter.
Type reset and press Enter.
System is unbootable after adding new disks.
When you add new disks, the system may fail with one of the following messages:
init=
or
VFS root not found
To fix the problem:
a.
b.
Remove any disks you've added since you last booted your system.
Invoke the following command:
parted /dev/sdX
where sdX is the disk where your root partition resides.
c.
Use the name command to assign forward slash (/) as a LABEL to the root file system.
The help name from inside parted explains the syntax you should use, for example:
name 1 /
d.
Manually verify root= "LABEL= /" is in each image section of the /boot/efi/
SuSE/elilo.conf file.
Known Issues
7
==== sample elilo.conf for mounting root partition by label ====
default=linux
timeout=50
prompt
image=vmlinuz
label = Linux
append = ""
initrd = initrd
root="LABEL=/"
==== sample elilo.conf for mounting root partition by label ====
e.
Manually verify LABEL"=/" entry is in the /etc/fstab.
===== sample fstab for mounting root device by label =====
LABEL=/
/
reiserfs
acl,user_xattr
1 1
/dev/sda1
/boot/efi
vfat
defaults
0 0
/dev/sda2
swap
swap
defaults
0 0
proc
/proc
proc
defaults
0 0
sysfs
/sys
sysfs
noauto
0 0
debugfs
/sys/kernel/debug
debugfs
noauto
0 0
usbfs
/proc/bus/usb
usbfs
noauto
0 0
devpts
/dev/pts
devpts
mode=0620,gid=5
0 0
===== sample fstab for mounting root device by label =====
7.
If you want rx7620 or rx8620 server hardware to power off when the shutdown -h command
or poweroff command is issued, run the acpiconfig enable softpowerdown
command from the EFI shell and reset the nPartition to make the ACPI configuration take
effect.
The normal behavior on rx7620 and rx8620 servers is for an nPartition to be made inactive
(all cells are in a boot-is-blocked state) when shutdown -h or poweroff is issued from
the SLES command line. This behavior is established with the acpiconfig disable
powerdown setting, which is the normal setting for the single-pci-domain ACPI configuration.
On HP Integrity Superdome servers, an nPartition is always made inactive when halted
from the operating system (for example, after shutdown -h), and this behavior cannot be
changed.
When softpowerdown is enabled on an rx7620 or rx8620 server, if one nPartition is defined
in the server then halting the operating system powers off the server cabinet (including all
cells and I/O chassis). On an rx7620 or rx8620 server with multiple nPartitions, halting the
operating system from an nPartition with softpowerdown enabled causes only the resources
on the local nPartition to be powered off.
You can run the acpiconfig command with no arguments to check the current setting
and the softpowerdown setting; however, softpowerdown information is displayed only
when different from normal behavior.
8
To power on hardware that has been powered off, use the PE command at the management
processor command menu. To make an inactive nPartition active, use the management
processor BO command to boot the nPartition past the boot-is-blocked state.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
HP supports up to two I/O chassis per hard partition for the rx7620 and HP Integrity
Superdome SX1000. HP supports up to four I/O chassis per hard partition for the rx8640.
SCSI errors and resets for any reason cause system failures. For example, if your disks have
a problem such as a parity or disk error that causes a SCSI reset, the system will fail.
Combining a Seagate drive with the ds2100 disk carrier causes electrical problems on the
SCSI bus and subsequent reset attempts that also result in system failure. Do not use Seagate
drives with this disk carrier.
A package will fail to install if the system clock is not set properly. Ensure the system clock
is set properly before attempting any installs.
Do not run the "Test X Configuration" when installing the system. It triggers the start of a
second X server, which when saving or restoring fonts causes an MCA. Upon completion
of installation, the user should upgrade the xorg-x11-server package by either downloading
the recommended update from the patch support database, or installing it from YOU. This
update will resolve this problem.
SLES10 SP4 obsoletes mii_tool, preventing the user from being able to query a Tulip-based
network card such as the A5506B.
The autoinst.xml file written by YaST after installation will format drives even if they were
not touched during the installation of the system. The user should take care to modify this
file to handle their hard disks appropriately before attempting to use the file.
The cdrecord program may hang when burning a CD-RW disk with unsupported media
using certain models of CD/DVD-ROM Combo and DVD+RW drives shipped in rx1620,
rx2620, and rx4640 servers.
Use only approved HP CD-RW media to prevent burn hangs. Try different brands of media
if HP media is not available.
15. The ELILO bootloader can pass command-line options to the Linux kernel. The max_addr=
and mem= options limit the amount of memory used by the kernel.
Some versions of the kernel handle these arguments incorrectly, resulting in an MCA that
crashes the system during boot. If the system boots successfully, there is no risk of a crash
due to this problem.
Booting with max_addr= or mem= is sometimes useful for debugging problems, but is not
a tested feature. A similar effect can be achieved by deconfiguring (with the EFI dimmconfig
command) or physically removing DIMMs.
16. System panics may occur on Integrity servers running Linux that have fibre channel (FC)
storage arrays directly connected.
If you plan to connect FC storage to Integrity Servers running Linux, you must connect
through a FC switch. For the BL860c Blade servers, customers must use either the FC switch
module (AE370A/AE371A/AE372A) or an external FC switch.
17. After installing the operating system, if a message similar to the following is displayed, you
will need to take action.
Loading.: SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Load of SUSE Linux Enterprise
Server SP4 failed: Not Found Press any key to continue
To resolve this problem, enter the following commands:
# reconnect -r
# map -r
Next, reboot. This can be done by exiting the shell (using the exit command) and reselecting
the EFI boot menu entry.
Known Issues
9
18. When Linux boots on an mid-range/high-end (cellular) IA-64 machine with discontiguous
memory, a cell may end up in a state where it has too little contiguous memory available,
and could cause an MCA.
If you experience this issue, try one of the following methods to resolve the problem:
a.
b.
Try changing the memory configuration so that the memory in each cell is equal.
Try changing the CLM (Cell Local Memory) setting to increase the size of contiguous
memory.
If the system was working previously, try the pdt command at the EFI prompt. If there are
PDT entries, consider replacing the bad memory.
19. The Kernel Debugger (KDB) is included in SLES 10. When a Transfer of Control (TOC) is
issued, instead of producing a dump, the SLES 10 kernel enters the KDB. This process may
cause issues, and HP recommends that you do not use TOC.
20. This problem is specific to the LSI1068 SAS I/O controller in the rx2660, BL860c and the
BL870c.
The mpt driver included in SLES10 SP4 does not have the necessary agent components
required by HP System Insight Manager. To fix this problem, HP has qualified a special
version of the mpt driver, which can be downloaded from the drivers area of www.hp.com.
10