Compaq Server DS20 User Manual

Installation Guide

January 2000

ECG513/0100, revision 1.2.10

Linux Installation and

Configuration Guide

for AlphaServer DS10,

DS20, DS20E, ES40,

and AlphaStation

Compaq Computer Corporation

Contents:

EXTENDED TABLE OF CONTENTS........ 2

INTRODUCTION....................................... 7

OVERVIEW OF INSTALLATION .............. 8

COMPAQ ALPHASERVER DS10............. 9

COMPAQ ALPHASERVER DS20........... 23

COMPAQ ALPHASERVER DS20E ........ 36

COMPAQ ALPHASERVER ES40........... 49

COMPAQ ALPHASTATION XP1000...... 64

APPENDIX A .......................................... 77

APPENDIX B .......................................... 78

APPENDIX C .......................................... 79

GLOSSARY ............................................ 81

XP1000 Computers

Abstract: The purpose of this guide is to

provide the basic installation and

configuration guidelines for the Linux

operating system on AlphaServer DS10,

DS20, DS20E, ES40 and AlphaStation

XP1000 computers.

This guide limits its testing to two prominent

Linux distributions, Red Hat version 6.0

and SuSE version 6.1 Much of the

information contained in this document

should be applicable to most other Linux

distributions for AlphaServer and

AlphaStation computers too.

Linux Installation and Configuration Guide for AlphaServer

Software Installation........................................................................................................................... 26

Disk Partitioning............................................................................................................................. 26

Post-Installation.................................................................................................................................. 28

System Resource Manager Configuration........................................................................................ 28

SuSE Version 6.1 Distribution.............................................................................................................. 29

Pre-Installation ................................................................................................................................... 29

Creating The BOOT and RAMDISK Floppies................................................................................. 29

Firmware Inspection and Upgrade................................................................................................... 30

System Resource Manager Configuration........................................................................................ 30

Software Installation........................................................................................................................... 32

Disk Partitioning............................................................................................................................. 32

Post-Installation.................................................................................................................................. 34

System Resource Manager Configuration........................................................................................ 34

COMPAQ ALPHASERVER DS20E ...................................................................36

Hardware Options................................................................................................................................ 36

Tested Saleable Hardware Options...................................................................................................... 36

Red Hat Version 6.0 Distribution......................................................................................................... 36

Pre-Installation ................................................................................................................................... 37

Creating The BOOT Floppy............................................................................................................ 37

Firmware Inspection and Upgrade................................................................................................... 38

System Resource Manager Configuration........................................................................................ 38

Software Installation........................................................................................................................... 39

Disk Partitioning............................................................................................................................. 39

Post-Installation.................................................................................................................................. 41

System Resource Manager Configuration........................................................................................ 41

SuSE Version 6.1 Distribution.............................................................................................................. 42

Pre-Installation ................................................................................................................................... 42

Creating The BOOT and RAMDISK Floppies................................................................................. 42

Firmware Inspection and Upgrade................................................................................................... 43

System Resource Manager Configuration........................................................................................ 44

Software Installation........................................................................................................................... 45

Disk Partitioning............................................................................................................................. 45

Post-Installation.................................................................................................................................. 47

System Resource Manager Configuration........................................................................................ 47

COMPAQ ALPHASERVER ES40......................................................................49

Hardware Options................................................................................................................................ 49

Tested Saleable Hardware Options...................................................................................................... 49

Red Hat Version 6.0 Distribution......................................................................................................... 50

Pre-Installation ................................................................................................................................... 50

Creating The BOOT Floppy............................................................................................................ 50

Firmware Inspection and Upgrade................................................................................................... 51

System Resource Manager Configuration........................................................................................ 51

Software Installation........................................................................................................................... 53

Disk Partitioning............................................................................................................................. 53

Post-Installation.................................................................................................................................. 55

System Resource Manager Configuration........................................................................................ 55

SuSE Version 6.1 Distribution.............................................................................................................. 56

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Linux Installation and Configuration Guide for AlphaServer

Pre-Installation ................................................................................................................................... 56

Creating The BOOT and RAMDISK Floppies................................................................................. 56

Firmware Inspection and Upgrade................................................................................................... 57

System Resource Manager Configuration........................................................................................ 57

Software Installation........................................................................................................................... 59

Disk Partitioning............................................................................................................................. 60

Post-Installation.................................................................................................................................. 62

System Resource Manager Configuration........................................................................................ 62

COMPAQ ALPHASTATION XP1000.................................................................64

Hardware Options................................................................................................................................ 64

Tested Saleable Hardware Options...................................................................................................... 64

Red Hat Version 6.0 Distribution......................................................................................................... 65

Pre-Installation ................................................................................................................................... 65

Creating The BOOT Floppy............................................................................................................ 65

Firmware Inspection and Upgrade................................................................................................... 66

System Resource Manager Configuration........................................................................................ 66

Software Installation........................................................................................................................... 67

Disk Partitioning............................................................................................................................. 67

Post-Installation.................................................................................................................................. 69

System Resource Manager Configuration........................................................................................ 69

SuSE Version 6.1 Distribution.............................................................................................................. 70

Pre-Installation ................................................................................................................................... 70

Creating The BOOT and RAMDISK Floppies................................................................................. 70

Firmware Inspection and Upgrade................................................................................................... 71

System Resource Manager Configuration........................................................................................ 71

Software Installation........................................................................................................................... 72

Disk Partitioning............................................................................................................................. 73

Post-Installation.................................................................................................................................. 75

System Resource Manager Configuration........................................................................................ 75

APPENDIX A......................................................................................................77

Linux Links........................................................................................................................................... 77

APPENDIX B......................................................................................................78

AlphaServer Configurations ................................................................................................................ 78

Compaq AlphaServer DS10 ................................................................................................................ 78

Compaq AlphaServer DS20 ................................................................................................................ 78

Compaq AlphaServer ES40................................................................................................................. 78

Compaq AlphaStation XP1000............................................................................................................ 78

APPENDIX C......................................................................................................79

SCSI and IDE Configurations.............................................................................................................. 79

SCSI Only.......................................................................................................................................... 79

Mixed - IDE and SCSI........................................................................................................................ 79

Adding a second drive to your system.................................................................................................. 79

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Linux Installation and Configuration Guide for AlphaServer

Reusing a previously installed hard drive............................................................................................ 80

TLZ07 and TLZ09 Errata.................................................................................................................... 80

GLOSSARY........................................................................................................81

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Notice

The information in this publication is subject to change without notice and is provided “AS IS” WITHOUT

WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. THE ENTIRE RISK ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THIS

INFORMATION REMAINS WITH RECIPIENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL COMPAQ BE LIABLE FOR

ANY DIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE OR OTHER DAMAGES

WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS

PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION OR LOSS OF BUSINESS INFORMATION), EVEN IF

COMPAQ HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

The limited warranties for Compaq products are exclusively set forth in the documentation accompanying

such products. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting a further or additional warranty.

This publication does not constitute an endorsement of the product or products that were tested. The

configuration or configurations tested or described may or may not be the only available solution. This test

is not a determination of product quality or correctness, nor does it ensure compliance with any federal,

state or local requirements.

Compaq, ActiveAnswers, Deskpro, Fastart, Compaq Insight Manager, Systempro, Systempro/LT, ProLiant,

ROMPaq, QVision, SmartStart, NetFlex, QuickFind, PaqFax and Prosignia are registered with the United

States Patent and Trademark Office.

Netelligent, Systempro/XL, SoftPaq, QuickBlank, QuickLock are trademarks and/or service marks of

Compaq Computer Corporation.

Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds

Alpha, AlphaStation and AlphaServer are registered trademarks of Compaq Computer Corporation.

Other product names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective

companies.

Installation and Configuration Guide for Linux and Apache Web Server on Intel

Installation Guide prepared by Internet and E-Commerce Business Unit

Third Edition (January 2000)

Document Number ECG513/0100

Special thanks to Anthony Ronghi and Norberto Collado for their time and effort in creating the

original Linux document on which this is largely based on.

ECG513/0100

Linux Installation and Configuration Guide for AlphaServer

Introduction

The purpose of this guide is to discuss the basics of installation and configuration of the Linux

operating system on the Compaq AlphaServer DS10, DS20, DS20E, ES40 and AlphaStation

XP1000 computers. Numerous references to external sources and materials are used in this guide,

and Compaq recommends that you refer to these sources where additional detail is needed. You

can find an extensive list of these in Appendix A of this document.

Management Summary

Each distribution vendor includes operating system and application management tools that form a

common base across one or more distributions. Red Hat’s Package Management (RPM) format,

for instance, is a commonly used software distribution mechanism. Other tools, such as each

vendor’s setup program, are specific to a particular distribution. This guide does not provide

discussion of the Operating System Management (OSM). For detailed information on the OSM,

you should refer to the particular distribution vendor.

Document Structure

The structure of this document is intended to be convenient for users to follow when installing

Linux software on the AlphaServer and AlphaStation computers. There is a major section

dedicated to each platform, with subsections, which discuss hardware options, software

distributions, and software installation procedures. At the end of the document readers will find

an extensive list of external sources of information and a glossary of terms.

Distributions Overview

The discussion in this document focuses on the following two Linux distributions:

Red Hat Software, Inc., version 6.0 only

SuSE, Inc., version 6.1 only

All of these distributions include large amounts of software that can run in conjunction with

Linux. This guide will not analyze the available software by distribution nor give a comparison of

the software from one distribution to another. The focus of the guide is exclusively on the base

Linux operating system and the process required configuring and installing the software.

Red Hat

Red Hat is one of the most popular distributions of Linux in the United States. It is created by

Red Hat Software, Inc. and is available through its website located at http://www.Red Hat.com.

The distribution used in the creation of this document was 6.0. This document does not

accurately reflect proceedures and requirements for any other Red Hat software version!

SuSE

SuSE is one of the most popular distributions of Linux in Europe and is gaining in popularity in

the United States. It is maintained by SuSE, Inc. and is available through its website located at

http://www.suse.com. The distribution used in the creation of this document was 6.1. This

document does not accurately reflect proceedures and requirements for any other SuSE

software version!

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Linux Installation and Configuration Guide for AlphaServer

Overview of Installation

The process of installing Linux on your Compaq AlphaServer or AlphaStation follows these

general steps:

1. Creation of BOOT and RAMDISK floppies.

2. Firmware revision inspection and upgrade.

3. SRM configuration for installation.

4. Linux software installation and configuration.

5. SRM reconfiguration for booting the installed software.

6. Post installation configuration.

The sections that follow discuss each of the above steps in more detail, specific to each platform

and distribution vendor.

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Linux Installation and Configuration Guide for AlphaServer

Compaq AlphaServer DS10

Hardware Options

Tested Saleable Hardware Options

Tested saleable hardware options for the DS10 is outlined in Table 1. All of the systems used

come equipped with standard bus-interface devices for which drivers already exist for Linux. All

bus-interface devices detailed use the PCI bus. Detailed information on each particular bus-

interface device can be founds in a subsection of the appropriate software. Only the installation

and configuration details that are necessary to clarify the hardware explanation are provided in

this table. Unless otherwise specified, the Linux kernel version used in qualifying each

component is version 2.2.5.

Table 1. Tested Saleable Options List

Compaq PN

Description

Comments

3X-MS310-BA

3X-MS310-CA

3X-MS310-DA

DE500-BA

DS10 128MB Memory Option

DS10 256MB Memory Option

DS10 512MB Memory Option

PCI 1 CH 10/100 Ethernet

Red Hat - Use DE4*5 or Tulip driver

DE504-BA

PCI 4 CH 10/100 Ethernet

DS-RZ1DA-VW

DS-RZ1DD-WA

DS-RZ1DD-VW

DS-RZ2DA-WA

3X-RE56A-AA

DS-RZ1EA-VW

DS-RZ1ED-VW

DS-RZ2EA-WA

DS-RZ1FB-VW

9.1 GB UltraSCSI 7200RPM

9.1 GB UltraSCSI 10000 RPM

9.1 GB UltraSCSI 7200 RPM

10 GB IDE, 10000 RPM

18.2 GB UltraSCSI 7200 RPM

18.2 GB UltraSCSI 10000 RPM

18.2GB UltraSCSI 7200 RPM

36.4 GB UltraSCSI 7200 RPM

KZPCM-DA

KZPBA-CA

KZPBA-CB

PBXGK-BB

3X-AVH10-01

UltraSCSI, 2 CH, SE, 1 CH 10/100

Ethernet

Need the 2.2.12 kernel from ftp site to perform install.

UltraSCSI, 1 CH, SE

UltraSCSI, 1CH, Diff.

Elsa Gloria 8MB

Must be installed in slots 15 or 16 if not using 2.2.12

kernel

Must be installed in slots 15 or 16 if not using 2.2.12

kernel

use XF86_3Dlabs; Must be installed in slot 14 or 15 on

bus 00

Ensonic Sound Adapter

Needs 2.2.12 kernel to work.

For up-to-date information about configuration options, you should refer to the following web

sites, which are updated regularly with the latest information:

For Alpha Systems QuickSpecs:

http://www.digital.com/info/SOHOME/

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Linux Installation and Configuration Guide for AlphaServer

For Alpha Systems Supported Options List:

http://www.digital.com/alphaserver/products/options.html

Red Hat Version 6.0 Distribution

Pre-Installation

Creating The BOOT Floppy

Before you can begin to install the Linux software on your AlphaServer or AlphaStation, you will

need to create a BOOT floppy. This floppy contains the information required to initiate the

installation of Linux. The process varies depending upon what software distribution you are

using.

An important note: Our experience has shown that the vendor supplied floppy images sometimes

do not work properly. You are therefore encouraged to create your own BOOT floppy using the

images available over the Internet, as described in the sections that follow.

Creating floppies using a MS/Windows system

To create the BOOT floppy, you will need to make use of a PC, which has Internet access. The

instructions below detail the process:

1. Create a directory on the PC into which you will copy files for Linux, for example \Linux.

2. Connect to the URL ftp://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/Linux-Alpha/Images/ which is a directory

containing the boot floppy image files.

3. Copy the generic-up.2.2.12.img file to your PC.

4. Rename the file to generic.img (DOS has an 8.3 file name limitation)

5. Insert the Linux CD-ROM into the PC.

6. Copy the file "\dosutils\rawrite.exe" from the CD-ROM to the \Linux directory on the PC.

7. Insert a blank, formatted floppy into the PC.

8. Run the following command from the DOS command shell:

C:\Linux> rawrite

Enter source file name: generic.img

Enter destination drive: a

Label this floppy "AlphaServer Linux BOOT Floppy".

With this floppy in hand, you are now prepared to begin the installation process on your

AlphaServer or AlphaStation.

Creating floppies using an Unix system

To create the BOOT floppy, you will need to make use of a computer, which has Internet access.

The instructions below detail the process. Note that depending upon what version of unix and

vendor computer you are using to perform this process, some minor variations in the process may

be required. The exact commands shown here are for Digital Unix, and should be similar to most

other popular unix systems.

1. Copy the generic kernel images from the Internet to your computer:

$ mkdir /var/tmp/Linux

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Linux Installation and Configuration Guide for AlphaServer

$ cd /var/tmp/Linux

$ ftp ftp.digital.com

Password: user@

ftp> bin

ftp> cd /pub/DEC/Linux-Alpha/Images/

ftp> get generic-up-2.2.12.img

ftp> quit

2. Insert a blank, formatted floppy into the computer, and copy the BOOT kernel to it:

$ dd if=generic-up-2.2.12.img of=/dev/fd0

With this floppy in hand, you are now prepared to begin the installation process on your

AlphaServer or AlphaStation.

Firmware Inspection and Upgrade

After powering up your AlphaServer or AlphaStation computer, type the command "show

version". Check that the version string printed is "V5.4-2 May 19 1999 14:25:16" or newer, and

that the first letter of the version string is a "V". If this is not the case, you should upgrade your

firmware. Instructions on how to do this can be found at

http://ftp.digital.com/pub/Digital/Alpha/firmware/ along with the latest firmware images.

System Resource Manager Configuration

There are several pieces of information that you need to configure in the SRM subsystem, as well

as device identifiers that you should make note of, prior to beginning the installation process. The

steps that follow take you through that process.

1. Power up your system. After several diagnostics are completed, you will be presented an

SRM prompt ">>>", as shown here:

1024 Meg of system memory

probing hose 0, PCI

probing PCI-to-ISA bridge, bus 1

probing PCI-to-PCI bridge, bus 2

probing PCI-to-PCI bridge, bus 3

bus 0, slot 9 -- ewa -- DE500-BA Network Controller

bus 0, slot 11 -- ewb -- DE500-BA Network Controller

bus 0, slot 13 -- dqa -- Acer Labs M1543C IDE

bus 0, slot 13 -- dqb -- Acer Labs M1543C IDE

bus 0, slot 14 -- vga -- ELSA GLoria Synergy

bus 2, slot 4 -- eia -- Intel 82558 Ethernet

bus 2, slot 5 -- eib -- Intel 82558 Ethernet

bus 2, slot 6 -- eic -- Intel 82558 Ethernet

bus 2, slot 7 -- eid -- Intel 82558 Ethernet

bus 3, slot 0 -- pka -- NCR 53C875

bus 3, slot 1 -- pkb -- NCR 53C875

bus 3, slot 2 -- ewc -- DE500-AA Network Controller

System Temperature is 31 degrees C

AlphaServer DS 10 466 MHz Console V5.4-2, May 19 1999 14:25:16

>>>

2. Determine what devices your system has installed. In particular you will need to note your

installation device (a floppy and/or CD-ROM), and your target disk drive. Entering the

command "show devices" as shown below will print out the information about your system:

>>>show device

dka0.0.0.3000.0

DKA0

RZ1CF-CF 1614

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dka100.1.0.3000.0

dka200.2.0.3000.0

dka300.3.0.3000.0

dqa0.0.0.13.0

DKA100

DKA200

DKA300

DQA0

RZ1CF-CF 1614

COMPAQ BB00911CA0 3B05

TOSHIBA CD-ROM XM-6302B 1017

dva0.0.0.0.0

DVA0

eia0.0.0.2004.0

eib0.0.0.2005.0

eic0.0.0.2006.0

eid0.0.0.2007.0

ewa0.0.0.9.0

EIA0

EIB0

EIC0

EID0

EWA0

EWB0

EWC0

PKA0

00-50-8B-6F-62-AA

00-50-8B-6F-62-AB

00-50-8B-6F-38-84

00-50-8B-6F-38-85

08-00-2B-86-1F-64

08-00-2B-86-1F-63

00-06-2B-00-0A-5C

SCSI Bus ID 7

ewb0.0.0.11.0

ewc0.0.0.3002.0

pka0.7.0.3000.0

pkb0.7.0.3001.0

PKB0

SCSI Bus ID 7

In the output above, the first line shows that DKA0 is a hard disk, DQA0 is a CD-ROM, and

DVA0 is a floppy drive.

Also useful for inspecting the computer configuration is the "show config" command, as

shown here:

>>>show config | more

3. Configure the system SRM parameters to boot from your installation device. A table

providing cross-referenced device names is located in Appendix C, for your convenience.

Example commands for configuring to boot from the floppy device are shown here:

>>>set bootdef_dev dva0

>>>set boot_file vmlinux.gz

>>>set boot_osflags "root=/dev/hda"

>>>show boot*

boot_dev

boot_file

dva0.0.0.0.0

vmlinux.gz

root=/dev/hda

OFF

boot_osflags

boot_reset

bootdef_dev

booted_dev

booted_file

booted_osflags

dva0.0.0.0.0

4. Insert the boot floppy into the drive.

5. Boot the system using the "boot" command. The result should be that the system boots from

the floppy.

If during this process you encounter a problem, such as due to a typographic error in the setting of

the SRM parameters, you will probably be stopped with an "aboot>" prompt. The best way to

deal with this situation is to reset the system using the reset button on the front panel. Then using

the SRM commands, correct the mistake, and repeat the "boot" process.

Software Installation

The Red Hat version used in the testing for this guide has a simple installation program. Most of

the devices available with the AlphaServers can be correctly autodetected by Red Hat. Testing for

this Solutions Guide was performed using Red Hat Linux version 6.0.

During the boot process, you may see messages about "IDE STO" errors. These can be safely

ignored.

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Linux Installation and Configuration Guide for AlphaServer

When configuring "Timezones", do not select "Hardware clock set to GMT", nor "Startup

through ARC console". Instead select "EST" for the timezone, or the value that is appropriate for

your location.

Disk Partitioning

The process of partitioning your boot disk for Linux on your AlphaServer can be somewhat

involved. This section provides an example of how perform the partitioning process using fdisk.

Note, the partition recommendations used in steps 14-27 are based on a RZ1DD-AA disk

geometry. If your disk has a different geometry you will need to use different starting/ending

cylinder numbers for each partition. The correct starting/ending cylinder numbers can be

computed by using these size recommendations and the number of bytes/cylinder for the disk that

you are using (this figure is reported by fdisk). The disk used for this example is a 4.3GB drive

(DS-RZ1CF) which fdisk shows as having 1023 cylinders:

4 partitions:

size offset

fstype [fsize bsize cpg]

16368

boot

ext2

swap

ext2

# (Cyl.

# (Cyl. 29 - 550)

# (Cyl. 551 - 1023)

1 - 2)

3 - 28)

b: 212784

c: 4272048 229152

d: 3871032 4501200

16368

We strongly recommend the following multi-partition layout:

A boot partition – A boot partition is used to reserved the first 2 cylinders (1-2) to write the

bootloader in order to boot the disk from SRM.

A root partition – The root partition is where the / (root directory) resides. Always starts at

cylinder 3. We recommend creating a root partition of 300Mb minimum and 900Mb maximum.

A swap partition – A swap partition is used to support virtual memory. We commend creating a

swap partition of 2 times the computer RAM.

A /usr partition – The /usr partition is where the software of the system resides. This partition

should use all of the space left on the hard drive.

To perform the partitioning operation on the disk, when prompted, follow these steps:

1. Arrow to the drive you will be installing the software to and press the ENTER key. You will

now be in the fdisk command line

2. Type “m” for help.

3. Type “p” to print the partition table.

4. If there is partition information already configured for the disk, you will need to delete it

using the “d” option. Please be sure that you want to zero out this drive. All data will be lost

on the drive doing this.

5. Type “b” to edit the BSD disklabel.

6. If you completed the last step correctly, you should see the following: “/tmp/sda contains no

disklabel. Do you want to create a disklabel? (y/n)” – Answer Y.

7. Type “m” for more help.

8. Type “p” to print the partition table. You should see a “c” partition that takes up the whole

disk. This will have to be removed to install Linux correctly

9. Type “d” to delete a BSD partition

10. Type “c” to delete the c partition

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11. Type “p” to print the partition table and verify no partitions exist

12. Type “n” to add a new BSD partition – the boot partition in this case

13. Type “a” for partition a.

14. First cylinder:

15. Last cylinder:

Type “1”.

Type “2”.

16. Type “n” to add a new BSD partition – the / (root) partition in this case.

17. Type “b” for partition b.

18. First cylinder:

19. Last cylinder:

Type “3”.

Type “28”.

20. Type “n” to add a new BSD partition – the swap partition in this case.

21. Type “c” for partition c.

22. First cylinder:

23. Last cylinder:

Type “29”.

Type “550”.

24. Type “n” to add a new BSD partition – the /usr partition in this case.

25. Type “d” for partition d.

26. First cylinder:

Type “551”.

27. Last cylinder:

Type “1023” ; last cylinder - one. Do NOT accept the program

generated default of "1024" here, because of possible disk corruption.

28. Type “p” to print the partition table. You should notice that the fstype is set to unused for

each of the partitions. This will have to be changed via “toggle” – see next step.

29. Type “t” to change the partitions filesystem id.

30. Type “a” for partition a – boot partitions use a “boot” code.

31. Type “L” to list the codes you can use.

32. Enter “d” for boot type.

33. Type “t” to change the partitions filesystem id.

34. Type “b” for partition b – / (root) partitions use a “ext2” code.

35. Enter “8” for ext2 type.

36. Type “t” to change the partitions filesystem id.

37. Type “c” for partition c – swap partitions use a “swap” code.

38. Enter “1” for swap type.

39. Type “t” to change the partitions filesystem id.

40. Type “d” for partition d – /usr partitions use a “ext2” code.

41. Enter “8” for ext2 type.

42. Type “p” to print the partition table – Please verify all your settings.

43. Type “w” to write the disklabel to the disk.

44. Type “q” to quit.

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45. Tab to DONE and press ENTER.

For further information on creating partitions please refer to the Installation Guide provided by

the software distribution vendor.

Post-Installation

System Resource Manager Configuration

After the software has been loaded to the disk, the system will attempt to reboot. Before it begins

the bootup process, press the front panel reset button. This will stop the bootup process, and

allow you to make the final configuration changes to be able to boot directly from the disk,

instead of the floppy or CD-ROM. You should now be at the SRM prompt, ">>>". Enter the

following commands to finalize the configuration.

You need to enter these commands, such that the drive reference on the second line needs to refer

to the drive which you installed to:

>>>set boot_file 2/boot/vmlinux.gz

>>>set bootdef_dev dka0

(or whatever device you installed on. It could also be dqa0 for an

IDE drive. See Appendix C for further information on systems with

IDE controllers.)

>>>set boot_osflags "root=/dev/sda2"

>>>boot dva0 -fi vmlinux.gz

Note - When the system boots, you may see a series of warnings similar to the following:

system.map - incorrect version

This warning indicates that the kernel version that you installed (i.e. the latest version that you

copied from Compaq's ftp site) was not built at the same time as the rest of the kernel. This will

not impact your use of Linux in any way. This warning can be eliminated by installing the kernel

sources, all currently recommended patches and rebuilding the kernel.

Once the system is up, login and do the following:

1. Type: swriteboot –f1 /dev/TdZ /boot/bootlx(where T is the type of drive, s

for SCSI or h for IDE; and Z is the letter of the drive you are booting; ex: dqa0=hda,

dka0=sda).

2. Mount the floppy disk to copy the kernel from the floppy to the /boot/ directory on the system

disk. Type: mount /dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy

3. Now go to the /boot directory. Type: cd /boot

4. Copy the kernel. Type: cp /mnt/floppy/vmlinux.gz .

5. Unmount the floppy. Type: umount /dev/fd0

6. Reboot the system. Type: shutdown -h now

The system may or may not hang here. This is a known issue and is being worked on. Please

reset or power cycled the system to continue with installation.

At the SRM prompt, you can now boot directly from the hard drive.

>>>boot

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Linux Installation and Configuration Guide for AlphaServer

SuSE Version 6.1 Distribution

Pre-Installation

Creating The BOOT and RAMDISK Floppies

Before you can begin to install the Linux software on your AlphaServer, you will need to create a

BOOT floppy and RAMDISK. These floppies contain the information required to initiate the

installation of Linux. The process varies depending upon what software distribution you are

using.

Creating floppies using a MS/Windows system

To create the BOOT and RAMDISK floppies, you will need to make use of a PC, which has

Internet access. The instructions below detail the process:

1. Create a directory on the PC into which you will copy files for Linux, for example \Linux.

2. Insert the Linux CD-ROM into the PC.

3. Copy the file ftp://tsx-11.mit.edu/pub/linux/dos_utils/rawrite.exe to "\Linux\rawrite.exe" on

the PC. This utility is required to build the floppies.

4. Copy the file "aboot_dualncr-qlogic" from ftp://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/Linux-

Alpha/Images/ to the \Linux directory on the PC and rename the file to aboot.

5. Copy the file "\disks\install" from the CD-ROM to the \Linux directory on the PC.

6. Insert a blank, formatted floppy into the PC.

7. Run the following command from the DOS command shell:

C:\Linux> rawrite

Enter source file name: aboot

Enter destination drive: a

Label this floppy "AlphaServer Linux BOOT Floppy".

8. Run the following command from the DOS command shell:

C:\Linux> rawrite

Enter source file name: install

Enter destination drive: a

9. Label this floppy "AlphaServer Linux RAMDISK Floppy".

With those two floppies in hand, you are now prepared to begin the installation process on your

AlphaServer.

Creating floppies using an UNIX system

To create the BOOT and RAMDISK floppies, you will need to make use of a computer, which

has Internet access. The instructions below detail the process. Note that depending upon what

version of unix and vendor computer you are using to perform this process, some minor

variations in the process may be required. The exact commands shown here are for Digital UNIX,

and should be similar to most other popular UNIX systems.

1. Insert the Linux CD-ROM into the computer, and mount it:

$ mount /cdrom

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2. Insert a blank, formatted floppy into the computer, and copy the BOOT kernel to it:

$ dd if=/cdrom/disks/aboot of=/dev/fd0

3. Insert a blank, formatted floppy into the computer, and copy the RAMDISK to it:

$ dd if=/cdrom/disks/install of=/dev/fd0

With those two floppies in hand, and the CD-ROM removed from the computer, you are now

prepared to begin the installation process on your AlphaServer.

Firmware Inspection and Upgrade

After powering up your AlphaServer computer, type the command "show version". Check that

the version string printed is "V5.4-2 May 19 1999 14:25:16" or newer, and that the first letter of

the version string is a "V". If this is not the case, you should upgrade your firmware. Instructions

on how to do this can be found at http://ftp.digital.com/pub/Digital/Alpha/firmware/ along with

the latest firmware images.

System Resource Manager Configuration

There are several pieces of information that you need to configure in the SRM subsystem, as well

as device identifiers that you should make note of, prior to beginning the installation process. The

steps that follow take you through that process.

1. Power up your system. After several diagnostics are completed, you will be presented an

SRM prompt ">>>", as shown here:

1024 Meg of system memory

probing hose 0, PCI

probing PCI-to-ISA bridge, bus 1

probing PCI-to-PCI bridge, bus 2

probing PCI-to-PCI bridge, bus 3

bus 0, slot 9 -- ewa -- DE500-BA Network Controller

bus 0, slot 11 -- ewb -- DE500-BA Network Controller

bus 0, slot 13 -- dqa -- Acer Labs M1543C IDE

bus 0, slot 13 -- dqb -- Acer Labs M1543C IDE

bus 0, slot 14 -- vga -- ELSA GLoria Synergy

bus 2, slot 4 -- eia -- Intel 82558 Ethernet

bus 2, slot 5 -- eib -- Intel 82558 Ethernet

bus 2, slot 6 -- eic -- Intel 82558 Ethernet

bus 2, slot 7 -- eid -- Intel 82558 Ethernet

bus 3, slot 0 -- pka -- NCR 53C875

bus 3, slot 1 -- pkb -- NCR 53C875

bus 3, slot 2 -- ewc -- DE500-AA Network Controller

System Temperature is 31 degrees C

AlphaServer DS 10 466 MHz Console V5.4-2, May 19 1999 14:25:16

>>>

2. Determine what devices your system has installed. In particular you will need to note your

installation device (a floppy and/or CD-ROM), and your target disk drive. Entering the

command "show devices" as shown below will print out the information about your system:

>>>show device

dka0.0.0.3000.0

dka100.1.0.3000.0

dka200.2.0.3000.0

dka300.3.0.3000.0

dqa0.0.0.13.0

DKA0

RZ1CF-CF 1614

COMPAQ BB00911CA0 3B05

TOSHIBA CD-ROM XM-6302B 1017

DKA100

DKA200

DKA300

DQA0

dva0.0.0.0.0

DVA0

EIA0

EIB0

EIC0

eia0.0.0.2004.0

eib0.0.0.2005.0

eic0.0.0.2006.0

00-50-8B-6F-62-AA

00-50-8B-6F-62-AB

00-50-8B-6F-38-84

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eid0.0.0.2007.0

ewa0.0.0.9.0

ewb0.0.0.11.0

ewc0.0.0.3002.0

pka0.7.0.3000.0

pkb0.7.0.3001.0

EID0

EWA0

EWB0

EWC0

PKA0

PKB0

00-50-8B-6F-38-85

08-00-2B-86-1F-64

08-00-2B-86-1F-63

00-06-2B-00-0A-5C

SCSI Bus ID 7

In the output above, the first line shows that DKA0 is a hard disk, DQA0 is a CD-ROM, and

DVA0 is a floppy drive.

Also useful for inspecting the computer configuration is the "show config" command, as

shown here:

>>>show config | more

3. Configure the system SRM parameters to boot from your installation device. A table

providing cross referenced device names is located in Appendix C, for your convenience.

Example commands for configuring to boot from the floppy device are shown here:

>>>set bootdef_dev dva0

>>>set boot_file vmlinux.gz

>>>set boot_osflags "root=/dev/fd0 load_ramdisk=1"

>>>show boot*

boot_dev

boot_file

dva0.0.0.0.0

vmlinux.gz

boot_osflags

boot_reset

bootdef_dev

booted_dev

booted_file

booted_osflags

root=/dev/fd0 load_ramdisk=1

OFF

dva0.0.0.0.0

4. Insert the boot floppy into the drive.

5. Boot the system using the "boot" command. The result should be that the system boots from

the floppy. You will eventually be prompted to replace the BOOT floppy with the RAMDISK

floppy.

If during this process you encounter a problem, such as due to a typographic error in the setting of

the SRM parameters, you will probably be stopped with an "aboot>" prompt. The best way to

deal with this situation is to reset the system using the reset button on the front panel. Then using

the SRM commands, correct the mistake, and repeat the "boot" process.

Software Installation

SuSE’s installation program is flexible. While it allows for autodetection of devices and autoload

of device drivers, it allows you to override the automatically configured parameters. Compaq’s

testing this Solutions Guide was performed using SuSE Version 6.1.

The software installation process requires that the system be rebooted at two critical places in the

process. The first time is just after completing the partitioning of the disk, and the second happens

automatically after all of the software components are installed on the disk. Be certain not to skip

the reboot after the disk partition process is completed.

Disk Partitioning

In preparation to partition your disk, you should boot your AlphaServer via the BOOT floppy and

following the process for selecting a language, display color, keyboard type, and installation

media. At this stage, you should select the "Install From Scratch" menu option, and proceed to the

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window titled "Partition Hard Drives". At this point, press the ALT+F2 keys, which will change

the display to show a shell-command prompt. At this prompt, type the command "fdisk" followed

by the enter key.

The process of partitioning your boot disk for Linux on your AlphaServer can be somewhat

involved. This section provides an example of how perform the partitioning process using fdisk.

Note, the partition recommendations used in steps 14-27 are based on a RZ1DD-AA disk

geometry. If your disk has a different geometry you will need to use different starting/ending

cylinder numbers for each partition. The correct starting/ending cylinder numbers can be

computed by using these size recommendations and the number of bytes/cylinder for the disk that

you are using (this figure is reported by fdisk). The disk used for this example is a 4.3GB drive

(DS-RZ1CF) which fdisk shows as having 1023 cylinders:

4 partitions:

size offset

fstype [fsize bsize cpg]

16368

boot

ext2

swap

ext2

# (Cyl.

# (Cyl. 29 - 550)

# (Cyl. 551 - 1023)

1 - 2)

3 - 28)

b: 212784

c: 4272048 229152

d: 3871032 4501200

16368

We strongly recommend the following multi-partition layout:

A boot partition – A boot partition is used to reserved the first 2 cylinders (1-2) to write the

bootloader in order to boot the disk from SRM.

A root partition – The root partition is where the / (root directory) resides. Always starts at

cylinder 3. We recommend creating a root partition of 300Mb minimum and 900Mb maximum.

A swap partition – A swap partition is used to support virtual memory. We commend creating a

swap partition of 2 times the computer RAM.

A /usr partition – The /usr partition is where the software of the system resides. This partition

should use all of the space left on the hard drive.

To perform the partitioning operation on the disk, when prompted, follow these steps:

1. Now you are at the fdisk command line

2. Type “m” for help.

3. Type “p” to print the partition table.

4. If there is partition information already configured for the disk, you will need to delete it

using the “d” option. Please be sure that you want to zero out this drive. All data will be lost

on the drive doing this.

5. Type “b” to edit the BSD disklabel.

6. If you completed the last step correctly, you should see the following: “/tmp/sda contains no

disklabel. Do you want to create a disklabel? (y/n)” – Answer Y.

7. Type “m” for more help.

8. Type “p” to print the partition table. You should see a “c” partition that takes up the whole

disk. This will have to be removed to install Linux correctly

9. Type “d” to delete a BSD partition

10. Type “c” to delete the c partition

11. Type “p” to print the partition table and verify no partitions exist

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12. Type “n” to add a new BSD partition – the boot partition in this case

13. Type “a” for partition a.

14. First cylinder:

15. Last cylinder:

Type “1”.

Type “2”.

16. Type “n” to add a new BSD partition – the / (root) partition in this case.

17. Type “b” for partition b.

18. First cylinder:

19. Last cylinder:

Type “3”.

Type “28”.

20. Type “n” to add a new BSD partition – the swap partition in this case.

21. Type “c” for partition c.

22. First cylinder:

23. Last cylinder:

Type “29”.

Type “550”.

24. Type “n” to add a new BSD partition – the /usr partition in this case.

25. Type “d” for partition d.

26. First cylinder:

Type “551”.

27. Last cylinder:

Type “1023” ; last cylinder - one. Do NOT accept the program

generated default of "1024" here, because of possible disk corruption.

28. Type “p” to print the partition table. You should notice that the fstype is set to unused for

each of the partitions. This will have to be changed via “toggle” – see next step.

29. Type “t” to change the partitions filesystem id.

30. Type “a” for partition a – boot partitions use a “boot” code.

31. Type “L” to list the codes you can use.

32. Enter “d” for boot type.

33. Type “t” to change the partitions filesystem id.

34. Type “b” for partition b – / (root) partitions use a “ext2” code.

35. Enter “8” for ext2 type.

36. Type “t” to change the partitions filesystem id.

37. Type “c” for partition c – swap partitions use a “swap” code.

38. Enter “1” for swap type.

39. Type “t” to change the partitions filesystem id.

40. Type “d” for partition d – /usr partitions use a “ext2” code.

41. Enter “8” for ext2 type.

42. Type “p” to print the partition table – Please verify all your settings.

43. Type “w” to write the disklabel to the disk.

44. Type “q” to quit.

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For further information on creating partitions please refer to the Installation Guide provided by

the software distribution vendor.

At this point, the partitions have been created, and the system must be rebooted. You can reboot

by either pressing the RESET or POWER buttons on the front of the AlphaServer system. Once

the system returns to the SRM prompt, follow the preceeding instructions to return to the

"Partition Hard Drives" window. Select the "Do Not Partition" option at this screen.

You will now be presented a window that allows you to select and format the disk for the

software to be installed, entitled "Creating Filesystems". You should use the F4 key to define the

mount point of "/" for sda2 and “/usr” for sda4. Use the F6 key to select the "Normal" formatting

of the drive for both partitions. Once those steps are complete, press enter to continue.

When the window "Change/Create Configuration" is presented we recommend that you make

certain to select the "aboot" package from the "a: Linux Base System" group, and the "xglint"

package from the "xsrv: X Server Software" group. Ensure that you depress the F10 key after

each selection to add it to the installation. If you forget to select these packages, you will not be

able to boot directly from the hard drive, nor be able to run the X Window System software. Once

these are selected, and you have selected any other software options that you require, begin the

installation. If you encounter a message indicating that the xglint software depends upon other

packages, select "Continue", which will ignore that situation.

Post-Installation

System Resource Manager Configuration

After the software has been loaded to the disk, the system will attempt to reboot. Before it begins

the bootup process, press the front panel reset button. This will stop the bootup process, and allow

you to make the final configuration changes to be able to boot directly from the disk, instead of

the floppy or CD-ROM. You should now be at the SRM prompt, ">>>". Enter the following

commands to finalize the configuration.

You need to enter these commands, such that the drive reference on the second line needs to refer

to the drive which you installed to:

>>>set boot_file 2/boot/vmlinux.gz

>>>set bootdef_dev dka0

>>>set boot_osflags "root=/dev/sda2"

>>>boot dva0 -fi vmlinux.gz

Note - When the system boots, you may see a series of warnings similar to the following:

system.map - incorrect version

This warning indicates that the kernel version that you installed (i.e. the latest version that you

copied from Compaq's ftp site) was not built at the same time as the rest of the kernel. This will

not impact your use of Linux in any way. This warning can be eliminated by installing the kernel

sources, all currently recommended patches and rebuilding the kernel.

Once the system is up, login and do the following:

1. Type:

swriteboot –f1 /dev/TdZ /boot/bootlx (where T is the type of

drive, s for SCSI or h for IDE; and Z is the letter of the drive you are booting; ex: dka0=sda,

dqa0=hda)

2. Type: mkswap /dev/TdZW (where T is the type of drive, s for SCSI or h for IDE; Z is the

letter of the drive you are booting; ex: dka0=sda, dqa0=hda); and W is the swap partition

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number (I.e. mkswap /dev/sda3 or mkswap /dev/hda3.) This is required to work around a

problem of the swap.

3. Mount the floppy disk to copy the kernel from the floppy to the /boot/ directory on the system

disk. Type: mount /dev/fd0 /floppy

4. Now go to the /boot directory. Type: cd /boot

5. Copy the kernel. Type: cp /floppy/vmlinux.gz .

6. Unmount the floppy. Type: umount /dev/fd0

7. Type:

shutdown -h now

The system may or may not hang here. This is a known issue and is being worked on. Please

reset or power cycled the system to continue with installation.

At the SRM prompt, you can now boot directly from the hard drive:

>>>boot

The system should now boot and prompt you to login. Upon logging in, you will probably want

to configure the X Window System. To do so, login as the user "root", and then run the command

"xf86config". Following the prompts answering the questions appropriately for your system. In

most cases, you will need to select "3Dlabs Oxygen GMX" as the graphics adapter, which is

usually configured with 8192K bytes of memory. Once this process is completed, you should be

able to run the command "startx" to make use of the graphical interface.

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Compaq AlphaServer DS20

Hardware Options

Tested Saleable Hardware Options

Tested saleable hardware options for the DS20 is outlined in Table 1. All of the systems used

come equipped with standard bus-interface devices for which drivers already exist for Linux. All

bus-interface devices detailed use the PCI bus. Detailed information on each particular bus-

interface device can be founds in a subsection of the appropriate software. Only the installation

and configuration details that are necessary to clarify the hardware explanation are provided in

this table. Unless otherwise specified, the Linux kernel version used in qualifying each

component is version 2.2.5.

Table 2. Tested Saleable Options List

Compaq PN

Description

Comments

H7899-AA

DS20 Power Supply

3X-KN310-AD

MS340-BA

MS340-CA

MS340-DA

MS340-EA

DE500-BA

DE504-BA

RZ1DA-VW

RZ1DD-VW

RZ1EA-VW

RZ1ED-VW

KZPCM-DA

DS20 6/500 SMP UPG Linux only

DS20 128MB Memory Option

DS20 256MB Memory Option

DS20 512MB Memory Option

DS20 1GB Memory Option

PCI 1 CH 10/100 Ethernet

Red Hat - Use DE4*5 or Tulip driver

PCI 4 CH 10/100 Ethernet

9.1 GB UltraSCSI 7200RPM

9.1 GB UltraSCSI 10000 RPM

18.2 GB UltraSCSI 7200 RPM

18.2 GB UltraSCSI 10000 RPM

UltraSCSI, 2 CH, SE, 1 CH 10/100

Ethernet

Need the 2.2.12 kernel from ftp site to perform install.

KZPBA-CA

KZPBA-CB

PBXGK-BB

UltraSCSI, 1 CH, SE

UltraSCSI, 1CH, Diff.

Elsa Gloria 8MB

use XF86_3DLabs

For up-to-date information about configuration options, you should refer to the following web

sites, which are updated regularly with the latest information:

For Alpha Systems QuickSpecs:

http://www.digital.com/info/SOHOME/

For Alpha Systems Supported Options List:

http://www.digital.com/alphaserver/products/options.html

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Red Hat Version 6.0 Distribution

Pre-Installation

Creating The BOOT Floppy

Before you can begin to install the Linux software on your AlphaServer or AlphaStation, you will

need to create a BOOT floppy. This floppy contains the information required to initiate the

installation of Linux. The process varies depending upon what software distribution you are

using.

An important note: Our experience has shown that the vendor supplied floppy images sometimes

do not work properly. You are therefore encouraged to create your own BOOT floppy using the

images available over the Internet, as described in the sections that follow.

Creating floppies using a MS/Windows system

To create the BOOT floppy, you will need to make use of a PC, which has Internet access. The

instructions below detail the process:

1. Create a directory on the PC into which you will copy files for Linux, for example \Linux.

2. Connect to the URL ftp://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/Linux-Alpha/Images/ which is a directory

containing the boot floppy image files.

3. Copy the generic-smp-2.2.12.img file to your PC.

4. Rename the file to generic.img (DOS has an 8.3 file name limitation)

5. Insert the Linux CD-ROM into the PC.

6. Copy the file "\dosutils\rawrite.exe" from the CD-ROM to the \Linux directory on the PC.

7. Insert a blank, formatted floppy into the PC.

8. Run the following command from the DOS command shell:

C:\Linux> rawrite

Enter source file name: generic.img

Enter destination drive: a

Label this floppy "AlphaServer Linux BOOT Floppy".

With this floppy in hand, you are now prepared to begin the installation process on your

AlphaServer or AlphaStation.

Creating floppies using an Unix system

To create the BOOT floppy, you will need to make use of a computer, which has Internet access.

The instructions below detail the process. Note that depending upon what version of unix and

vendor computer you are using to perform this process, some minor variations in the process may

be required. The exact commands shown here are for Digital Unix, and should be similar to most

other popular unix systems.

1. Copy the generic kernel images from the Internet to your computer:

$ mkdir /var/tmp/Linux

$ cd /var/tmp/Linux

$ ftp ftp.digital.com

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Password: user@

ftp> bin

ftp> cd /pub/DEC/Linux-Alpha/Images/

ftp> get generic-smp-2.2.12.img

ftp> quit

2. Insert a blank, formatted floppy into the computer, and copy the BOOT kernel to it:

$ dd if=generic-smp-2.2.12.img of=/dev/fd0

With this floppy in hand, you are now prepared to begin the installation process on your

AlphaServer or AlphaStation.

Firmware Inspection and Upgrade

After powering up your AlphaServer or AlphaStation computer, type the command "show

version". Check that the version string printed is "V5.4-2 May 19 1999 14:25:16" or newer, and

that the first letter of the version string is a "V". If this is not the case, you should upgrade your

firmware. Instructions on how to do this can be found at

http://ftp.digital.com/pub/Digital/Alpha/firmware/ along with the latest firmware images.

System Resource Manager Configuration

There are several pieces of information that you need to configure in the SRM subsystem, as well

as device identifiers that you should make note of, prior to beginning the installation process. The

steps that follow take you through that process.

1. Power up your system. After several diagnostics are completed, you will be presented an

SRM prompt "P00>>>", as shown here:

1024 Meg of system memory

probing hose 1, PCI

bus 0, slot 7 -- ewa -- DE500-AA Network Controller

bus 0, slot 8 -- pka -- QLogic ISP1020

probing hose 0, PCI

probing PCI-to-ISA bridge, bus 1

bus 0, slot 5, function 1 -- dqa -- Cypress 82C693 IDE

bus 0, slot 5, function 2 -- dqb -- Cypress 82C693 IDE

bus 0, slot 8 -- pkb -- QLogic ISP1020

bus 0, slot 9 -- vga -- ELSA GLoria Synergy

System Temperature is 24 degrees C

initializing GCT/FRU at offset 1d0000

AlphaServer DS 20 Console V5.4-2, May 19 1999 14:25:16

P00>>>

2. Determine what devices your system has installed. In particular you will need to note your

installation device (a floppy and/or CD-ROM), and your target disk drive. Entering the

command "show devices" as shown below will print out the information about your system:

P00>>>show device

dka0.0.0.8.1

dkb500.5.0.8.0

dva0.0.0.0.0

ewa0.0.0.7.1

pka0.7.0.8.1

pkb0.7.0.8.0

DKA0

DKB500

DVA0

EWA0

PKA0

PKB0

RZ1DF-CB 0371

RRD46 1337

00-00-F8-10-AE-C5

SCSI Bus ID 7 5.57

In the output above, the first line shows that DKA0 is a hard disk, DKB500 is a CD-ROM,

and DVA0 is a floppy drive.

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Also useful for inspecting the computer configuration is the "show config" command, as

shown here:

P00>>>show config | more

3. Configure the system SRM parameters to boot from your installation device. A table

providing cross-referenced device names is located in Appendix C, for your convenience.

Example commands for configuring to boot from the floppy device are shown here:

P00>>>set bootdef_dev dva0

P00>>>set boot_file vmlinux.gz

P00>>>set boot_osflags "root=/dev/scd0"

P00>>>show boot*

boot_dev

boot_file

dva0.0.0.0.0

vmlinux.gz

root=/dev/scd0

OFF

boot_osflags

boot_reset

bootdef_dev

booted_dev

booted_file

booted_osflags

dva0.0.0.0.0

4. Insert the boot floppy into the drive.

5. Boot the system using the "boot" command. The result should be that the system boots from

the floppy.

If during this process you encounter a problem, such as due to a typographic error in the setting of

the SRM parameters, you will probably be stopped with an "aboot>" prompt. The best way to

deal with this situation is to reset the system using the reset button on the front panel. Then using

the SRM commands, correct the mistake, and repeat the "boot" process.

Software Installation

The Red Hat version used in the testing for this guide has a simple installation program. Most of

the devices available with the AlphaServers can be correctly autodetected by Red Hat. Testing for

this Solutions Guide was performed using Red Hat Linux version 6.0.

During the boot process, you may see messages about "IDE STO" errors. These can be safely

ignored.

When configuring "Timezones", do not select "Hardware clock set to GMT", nor "Startup

through ARC console". Instead select "EST" for the timezone, or the value that is appropriate for

your location.

Disk Partitioning

The process of partitioning your boot disk for Linux on your AlphaServer can be somewhat

involved. This section provides an example of how perform the partitioning process using fdisk.

Note, the partition recommendations used in steps 14-27 are based on a RZ1DD-AA disk

geometry. If your disk has a different geometry you will need to use different starting/ending

cylinder numbers for each partition. The correct starting/ending cylinder numbers can be

computed by using these size recommendations and the number of bytes/cylinder for the disk that

you are using (this figure is reported by fdisk). The disk used for this example is a 4.3GB drive

(DS-RZ1CF) which fdisk shows as having 1023 cylinders:

4 partitions:

size offset

fstype [fsize bsize cpg]

16368

boot

ext2

# (Cyl.

1 - 2)

3 - 28)

b: 212784

16368

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c: 4272048 229152

d: 3871032 4501200

swap

ext2

# (Cyl. 29 - 550)

# (Cyl. 551 - 1023)

We strongly recommend the following multi-partition layout:

A boot partition – A boot partition is used to reserved the first 2 cylinders (1-2) to write the

bootloader in order to boot the disk from SRM.

A root partition – The root partition is where the / (root directory) resides. Always starts at

cylinder 3. We recommend creating a root partition of 300Mb minimum and 900Mb maximum.

A swap partition – A swap partition is used to support virtual memory. We commend creating a

swap partition of 2 times the computer RAM.

A /usr partition – The /usr partition is where the software of the system resides. This partition

should use all of the space left on the hard drive.

To perform the partitioning operation on the disk, when prompted, follow these steps:

1. Arrow to the drive you will be installing the software to and press the ENTER key. You will

now be in the fdisk command line

2. Type “m” for help.

3. Type “p” to print the partition table.

4. If there is partition information already configured for the disk, you will need to delete it

using the “d” option. Please be sure that you want to zero out this drive. All data will be lost

on the drive doing this.

5. Type “b” to edit the BSD disklabel.

6. If you completed the last step correctly, you should see the following: “/tmp/sda contains no

disklabel. Do you want to create a disklabel? (y/n)” – Answer Y.

7. Type “m” for more help.

8. Type “p” to print the partition table. You should see a “c” partition that takes up the whole

disk. This will have to be removed to install Linux correctly

9. Type “d” to delete a BSD partition

10. Type “c” to delete the c partition

11. Type “p” to print the partition table and verify no partitions exist

12. Type “n” to add a new BSD partition – the boot partition in this case

13. Type “a” for partition a.

14. First cylinder:

15. Last cylinder:

Type “1”.

Type “2”.

16. Type “n” to add a new BSD partition – the / (root) partition in this case.

17. Type “b” for partition b.

18. First cylinder:

19. Last cylinder:

Type “3”.

Type “28”.

20. Type “n” to add a new BSD partition – the swap partition in this case.

21. Type “c” for partition c.

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22. First cylinder:

23. Last cylinder:

Type “29”.

Type “550”.

24. Type “n” to add a new BSD partition – the /usr partition in this case.

25. Type “d” for partition d.

26. First cylinder:

Type “551”.

27. Last cylinder:

Type “1023” ; last cylinder - one. Do NOT accept the program

generated default of "1024" here, because of possible disk corruption.

28. Type “p” to print the partition table. You should notice that the fstype is set to unused for

each of the partitions. This will have to be changed via “toggle” – see next step.

29. Type “t” to change the partitions filesystem id.

30. Type “a” for partition a – boot partitions use a “boot” code.

31. Type “L” to list the codes you can use.

32. Enter “d” for boot type.

33. Type “t” to change the partitions filesystem id.

34. Type “b” for partition b – / (root) partitions use a “ext2” code.

35. Enter “8” for ext2 type.

36. Type “t” to change the partitions filesystem id.

37. Type “c” for partition c – swap partitions use a “swap” code.

38. Enter “1” for swap type.

39. Type “t” to change the partitions filesystem id.

40. Type “d” for partition d – /usr partitions use a “ext2” code.

41. Enter “8” for ext2 type.

42. Type “p” to print the partition table – Please verify all your settings.

43. Type “w” to write the disklabel to the disk.

44. Type “q” to quit.

45. Tab to DONE and press ENTER.

For further information on creating partitions please refer to the Installation Guide provided by

the software distribution vendor.

Post-Installation

System Resource Manager Configuration

After the software has been loaded to the disk, the system will attempt to reboot. Before it begins

the bootup process, press the front panel reset button. This will stop the bootup process, and

allow you to make the final configuration changes to be able to boot directly from the disk,

instead of the floppy or CD-ROM. You should now be at the SRM prompt, "P00>>>". Enter the

following commands to finalize the configuration.

You need to enter these commands, such that the drive reference on the second line needs to refer

to the drive which you installed to:

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P00>>>set boot_file 2/boot/vmlinux.gz

P00>>>set bootdef_dev dka0

P00>>>set boot_osflags "root=/dev/sda2"

P00>>>boot dva0 -fi vmlinux.gz

Note - When the system boots, you may see a series of warnings similar to the following:

system.map - incorrect version

This warning indicates that the kernel version that you installed (i.e. the latest version that you

copied from Compaq's ftp site) was not built at the same time as the rest of the kernel. This will

not impact your use of Linux in any way. This warning can be eliminated by installing the kernel

sources, all currently recommended patches and rebuilding the kernel.

Once the system is up, login and do the following:

1. Type: swriteboot –f1 /dev/sdZ /boot/bootlx(where Z is the letter of the

drive you are booting; ex: dka0=sda, dka100=sdb).

2. Mount the floppy disk to copy the kernel from the floppy to the /boot/ directory on the system

disk. Type: mount /dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy

3. Now go to the /boot directory. Type: cd /boot

4. Copy the kernel. Type: cp /mnt/floppy/vmlinux.gz .

5. Unmount the floppy. Type: umount /dev/fd0

6. Reboot the system. Type: shutdown -h now

The system may or may not hang here. This is a known issue and is being worked on. Please

reset or power cycled the system to continue with installation.

At the SRM prompt, you can now boot directly from the hard drive:

P00>>>boot

SuSE Version 6.1 Distribution

Pre-Installation

Creating The BOOT and RAMDISK Floppies

Before you can begin to install the Linux software on your AlphaServer, you will need to create a

BOOT floppy and RAMDISK. These floppies contain the information required to initiate the

installation of Linux. The process varies depending upon what software distribution you are

using.

Creating floppies using a MS/Windows system

To create the BOOT and RAMDISK floppies, you will need to make use of a PC, which has

Internet access. The instructions below detail the process:

1. Create a directory on the PC into which you will copy files for Linux, for example \Linux.

2. Insert the Linux CD-ROM into the PC.

3. Copy the file ftp://tsx-11.mit.edu/pub/linux/dos_utils/rawrite.exe to "\Linux\rawrite.exe" on

the PC. This utility is required to build the floppies.

4. Copy the file "aboot_dualncr-qlogic" from ftp://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/Linux-

Alpha/Images/ to the \Linux directory on the PC and rename the file to aboot.

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4. Copy the file "\disks\install" from the CD-ROM to the \Linux directory on the PC.

5. Insert a blank, formatted floppy into the PC.

6. Run the following command from the DOS command shell:

C:\Linux> rawrite

Enter source file name: aboot

Enter destination drive: a

Label this floppy "AlphaServer Linux BOOT Floppy".

7. Run the following command from the DOS command shell:

C:\Linux> rawrite

Enter source file name: install

Enter destination drive: a

8. Label this floppy "AlphaServer Linux RAMDISK Floppy".

With those two floppies in hand, you are now prepared to begin the installation process on your

AlphaServer.

Creating floppies using an UNIX system

To create the BOOT and RAMDISK floppies, you will need to make use of a computer, which

has Internet access. The instructions below detail the process. Note that depending upon what

version of unix and vendor computer you are using to perform this process, some minor

variations in the process may be required. The exact commands shown here are for Digital UNIX,

and should be similar to most other popular UNIX systems.

1. Insert the Linux CD-ROM into the computer, and mount it:

$ mount /cdrom

2. Insert a blank, formatted floppy into the computer, and copy the BOOT kernel to it:

$ dd if=/cdrom/disks/aboot of=/dev/fd0

3. Insert a blank, formatted floppy into the computer, and copy the RAMDISK to it:

$ dd if=/cdrom/disks/install of=/dev/fd0

With those two floppies in hand, and the CD-ROM removed from the computer, you are now

prepared to begin the installation process on your AlphaServer.

Firmware Inspection and Upgrade

After powering up your AlphaServer computer, type the command "show version". Check that

the version string printed is "V5.4-2 May 19 1999 14:25:16" or newer, and that the first letter of

the version string is a "V". If this is not the case, you should upgrade your firmware. Instructions

on how to do this can be found at http://ftp.digital.com/pub/Digital/Alpha/firmware/ along with

the latest firmware images.

System Resource Manager Configuration

There are several pieces of information that you need to configure in the SRM subsystem, as well

as device identifiers that you should make note of, prior to beginning the installation process. The

steps that follow take you through that process.

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Power up your system. After several diagnostics are completed, you will be presented an SRM

prompt "P00>>>", as shown here:

1024 Meg of system memory

probing hose 1, PCI

bus 0, slot 7 -- ewa -- DE500-AA Network Controller

bus 0, slot 8 -- pka -- QLogic ISP1020

probing hose 0, PCI

probing PCI-to-ISA bridge, bus 1

bus 0, slot 5, function 1 -- dqa -- Cypress 82C693 IDE

bus 0, slot 5, function 2 -- dqb -- Cypress 82C693 IDE

bus 0, slot 8 -- pkb -- QLogic ISP1020

bus 0, slot 9 -- vga -- ELSA GLoria Synergy

System Temperature is 24 degrees C

initializing GCT/FRU at offset 1d0000

AlphaServer DS 20 Console V5.4-2, May 19 1999 14:25:16

P00>>>

Determine what devices your system has installed. In particular you will need to note your

installation device (a floppy and/or CD-ROM), and your target disk drive. Entering the command

"show devices" as shown below will print out the information about your system:

P00>>>show device

dka0.0.0.8.1

dkb500.5.0.8.0

dva0.0.0.0.0

ewa0.0.0.7.1

pka0.7.0.8.1

pkb0.7.0.8.0

DKA0

DKB500

DVA0

EWA0

PKA0

PKB0

RZ1DF-CB 0371

RRD46 1337

00-00-F8-10-AE-C5

SCSI Bus ID 7 5.57

In the output above, the first line shows that DKA0 is a hard disk, DKB500 is a CD-ROM, and

DVA0 is a floppy drive.

Also useful for inspecting the computer configuration is the "show config" command, as shown

here:

P00>>>show config | more

Configure the system SRM parameters to boot from your installation device. The commands for

configuring to boot from the floppy device are shown here:

P00>>>set bootdef_dev dva0

P00>>>set boot_file vmlinux.gz

P00>>>set boot_osflags "root=/dev/fd0 load_ramdisk=1"

P00>>>show boot*

boot_dev

boot_file

dva0.0.0.0.0

vmlinux.gz

boot_osflags

boot_reset

bootdef_dev

booted_dev

booted_file

booted_osflags

root=/dev/fd0 load_ramdisk=1

OFF

dva0.0.0.0.0

Insert the boot floppy into the drive.

Boot the system using the "boot" command. The result should be that the system boots from the

floppy. You will eventually be prompted to replace the BOOT floppy with the RAMDISK floppy.