The collected works of dawnview

My Octane saga continues. I loaded the latest distributions up on a linux server, configured it and got it to load sash over the network and I can begin a net install but it halts returning:

Unable to execute xio(0)pci(15)multi(0)network(0)bootp()192.168.1.1:/cd1/miniroot/unix.IP30: execute format error
Unable to load <same as above>
Failed to boot

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!

Gladly, dexter1!

By the latest dist, I mean specifically 6.5.26. The hinv -v is thus:



When configuring the linux box, I have gotten some mildy confusing directions to install rsh-server and symbolically link bin/sh to usr/bin/pdksh
I have to undo this link to reboot the redhat linux 7.3 box (since it's normally linked to bash in this config). I can still load sash from this box whether or not I've changed the above mentioned linkage. Does anyone know specifically what the installer is issuing command-wise when it finishes loading the miniroot?

My thought is that I have some misconfiguration of either rsh-server or the guest account is not getting the pdksh shell, but being woefully ignorant of the mysteries of the miniroot I don't know what it wants with either of these (rsh or pdksh) Any help is appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

I have now verified "guest" logs into the ksh shell and can issue rsh commands so these are not problems as far as I can determine.

Does anyone have experience doing a clean install from 6.5.26 to Octanes of this config? I even tried another motherboard (with a single 300 and 256MB of different memory) I keep as a backup--to rule out hardware problems, no joy!

I am securing another hard drive today to rule it out as well, but this is a known-good drive that is excercised/repartitioned/resized.

This thing is really kicking my butt, any help is appreciated!

In combing the web for and possible help I came across this from SGI's TPL:

Initiating automatic miniroot installs from multi-user mode may fail on certain Octane machines. The failure will occur when attempting to boot from the CDROM drive and a message will be displayed on the textport stating that there was an execute format error. If this occurs, a standard miniroot install must be used to install 6.5.

Issuing "single" from the command monitor does not succeed, is this a red herring? And what pretell would a "standard miniroot install" entail?

Thanks for that dexter1, I thought as much.

Please check (anyone) me on the following: from what I can glean from comp.sys.sgi.admin posts, this error means that sash is not recognizing the unix.IP30 file as a "proper Unix kernel."

Is there something special I should have done in handling the distribution tar.gz on the linux box? If I recall correctly I invoked tar -zxvpf. Does the Red Hat distribution tar mangle SGI files?

Thanks to you all for your kind and able help, I have finally gotten this Octane up and humming.

The key (for me) was setting the srvaddr environment variable from the command monitor and using the DEBUG 1 variable to diagnose the communications with the redhat box.

Regards!

I know this has been discussed but I have contacted the participants and gotten no response. Does anyone have a current BOINC client running on an Octane? I want to process some units with mine when I am not actively using it.

Thanks in advance!

Sorry, I should have said:

BOINC is a software platform for distributed computing using volunteered computer resources.

I use it to process SETI@home data on my other machines when they are not otherwise occupied.

You can find out more at:

http://boinc.berkeley.edu/intro.php

Thanks sincil,

What hardware were you running it on? I have an Octane with dual 300s, but I won't bother if its not going to be worth the effort!

I emailed erik but haven't heard back from him.

Regards,

dawnview

That's right, I have just gone through this SGI recommends running the miniroot from the tools disk of 6.5.22, that's the way I did it on my Octane recently--smooth sailing! The hard part for me was getting a linux box configured properly to host the 6.5.22 disks, since SGI doesn't provide ISO images.

I have seen this on my Octane hooked up to a Dell flatpanel, try Intel-OUTSIDE's excellent recommendation--I wish I had! I kept logging in remotely and restarting the machine, huge waste of time.

sincil, et al

I heard back from Erik with the latest binary but it does not execute. Does anyone have a list of dependencies for IRIX?

Thanks in advance!

nekonoko,

Thanks, that's an excellent suggestion, I think I will wait and worry about BOINC when they flip the switch!

Regards,

dawnview