This chapter describes the planning that you need to do to get started and provides instructions for installing SGI ProPack 4 for Linux Service Pack 3.
Your SGI Altix system or Silicon Graphics Prism Visualization System comes with a base Linux distribution (SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 (SLES9) Service Pack 3 (SP3)) and the SGI ProPack 4 for Linux Service Pack 3 software preinstalled. This chapter describes how to install the software from the CD if it should ever become necessary to reinstall it.
For security reasons, Linux requires a root password for login. The default password for your preinstalled software is sgisgi. After you have logged in, change this root password to a string of your own choice.
The SGI ProPack 4 for Linux SP3 software works only with the SLES9 SP3 environment. Earlier versions of this distribution, or any other distribution, are not compatible with SGI ProPack 4 for Linux SP3 software. Note that if you running SGI ProPack 4 for Linux with SLES9 SP1, you cannot update only the SLES9 base operating system to SLES9 SP3. You must also update the SGI ProPack 4 software with SGI ProPack 4 SP3 in order to continue using the SGI ProPack features.
Before you install or configure your system, please read Chapter 1, “Release Features” so that you understand the features of SGI ProPack 4 for Linux SP3 software. You might also want to familiarize yourself with some or all of the documentation listed in “Related Publications”.
This chapter covers the following topics:
This section provides disk and file information you need to have about the software that has been shipped to you and covers the following topics:
SGI ships systems from the factory with the partition layout shown in Table 2-1.
Partition | Type | Mount Point | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
part1 | VFAT | /boot/efi | 500 MB |
part2 | SWAP | /swap | 10 GB |
part3 | XFS | / | 25 GB |
part4 | XFS | /data1 | remainder of disk |
On SGI ProPack 4 SP3 with systems with multiple Ethernet connections, there is no guarantee that Ethernet MAC address of the base I/0 IO9 or IO10 card becomes eth0. Putting a dual-port Gigabit Ethernet card in the PCI slot right next to the IO9 card in an Altix 350 system renders the IO9 tg3 port eth2. The dual-port GigaBit Ethernet card gets eth0 and eth1. This can make SUSE network installs very confusing. See the SGI ProPack 4 for Linux SP3 release notes for a work around to this problem.
You cannot access XVM Volumes in Rescue Mode on SGI ProPack 4 SP3 systems. It is possible to boot into rescue mode from the SLES9 SP3 CD, but that CD does not contain the xvm kernel module. This makes it is impossible to perform maintenance on xvm volumes from rescue mode at this time. SGI recommends that you do not migrate any system directories to xvm since there is no way to access them from rescue mode.
Together, the family of Digital Media Libraries and Tools encompass facilities for data format description, live audio and video I/O with built-in conversion capabilities, file operations such as reading, writing, and editing multimedia files, data conversion and compression, and playback.
Customers that wish to use any Digital Media libraries, tools, or DMediaPro products will need to install these subsystems.
SLES9 SP3 contains several kernel variants, all based on the same source, but built with slightly different configuration options, that are outlined in Table 2-2. SGI ProPack 4 SP3 provides kernel modules for each of the variants for all SGI software contained in the release. SGI also provides the rtgfx kernel variant and associated kernel modules to support SGI ProPack Graphics, SGI ProPack Digital Media, and SGI React. Note that graphics, digital media and REACT real-time features are only supported with the rtgfx kernel variant.
Kernel Variant | Configuration Differences |
|---|---|
kernel-default | ia64 generic kernel maximum 128 CPU support 16KB page size KDB support (must be configured on) |
kernel-sn2 | sn2 specific kernel maximum 512 CPU support 16KB page size KDB support (must be configured on) |
kernel-64k-pagesize | ia64 generic kernel maximum 128 CPU support 64KB page size no KDB support does not work with XFS filesystems of 512 byte blocks, but does work if XFS filesystem is created with larger blocks |
kernel-debug | ia64 generic kernel maximum 512 CPU support 16KB page size KDB support (enabled by default) kprobes support dprobes support slab/spinlock debugging enabled |
kernel-rtgfx | Special SGI built kernel to support SGI ProPack Graphics, SGI ProPack Digital Media, or SGI REACT |
During installation, if you do not explicitly select to install any other kernels, your SGI Altix or SGI Prism system will boot with the kernel-default variant after installation. You must explicitly select the other kernels during the SLES9 SP3 installation if you want to use any of the other kernel variants.
Both the kernel-default ("generic") and kernel-sn2 ("sn2") kernels are certified and supported on SGI Altix systems; however, SGI recommends using the sn2 kernel in most cases since this kernel is configured to support larger single system images (maximum 512 processors) . Both the kernel-default ("generic") and kernel-sn2 ("sn2") kernels include the kernel debugger (that is, KDB) to aid customer support should that become necessary.
For more information on installing the sn2 kernel, see “Installing the SN2 Kernel”.
In the event of a system crash, the Linux Kernel Crash Dump (LKCD) facility will save a crash dump that will appear in the /var/log/dump directory after your system reboots. SGI support personnel can analyze this file to determine the cause of the system crash.
If you wish to save crash dumps to a different location, edit the DUMPDIR variable in /etc/sysconfig/dump and then run the following command: lkcd config.
 | Note: Depending on which kernel you have installed, the system may enter the KDB kernel debugger after a crash. If a kdb> prompt appears on the console, type sr d to initiate a crash dump. |
Unless you have the most current PROM, the kernel may fail to boot during the installation procedure. The prom RPM is on the SGI ProPack 4 for Linux Service Pack 3 Proprietary CD in the /sgi/ia64 directory.
| Note: Systems running SLES9 SP3 and SGI ProPack 4 SP3 should use PROM 4.43 which ships with SGI ProPack 4 SP3. The updated PROM contains key bug fixes, along with support for new kernel features, such as memory error recovery. Note that PROM 4.43 and subsequent versions are not compatible with SLES9 SP1 or SP2. SGI Altix or Silicon Graphics Prism software support contract customers can download PROM version 4.43 or later from the following area on Supportfolio: https://support.sgi.com/browse_request/suse_patch_browse_results |
For information on obtaining the latest PROM, see “Obtaining and Installing the Latest SGI Altix or Prism System Firmware”.
Please backup your license key files prior to installing SLES9 SP3 and/or SGI ProPack 4 SP3. A license key file is not included in these RPMs. Your original license key files will need to be restored after you complete your installation.
In terms of FLEXlm software and licensing support, the Redhat and SUSE distributors do not ship any code. ISVs are responsible for obtaining and including FLEXlm components into their products. This includes FLEXlm license server components. SGI, as part of SGI ProPack, includes FLEXlm license server components for SGI products.
There are no differences in the FLEXlm license server components between SGI Propack 3 and SGI Propack 4.
SGI recommends FLEXlm version 9.2.3 (or greater) for the "it64_re3" platform. This information is also available to all customers at this location:
http://www.sgi.com/support/licensing/linux_faq.html
If you encounter any license related problems, please contact your local support center at this location:
This section provides some information about installing SLES9 Service Pack 3 on SGI Altix and Silicon Graphics Prism systems. You need to have SLES9 Service Pack 3 installed before you can install SGI ProPack 4 for Linux Service Pack 3. For installation instructions, see “Installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 SP3”.
| Note: If you are upgrading from an earlier SGI Propack for Linux release, you must upgrade SLES9 SP3 and SGI ProPack 4 SP3 at the same time. For upgrade instructions, see “Upgrading SGI ProPack 4 for Linux and SLES9 SP3 with YaST”. |
In general, the documentation that comes with SUSE applies to installing software on an SGI Altix or SGI Prism system. This section provides some notes to get you started, as follows:
| Note: Please read all the notes below before attempting installation. |
Find installation documentation.
You can find installation documentation on the first SLES9 CD in the docu directory. Start by reading preparation.pdf file. This is the "SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Architecture-Specific Information" document.
Find and read the SLES9 Service Pack 3 release notes.
It is important to read the SLES9 Service Pack 3 release notes as well. You will find them in a text file named Notes in the root of the first SLES9 Service Pack 3 CD. Make sure you read the "Using the bootable SP CD" section. This is the suggested method of installing on an Altix or Prism system.
How to erase everything and start with a clean root drive.
The YaST installer does not allow you to remove older partitions and create a clean root by default. To do so, you must run the YaST Partitioner in "Expert Mode" (see page 22 of the SLES9 Installation and Administration manual). The default filesystem type for partitions is reiserfs. To create partitions with the XFS filesystem type, manually "Edit" the partition and then select XFS. Boot partitions on SGI Altix systems should always use the FAT filesystem.
Find the best installation method for SLES9 SP3 for your site.
There are several different methods to install SLES9 SP3. To use the graphical YaST installation, SGI recommends using the vnc or ssh methods, assuming the SGI system is connected to a network.
To use this mode, we suggest you select EFI Shell [Built-in] from the Boot Maintenance menu. A list of fs# devices will be presented before you get to the Shell> prompt. One from the list, will have the word CDROM in the display. If the fs# associated with the CDROM is 1, enter the following commands:
Shell> fs1: fs1:\> cd efi\boot
You are now ready to launch the installer. Issue the following command:
fs1:\efi\boot> bootia64
You now will see a list of choices including Installation, Installation - Safe Settings, and so on. Keep the default Installation choice highlighted. In the boot: prompt, your selection depends on the type of system you are booting.
If you are installing a Prism system and wish to install from the graphics monitor, you do not need to enter anything in the Boot: line. You may just hit enter. If you prefer to install using vnc or ssh, enter vnc=1 or usessh=1 in the Boot: line.
Note: In SLES9 SP3, it is not possible to use the graphical install option on the Prism display. You will automatically use text-based installation on the graphics monitor. A warning message stating that graphical installation is not complete, may appear and that is expected. Graphics functions will become available after SGI ProPack 4 SP3 is installed. If you are installing software on an Altix system you need to specify information about the serial console on the boot line. If you wish to use vnc or ssh, you can supply those options as well. An example boot line specifying the serial console for installation and the use of vnc is similar to the following:
boot: console=ttyS0,38400n8 vnc=1
If you choose to install over the serial console or an L2 controller with xterm, note that the SGI Altix serial console is not 100% clean at this time and you may run into "screen corruption". Often this can cleared up by entering Ctrl-L from the command line to re-draw the screen. When using xterm, remember to set the encoding to UTF-8. The following command line options have yielded fairly good results:
xterm -sb -en UTF-8 -geometry 130x40 -e "cu -s 38400 -l /dev/ttyS0"
Please note that console corruption does not apply to the Silicon Graphics Prism Visualization Systems when installing from the graphics screen. However, for initial install, only text mode is available from the graphics screen.
Install the SLES9 SP3 kernel appropriate for your site.
After your system is running SLES9 SP3, you may wish to change the kernel you use to one of the several variants that SLES9 SP3 provides. After a default installation, your system will run the kernel-default variant.
Note: For Altix systems, SGI recommends that you install the sn2 kernel because it supports larger CPU counts (maximum 512) and it is also configured to support use of the kernel debugger (kdb) commands, which are used to diagnose system panics and hangs. For more information on installing the sn2 kernel, see “Installing the SN2 Kernel”. For Silicon Graphics Prism Visualization Systems, SGI recommends that you install the rtgfx kernel. If you are installing SGI ProPack 4 SP3 on a Prism system, install the Graphics selection group from the System Extensions CD. This marks the SGI built rtgfx kernel for installation.
Find out how to perform a network installation.
If you plan to set up a system to do network installations, you may find the "Network Install Server Setup" in this document helpful. This section describes how to integrate SGI ProPack 4 SP3 with SUSE operating system repositories.
Find information on AutoYaST.
For information on AutoYaST, see “Using AutoYaST”.
Find out how to install or reinstall the rtgfx kernel for SGI ProPack 4 REACT Upgrades.
In order to use the graphics, real-time or digital media capabilities in SGI ProPack 4 SP3, you must install the rtgfx kernel and the corresponding kernel modules for the rtgfx kernel variant.
If you are upgrading from SGI ProPack 4 to SGI ProPack 4 SP3, and you choose to install Graphics, Digital Media, or REACT components, the rtgfx kernel will be installed. However, your current running kernel will also be updated at the same time. Your already-running kernel will probably become the default and not the rtgfx kernel. For information on how to re-install the rtgfx kernel, see “Upgrading SGI ProPack for REACT Real-Time for Linux Users”.
Caution: Because the rtgfx kernel is not a standard SUSE kernel variant, it is not supported in any way by SUSE or Novell. Installation of the rtgfx kernel will also invalidate any existing system certifications with SLES9 SP3. Only users who require support for digital media, graphics, or real-time should install any of the software from the System Extensions CD.
To install SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 (SLES9) SP3 from the CD media, perform the following steps:
Insert the SLES9 SP3 CD1 into the CD-ROM drive. You will boot the system using this CD.
Note: The system will not boot with the SLES9 CD1 media, since that media will not recognize the Silicon Graphics Prism DVD-ROM drive. You MUST boot with the SLES9 SP3 CD1 media. On SGI Prism Visualizaton Systems, if you have a bootable CD is in the DVD drive when the system is reset and EFI Shell menu choice is selected, the CD is assigned the file system number fs0, at the top of the list. On an SGI Altix system, it is assigned fs1 at the bottom of the list. For additional information on installing with a serial connection, with SSH or via VNC, see the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Architecture Specific Information document (preparation.pdf). For more detailed information about the various steps during installation, refer to the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Administration and Installation Guide (manual.pdf). Both documents are located in the docu directory on the SLES9 SP3 CD1 media
Boot the system and select CD Boot from the boot menu when it appears.
Note: If you do not see the CD Boot option, you can add it to the boot menu. Select Add a boot option, choose to boot from Removable media and then select your CD-ROM drive from the list. When presented with a list of installation options, select Installation. The system will continue to boot and then YaST, the text-based installation program, starts.
Follow the on-screen prompts as they appear. YaST will prompt you for CD1.
Note: YaST is asking for the SLES9 CD1 media, not the SLES9 SP3 CD1 media that was used to boot the system and start the installation. Insert the SLES9 CD1 media and select OK. Ignore any warnings about the system being unable to start X, just select OK. The X server will not work at this point in the installation. Use the TAB button to navigate the YaST input fields and buttons. Select a language and accept a License and then select Next.
Note: You may also need to verify that the Tigon3 network card has been recognized. Select System Information and verify that the tg3 driver has been loaded. If the tg3 driver is not loaded, select Kernel Modules and then Load network card modules and select the tg3 driver to have the kernel load it. Choose Start Installation and then Start Install/Update to begin the installation process. Confirm driver activation with OK to each then select New Installation when prompted.
If you are migrating from SGI ProPack 3 for Linux, be sure to NOT to accept the default values for partitioning. Go to Installation Settings, but DO NOT ACCEPT the default values. Choose Partitioning, then Base Partition setup, and set the partition formats by selecting Base partition setup on this proposal if the partition number and sizes are correct. You may also select Create custom partition setup if you need to tailor the size or number of partitions. The EFI boot partition format should be FAT; check that the EFI and swap partitions will be formatted, and change sda3 (or equivalent system disk partition) to the xfs format. Verify formats are correct and that all partitions boot, swap and system disk partitions will be formatted, and then select Accept.
Insert the SLES9 SP3 CD1 media when prompted and then subsequent CD media according to the on-screen prompts.
Note: YaST refers to the SLES9 CD1 media as the SUSE SLES CD and the SLES9 CD2 media as SUSE CORE CD 1. This means that you have to pay attention to the CD prompts to ensure you insert the correct CD media. The following may help: SLES9 CD1 = SLES/CD1, SLES9 CD2 = CORE/CD1, SLES9 CD3 = CORE/CD2, SLES9 CD4 = CORE/CD3, SLES9 CD5 = CORE/CD4 and SLES9 CD6 = CORE/CD5. Once SLES 9 SP3 has been installed, you will be prompted to reboot. Do so, and then select SUSE SLES 9 from the boot menu. In most cases, this option is the default. At the ELILO prompt, hit ENTER, and the system should boot up into another YaST session. Follow the on-screen prompts for system configuration, but when prompted with graphics card hardware detection, select Skip Configuration.
Note: The correct graphics driver is not available at this point in the installation. You should also skip the sound card detection. If you have configured your network card and Internet connection, YaST may prompt you to test the connection. Skip this step. If you attempt to test the connection, you will be prompted to connect to the Novell YaST Online Update (YOU) server. SGI strongly recommends that you install SLES9 SP3 and SGI ProPack 4 SP3 before attempting to update your system with images from the SGI or Novell YOU servers.
Once finished, exit from YaST, login as root, and restart YaST with the following command:
/sbin/yast
You should now be ready to install SGI ProPack 4 SP3 (and SUSE Linux Software Development Kit 9 if you so choose). If you accidentally reboot and find that you are at a blank screen, it is very likely that X failed to start properly because you tried to configure the graphics card hardware. Since the graphics driver is on the SGI ProPack 4 SP3 CD media, this is expected. You should be able to access a virtual text console by holding down the CTRL, ALT and F1 (or F2, F3, and so on.) keys. You can start the new YaST session from the virtual console.
These instructions assume that SUSE SLES9 with SLES9 Service Pack 3 has already been installed on your machine. If you do not yet have SUSE SLES9 with Service Pack 3 installed, please see “Installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 SP3”.
| Note: SUSE provides extensive documentation on using YaST. See the manual.pdf in the docu directory of the first SLES9 CD. |
These instructions are for installing SGI ProPack 4 SP3 for the first time. If you are upgrading, see “Upgrading From an Earlier SGI ProPack 4 Release to SGI ProPack 4 SP3”.
If you want to set up a network install repository that allows you to install SUSE SLES9, SLES 9 Service Pack 3, and SGI ProPack 4 SP3 all in one session, see “SLES and SGI ProPack Network Installation for Experts”.
The two primary steps to installing SGI ProPack 4 SP3 using the SUSE YaST install tool are, as follows:
Do the actual installation or upgrade using YaST described in “Installing SGI ProPack with YaST”.
Below, you will find detailed instructions for telling YaST about your source media for various types of media (physical CD, CD ISO images, NFS, and so on). Choose the section that matches the source media you are using. After that, you will move on to the section titled “Installing SGI ProPack with YaST”. These instructions assume you are logged in as root. If you wish to use he graphical interface of YaST, please be sure your DISPLAY environment variable is set properly. YaST will provide the text interface when it is unable to use graphics. If you are using the text based installer from a GNOME terminal window, you might find setting your TERM environment variable to xterm may help.
Depending on if you are using the graphical interface or the text interface to YaST, you will either click on menu choices with your mouse, or select them using your arrow keys, the TAB key, and the ENTER key.
This section describes how to instruct YaST to find your install media. The instructions vary depending on your source. It covers these topics:
To install SGI ProPack 4 for Linux Service Pack 3 from CD, perform the following steps:
Insert the SGI ProPack 4 SP3 CD1 (Open/Free Source Software CD) into the CD-ROM drive.
Note: Once SGI ProPack 4 SP3 CD1 is added as an installation source, YaST will know to prompt for SGI ProPack 4 SP3 CD2 (Proprietary Software CD); however, the SGI ProPack 4 SP3 System Extensions CD must be listed as a separate installation source, which is covered in step 9, below. Use the yast command to lauch the YaST installation tool, as follows:
/sbin/yast
From the YaST Control Center menu, select or click on Software
Select or click on Change Source of Installation
If there are any SGI ProPack installation sources present, remove them by highlighting them one at a time and selecting Delete.
Select or click on Add
Select CD... from the window
YaST will now attempt to mount the CD and add it to the list of media sources
Select or click on Finish.
If you wish to install from the SGI ProPack System Extensions CD or SUSE Linux SDK 9 software, insert the SGI ProPack System Extensions CD in to the CD-ROM drive and repeat steps 6 through 8.
Note: Only customers needing special graphics, digital media, or real-time features should use the SGI ProPack System Extensions CD. Most customers do not need this software. Installing from the System Extensions CD could break certifications. SUSE Linux SDK 9 is a development tool kit, which contains the complete set of tools used to build the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 product. The SDK also features several useful programs such as integrated development environments (IDEs), programming language support (for example, C, C++, Python, and so on), debuggers and graphics related programs. The SUSE Linux SDK 9 software is being distributed by SGI in Courtesy Support Mode.
For more information about SGI support modes on Supportfolio Online, see http://support.sgi.com/content_request/46689/index.html.
If you added SUSE Linux SDK 9 CD in step 9, also mark SDK Documentation Tools and any other SDK package selections that you feel will be useful before entering OK an Accept. For more information about SUSE Linux SDK 9, please see the SUSE Linux Software Development Kit 9 document that is bundled with the SDK CDs.
Proceed to “Installing SGI ProPack with YaST”.
Note: You do not need to tell YaST about the 2nd SGI ProPack CD for this install method. YaST will prompt for it automatically when it needs it.
These instructions show you how to install SGI ProPack 4 for Linux Service Pack 3 using ISO images. There are many ways to do this. This section just provides one example. The example assumes the images are named propack1.iso and propack2.iso.The SGI ProPack System Extensions CD contains software packages for graphics, digital media, or real-time features.
To install SGI ProPack 4 SP3 from ISO images, perform the following steps:
Copy the ISO images to the /tmp directory on your machine.
Make mount points for your ISO images. An example is, as follows:
mkdir /mnt/propack1 mkdir /mnt/propack2
Mount the ISO images, an example is, as follows:
mount -o ro,loop /tmp/propack1.iso /mnt/propack1 mount -o ro,loop /tmp/propack2.iso /mnt/propack2
Start yast2
From the YaST Control Center menu, select or click on Software.
Select or click on Change Source of Installation.
If there are any SGI ProPack installation sources present, remove them by highlighting them one at a time and selecting Delete.
Select or click on Add.
Select Local Directory....
Type in the path to your first CD. In this example,/mnt/propack1. Then, select or click on OK.
Select or click on Finish.
If you wish to install from the SGI ProPack System Extensions CD or SUSE Linux SDK 9 software (see step 9 of “Installing from CD”), perform the steps that follow.
Note: Only customers needing special graphics, digital media, or real-time features should use the SGI ProPack System Extensions CD. Most customers do not need this software. Installing from the System Extensions CD could break certifications. Make mount point for the ISO image, as follows:
mkdir /mnt/ppext
Mount the ISO image, as follows:
mount -o ro,loop /tmp/propack-optional.iso /mnt/ppext
In YaST, select or click on Add
Select Local Directory....
Type in the path to your first CD. In this example,/mnt/ppext
Select or click on Finish.
Proceed to “Installing SGI ProPack with YaST”.
If you are an experienced YaST user, you may also find some of the other install methods useful such as NFS, HTTP, or FTP.
For NFS, you tell YaST to change the source of installation and choose NFS... as the source. Then you provide the NFS server name and path to the files.
If you have setup a HTTP or FTP server that provides the packages, you may use those too.
If you wish to install SUSE and SLES over the network all in one setting, see the section titled “SLES and SGI ProPack Network Installation for Experts”.
After you have your source set up, you should proceed to either the “How To Install SGI ProPack 4 for Linux SP3 For the First Time”.
Read this section if you are installing SGI ProPack for the first time.
After you have told YaST how to find SGI ProPack in “Instructing YaST to Look at Your Install Media”, you are ready to perform the actual installation as described in this section. These instructions are separated in to four sections, as follows:
To install SGI ProPack 4 for Linux Service Pack 3 with YaST using the text interface, perform the following steps:
Make sure you are in the YaST install program at the YaST Control Center menu.
Select Software.
Select Install and Remove Software.
Select Filter (it is on the upper left part of the screen).
Select Selections.
Now you are in a Package Categories window. Scroll down to the bottom of the categories list and you will see package categories starting with SGI
Always select the following category: SGI ProPack. You can do this, for example, by highlighting the category and hitting the ENTER key.
If you are installing the SGI ProPack Graphics, SGI ProPack Digital Media, and/or SGI REACT, an SGI built kernel will be installed and will be the default. This special kernel is named kernel-rtgfx.
Note: Selecting SGI ProPack Graphics, SGI ProPack Digital Media, or SGI REACT will install SGI supplied components that replace the SUSE version of the kernel or other components. For example, installing SGI ProPack Graphics will replace the SUSE versions of XFree86 RPMs with SGI modified RPMs to work with SGI graphics platforms. Customers who do not have graphics platforms and do not wish for any SUSE supplied products replaced with SGI versions should avoid these groups. Choose any additional categories now.
Pick kernel module products that match the kernel(s) you plan to use. Choose at least one to match the current kernel. For example, if you plan to use both the default and sn2 kernel variants, select SGI ProPack Kernel Modules - default and SGI ProPack Kernel Modules - sn2.
Verify that the product groups you wish to install now have a "+" or "a+" in front of them.
Select OK.
Select Accept to start installing the packages.
Although no kernels are installed in SGI ProPack at this time, the install process will make some adjustments to which kernel modules get loaded by default when booting. In addition, certain system tuning adjustments are made. It is best to reboot after SGI ProPack installation so these changes take effect.
Note: If you have selected any one of the following selection groups, SGI ProPack Graphics, SGI ProPack Digital Media, and/or SGI REACT, the rtgfx could be installed at this point. See “Notes on Installing SGI ProPack with YaST”, if installation does not proceed.
To install SGI ProPack 4 for Linux Service Pack 3 with YaST using the graphical interface, perform the following steps.
Make sure you are in the YaST install program at the YaST Control Center window.
Click on Software (it may already be highlighted).
Click on Install and Remove Software.
Click on the pull-down menu to the right of Filter on the upper left part of the screen.
Click on Selections.
Make sure you are working with the left hand window with the Selection title and not the individual package window on the right.
Notice that there is a list of product selections. Each selection has a box to the left of it. Scroll down so you can see the SGI selections at the end of the list.
Always select the following category: SGI ProPack. You can do this, for example, by checking on the small square box to the left of SGI ProPack and ensuring it has a check mark.
If you are installing the graphics, dmedia, or REACT groups, the kernel you will be using is the SGI built rtgfx kernel. Also, the associated modules will be auto-selected if you choose SGI ProPack Graphics, SGI ProPack Digital Media, and/or SGI REACT.
Note: Selecting SGI ProPack Graphics, SGI ProPack Digital Media, or SGI REACT will install SGI supplied components that replace the SUSE version of the kernel or other components. For example, installing SGI ProPack Graphics will replace the SUSE versions of XFree86 RPMs with SGI modified RPMs to work with SGI graphics platforms. Customers who do not have graphics platforms and do not wish for any SUSE supplied products replaced with SGI versions should avoid these groups. Choose any additional categories now.
Pick kernel module products that match the kernel(s) you plan to use. Choose at least one to match the current kernel. For example, if you plan to use both the default and sn2 kernel variants, select SGI ProPack Kernel Modules - default and SGI ProPack Kernel Modules - sn2.
Verify the product groups you wish to install now have a check mark in the box. Note that a small triangle may appear to the left of the check box for auto-installed groups.
Now click Accept on the lower right to start installing the packages.
Although no kernels are installed in SGI ProPack at this time, the install process will make some adjustments to which kernel modules get loaded by default when booting. In addition, certain system tuning adjustments are made. It is best to reboot after SGI ProPack installation so these changes take effect.
Note: If you have selected any one of the following packates, SGI ProPack Graphics, SGI ProPack Digital Media, and/or SGI REACT, the rtgfx could be installed at this point.
Changed Packages window:
It is normal to be presented with a Changed Packages box. This box just lists some packages from the SLES9 SP3 operating system that are needed by SGI ProPack packages. Note that, in order for these packages to be installed, you will need to have your SLES9 SP3 install source available (such as the CD set).
Conflicts:
In some cases, you could be presented with some conflicts. These are a result of unresolved dependencies from previous installation or installation attempts. If you have unresolved dependencies, you will have to resolve them before installation of SGI ProPack 4 Service Pack 3 can proceed. Sometimes, resolving these conflicts will require that some packages from SLES9 SP3 be installed. In this case, you may need to have your SLES9 SP3 install source available (such as the CD set).
This section describes how to set up a network install server and provides some information on using AutoYaST. It covers these topics:
This section provides you some information on installing SUSE SLES9, SLES9 Service Pack 3, and SGI ProPack 4 for Linux Service Pack 3 all in one session over the network. This is helpful for systems administrators who have several machines to install and keep up to date.
To do this, you will need to set up an NFS repository that contains the installation files.
Look at the SLES 9 SP3 release notes for how to setup an NFS repository. You can find the release notes in the text file called Notes in the root of the first SLES9 Service Pack 3 CD. The section in the SLES9 SP3 release notes dealing with setting up an installation server is titled "Setting up an installation server."
Once you have an install server set up to handle SLES9 with SP3, you can then add SGI ProPack 4 Service Pack 3, as well. Simply follow the instructions in the SLES 9 SP3 release notes section titled "Integrating the Service Pack into an installation server". Instead of doing it for a Service Pack, do it for SGI ProPack 4 SP3, instead. The process is the same in both cases.
If you are doing manual network installs, you will now be able to tell YaST to configure the software to be installed and you will see the SGI ProPack entries when you filter by selections. Note that SGI ProPack 4 SP3 is not installed by default. You have to tell YaST you want to install it.
 | Important: Clients making use of your install server repository should have individual sources listed as their installation source (configured using the Change Source of Installation in YaST). See the following example. |
For example, do not set up an install source as /install/sles9+sp3+pp4/. Rather, list each out such as the following:
/install/sles9+sp3+pp4-sp3/SUSE-CORE-Version-9/CD1 /install/sles9+sp3+pp4-sp3/SUSE-SLES-Version-9/CD1 /install/sles9+sp3+pp4-sp3/SUSE-SLES-9-Service-Pack-Version-3/CD1 /install/sles9+sp3+pp4-sp3/SGI-ProPack-4-for-Linux-Service-Pack-Version-3/CD1 |
AutoYaST is a method to install and configure a system based control file settings. With AutoYaST, you could install and configure a system over the network automatically. It provides similar functionality to kickstart provided by Red Hat.
You can find information on how to use AutoYaST at the following locations: http://www.suse.de/~nashif/autoinstall/
You can find information about AutoYaST in chapter 3 of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server Installation and Administration manual. This resides in manual.pdf file in the docu directory of the first SLES9 CD. Documentation is also available on an installed SLES9 system in /usr/share/doc/packages/autoyast2/html.
This information is meant to augment the instructions already available, as follows:
If you are using AutoYaST for the first time, it is best to start by selecting Create Reference Profile in the Tools menu of YaST's Autoinstallation setup program.
Always be sure your installation sources point at individual components. These are configured using the Change Source of Installation facility within YaST. If your install source points at the top of an NFS repository ("/install/sles9+sp3+pp4-sp3/" in the example below), package selections will not work properly as products that are not already installed and will not be listed. Here is an example list of valid sources, as follows:
/install/sles9+sp3+pp4-sp3/SUSE-CORE-Version-9/CD1 /install/sles9+sp3+pp4-sp3/SUSE-SLES-Version-9/CD1 /install/sles9+sp3+pp4-sp3/SUSE-SLES-9-Service-Pack-Version-3/CD1 /install/sles9+sp3+pp4-sp3/SGI-ProPack-4-for-Linux/CD1
By default, YaST will not set up the EFI Boot Manager entry during automatic installation. To change this, use YaST's Autoinstallation setup program and enable this feature in Boot Loader Configuration.
In SLES9 SP3, it can be very confusing to get the proper root= entry in the target system's elilo configuration. The root= in the elilo configuration is not fixed up when you tell Autoinstallation how to partition target disks. Instead, you need to go to the System -> Boot Loader Configuration menu, and configure the settings. The only way to change the root= entry is to use the Edit Configuration Files option. This allows you to modify the actual target elilo.conf file. By default, the root is set to the root of the system from which you are running YaST. Sometimes, not what you want.
If you want to configure networking, you will find the Autoinstallation tool offers a way to configure your network card. However, the network card SGI uses is not available in the list to select from. It may be easier to just let the hardware get detected on the first boot.
For Altix or Prism, the instructions provided for booting over the network do not exactly match. You will need a dhcp and tftp server and you can copy the installer kernel, initrd, and the elilo.conf file from the first SLES 9 SP3 CD. After some modification, you should be able to boot this over the network with the same result as booting from the first SLES CD.
For Prism deskside systems, at the ELILO prompt you must enter graphics to install using the graphics head.The default install input to the ELILO promts uses the L1 serial console.
If you are booting a system over the network for autoinstallation, you might want something similar to the following in your append line of the elilo configuration on your tftp server. There are of course many other ways to do this.
append="ramdisk_size=131072 console=ttyS0,115200n8 escdelay=250 autoyast=nfs://128.162.243.5/install/ install=nfs://128.162.243.5/install/sles9-sp3-pp4
The major configuration actions are, as follows;
install= points it at the SLES NFS repository to get the YaST components to launch the installer.
autoyast= points to the directory that contains your autoyast profile. Note trailing "/". The file name it retrieves is the IP address converted to hex as described in the autoyast web documentation.
These instructions will change significantly depending on which features of YaST. For example, you could have a rules file or a default file.
Note that you could also choose to use SLP. SLP is documented by SUSE and is a method for clients to discover the location of the install server.
This section describes how to upgrade to both SLES9 SP3 and SGI Propack 4 for Linux SP3.
| Note: In order for your upgrade to work, you must upgrade to the SGI ProPack 4 SP3 and the SLES9 SP3 releases at the same time. |
| Note: SUSE provides extensive documentation on using YaST. See the manual.pdf in the docu directory of the first SLES9 CD. |
This section assumes that your base SUSE install sources are configured properly. See the SUSE documentation for details. The instructions given in this section guide you through updating your install sources when upgrading SLES9 SP3 and SGI ProPack 4 SP3 at the same time.
| Note: If you are upgrading from an earlier SGI Propack for Linux release, you must upgrade SLES9 SP3 and SGI ProPack 4 SP3 at the same time. |
This section describes how to instruct YaST to find your install media. The instructions vary depending on your source. It covers these topics:
To upgrade both SLES9 SP3 and SGI ProPack 4 SP3, perform the following steps:
Use the yast command to lauch the YaST installation tool, as follows:
/sbin/yast
From the YaST Control Center menu, select or click on Software.
Select or click on Change Source of Installation.
Remove any SGI ProPack installation sources present by highlighting them one at a time and selecting Delete.
Remove any old SLES9 SP2 entries by highlighting them one at a time and selecting Delete.
Insert the SGI ProPack 4 SP3 CD1 (Open/Free Source Software CD) into the CD-ROM drive.
Note: Once SGI ProPack 4 SP3 CD1 is added as an installation source, YaST will know to prompt for SGI ProPack 4 SP3 CD2 (Proprietary Software CD); however, the SGI ProPack 4 SP3 System Extensions CD must be listed as a separate installation source, which is covered in step 14 below. Select or click on Add.
Select CD... from the window. YaST will now attempt to mount the CD and add it to the list of media sources.
Select or click on Finish.
Remove the SGI ProPack 4 SP3 CD1 from the CD-ROM drive.
Insert SLES9 SP3 CD1 in to the CD-ROM drive.
Select or click on Add.
Select CD... from the window. YaST will now attempt to mount the CD and add it to the list of media sources.
If you wish to install from the SGI ProPack System Extensions CD, insert the SGI ProPack System Extensions CD in to the CD-ROM drive and repeat steps 11 through 13.
Note: Only customers needing special graphics, digital media, or real-time features should use the SGI ProPack System Extensions CD. Most customers do not need this software. Installing from the System Extensions CD could break certifications. Proceed to Installing SGI ProPack with YaST.
Note: You do not need to tell YaST about the second SGI ProPack CD or additional SLES9 SP3 CDs for this install method. YaST will prompt for them automatically when it needs them.
These instructions show you how to install SGI ProPack 4 for Linux Service Pack 3 using ISO images. There are many ways to do this. This section just provides one example. The example assumes the images are named propack1.iso and propack2.iso.The SGI ProPack System Extensions CD contains software packages for graphics, digital media, or real-time features.
To install SGI ProPack 4 SP3 from ISO images, perform the following steps:
Copy the ISO images to the /tmp directory on your machine.
Make mount points for your ISO images. An example is, as follows:
mkdir /mnt/propack1 mkdir /mnt/propack2
Mount the ISO images, an example is, as follows:
mount -o ro,loop /tmp/propack1.iso /mnt/propack1 mount -o ro,loop /tmp/propack2.iso /mnt/propack2
Start yast2
From the YaST Control Center menu, select or click on Software.
Select or click on Change Source of Installation.
If there are any SGI ProPack installation sources present, remove them by highlighting them one at a time and selecting Delete.
Select or click on Add.
Select Local Directory....
Type in the path to your first CD. In this example,/mnt/propack1. Then, select or click on OK.
Select or click on Finish.
If you wish to install from the SGI ProPack System Extensions CD, perform the steps that follow.
Note: Only customers needing special graphics, digital media, or real-time features should use the SGI ProPack System Extensions CD. Most customers do not need this software. Installing from the System Extensions CD could break certifications. Make mount point for the ISO image, as follows:
mkdir /mnt/ppext
Mount the ISO image, as follows:
mount -o ro,loop /tmp/propack-optional.iso /mnt/ppext
In YaST, select or click on Add
Select Local Directory....
Type in the path to your first CD. In this example,/mnt/ppext
Select or click on Finish.
Proceed to “Installing SGI ProPack with YaST”.
If you are an experienced YaST user, you may also find some of the other install methods useful such as NFS, HTTP, or FTP.
For NFS, you tell YaST to change the source of installation and choose NFS... as the source. Then you provide the NFS server name and path to the files.
If you have setup a HTTP or FTP server that provides the packages, you may use those too.
If you wish to install SUSE and SLES over the network all in one setting, see the section titled “SLES and SGI ProPack Network Installation for Experts”.
After you have your source set up, you should proceed to either the “How To Install SGI ProPack 4 for Linux SP3 For the First Time”.
This section describes how to upgrade your software from a previous version of SGI Propack for Linux and SLES9 to SGI ProPack 4 SP3 and SLES9 SP3.
If you are installing for the first time, see “How To Install SGI ProPack 4 for Linux SP3 For the First Time”.
Make sure you have told YaST about your install sources as described in “Instructing YaST to Look at Your Install Media”.
For the upgrade to work properly, both SGI ProPack 4 SP3 and SLES9 SP3 releases need to be available as install sources. It is very likely that the old SLES9 SP2 install source is listed. This should be removed in favor of SLES9 SP3. Failure to do this will result in dependency problems and system inconsistencies.
| Important: As with SUSE SLES Service Packs, SGI ProPack Service Pack upgrades is best done in live mode. In other words, do not attempt to boot in to the SLES9 or SLES9 SP3 install CD and do an "upgade" from there. If you do, the SGI packages may show up as "protected" and "not upgradable." As described in“SLES and SGI ProPack Network Installation for Experts”, it is possible to do full fresh network installations of SLES9 + SLES9 SP3 + ProPack in one session. |
This section covers the following topics:
This section provides information on how to upgrade to a new version of SGI ProPack 4 for Linux using the text (non-graphical) YaST interface.
To upgrade your SGI ProPack software with YaST using the text interface, perform the following steps:
Start up yast.
Select Software.
Select System Update
You should now have a summary screen. Update Options should say either Upgrade to SLES9 SP3, Upgrade to ProPack 4SP3, or Update to SGI ProPack Optional 4SP3. All of these are OK.
Under packages, it may say that manual intervention is required. This is OK.
System Extensions CD Select Change... and then Packages...
Select Filter and then Selections.
Page down until you see categories starting with SGI.
If any SGI groups are already selected (have a + next to them), mark them for upgrade by entering >. This ensures any new SGI ProPack packages are installed. Skip the next step.
If SGI ProPack is not already selected, enter a plus sign (+) next to it. This may automatically deselect some old categories . This is normal.
If one or more SGI ProPack Kernel Modules categories is already marked with a plus sign (+), highlight them and enter > to upgrade them to ensure any new packages are added. In this case, you can skip the next step if you like.
If none of the SGI ProPack Kernel Modules categories are selected, select one or more SGI ProPack Kernel Modules categories matching the kernel or kernels you plan to run. For example, if you are using the sn2 SUSE kernel, select SGI ProPack Kernel Modules - sn2. To select a kernel modules category, highlight the SGI ProPack Kernel Modules package you wish to install, and enter a plus sign (+) next to it.
If any of SGI ProPack Graphics, SGI REACT, or SGI ProPack Digital Media groups are selected, for each one highlight the group and enter > to upgrade it and ensure any new packages are added.
If you are installing from the SGI ProPack System Extensions CD, you probably want to install one or more of the following modules: SGI ProPack Graphics, SGI REACT, or SGI ProPack Digital Media. The SGI ProPack Kernel Modules - rtgfx group would then be selected for you. Only customers wanting to run real-time, digital media, or graphics software will want install these modules. All other customers should not have the SGI ProPack System Extensions CD in the selections list and should not see these extra categories. If you do not need the System Extensions CD as an install source, it is important that it is not listed at all. This is because YaST may pull some packages from it, if available, even if they are not marked for install.
Note: If you are upgrading SGI REACT, highlight SGI REACT and enter ">" to mark it for upgrade. You can now select Accept. The System Update screen will appear. Then, select Next. Installation should proceed.
See the notes at the end of this section if installation does not proceed.
You should now reboot your system. In addition to having a new kernel, many other pieces of system software were upgraded by both SLES9 SP3 and SGI ProPack 4 SP3.
Note: On SGI Prism Visualizaton Systems, if you have a bootable CD is in the Note: DVD drive when the system is reset and EFI Shell menu choice is selected, the CD is assigned the file system number fs0 , at the top of the list. On an SGI Altix system, it is assigned fs1 at the bottom of the list.
This section provides information on how to upgrade to a new version of SGI ProPack 4 for Linux using the YaST graphical interface.
To upgrade your SGI ProPack software with YaST using the graphical interface, perform the following steps:
Start up yast2.
On the left side, highlight Software.
On the right side, click on System Update.
You should now have a summary screen. Update Options should say either Upgrade to SLES9 SP3, Upgrade to ProPack 4SP3, or Update to SGI ProPack Optional 4SP3. All of these are OK.
Click on Change... and then Packages....
If A Depedency warning window appears, click on the Cancel to close the window.
On the upper right, click on the box to the right of Filter. Select Selections.
Scroll down until you see categories starting with SGI.
If any SGI groups are already selected (have a blue check next to them), mark them for upgrade by highlighting the item, right-clicking the mouse button, and choosing update. Skip to next step.
If SGI ProPack is not already selected, click the box next to SGI ProPack so that it has a black check mark. This may automatically deselect some old categories. This is normal.
If one or more SGI ProPack Kernel Modules categories is already selected (a blue checkmark), for each category, highlight the name, click the left mouse button, and select update. This will ensure any new packages from the new SGI ProPack are included. You may skip the next step.
If no SGI ProPack Kernel Modules categories are selected, select one or more SGI ProPack Kernel Modules categories matching the kernel or kernels with which you plan to run. For example, if you are using the sn2 SUSE kernel, select SGI ProPack Kernel Modules - sn2. To select a kernel module category, highlight the SGI ProPack Kernel Modules package you wish to install. Click the box to the left of it so that it contains a check mark.
If any of SGI ProPack Graphics, SGI REACT, or SGI ProPack Digital Media groups are selected, for each one highlight the group, right-click the mouse button, and select update to upgrade and ensure any new packages are added.
If you are installing from the SGI ProPack System Extensions CD, you probably want to install one or more of the following modules: SGI ProPack Graphics, SGI REACT, or SGI ProPack Digital Media. The SGI ProPack Kernel Modules - rtgfx group would then be selected for you. Only customers wanting to run real-time, digital media, or graphics software will want install these modules. All other customers should not have the ProPack System Extensions CD in the selections list and should not see these extra categories. If you do not need the System Extensions CD as an install source, it is important that it is not listed at all. This is because YaST may pull some packages from it, if available, even if they are not marked for install.
Note: If you are upgrading SGI REACT, highlight SGI React, right-click, and select update. You can now click Accept. You will be taken back to the System Update screen. Select Next. Installation should proceed.
See the notes at the end of this section if installation does not proceed.
If you are upgrading form any previous version of ProPack 4 to Propack 4 SP3, and you are choosing to install REACT here for the first time during this upgrade, there are some special instructions. Although selecting Graphics, Digital Media, or REACT components automatically installs the special rtgfx kernel, this kernel may not be your default kernel. In other words, when you reboot, you may start up with whatever kernel you were using before (most likely default).
To ensure the rtgfx kernel becomes the default kernel, please follow the instructions below. After this, rtgfx will always be your default kernel.
Start up yast or yast2
Choose Software and then Install and Remove Software.
Choose Search.
In the Search Phrase box, enter kernel-rtgfx.
Select OK.
Select the kernel-rtgfx kernel by highlighting it.
Mark the package for Upgrade (> in the text interface).
Select accept.
The kernel is now re-installed. The rtgfx kernel will be the default kernel when you reboot your system.
 | Warning: If you are going to run the reactcfg.pl script to configure your system for restricted/isolated CPUs, the default boot kernel needs to be the rtgfx kernel. The reactcfg.pl script makes its modifications according to whatever is listed as the default boot kernel. |
In some cases, you could be presented with some conflicts. These are a result of unresolved depdencies from previous installation or installation attempts. If you have unresolved depdencies, you will have to resolve them before installation of ProPack 4 will proceed. If the only thing YaST is complaining about is that packages will be added, it is usually safe to let it take the default action. Please note that if packages are added due to these dependencies, YaST will need to install them from the operating system CDs or other media - so you may have to have the media available if you run in to this situation. Most users should not experience this problem.
After your system is running SLES9 SP3, you may wish to change the kernel you use. SLES9 SP3 has several kernels available to choose from. By default, you get the "default" kernel. You may wish to install the sn2 kernel instead.
SGI systems preinstalled with SLES9 SP3 are setup to run the sn2 kernel by default, so you do not need to install the sn2 kernel on top of a preinstalled SGI Altix or Prism system.
SGI built kernel (rtgfx variant) and associated software provide support for Silicon Graphics Prism systems, Digital Media tools and libraries, and REACT Real-Time for Linux features. If you want to use any of these features, you want the rtgfx kernel installed on your system not the sn2 kernel.
Installing the sn2 version of the kernel requires two primary steps, as follows:
Installing the SLES9 SP3 sn2 kernel variant itself
Installing the associated SGI ProPack kernel modules for the sn2 kernel (if they are not already installed)
To install the SLES9 SP3 sn2 kernel variant with the text YaST installer, perform the following:
Invoke the yast2 command to start the YaST installer (see the YAST2(8) man page).
Select Software.
Select Install and Remove Software.
Select Filter and Search.
Enter kernel-sn2 for the search phrase and then select accept.
Select the kernel by highlighting it and click on +.
Select accept.
To install the SLES9 SP3 sn2 kernel variant with the graphical YaST installer, perform the following:
Invoke the yast2 command to start the YaST installer.
Select Software.
Select Install and Remove Software.
Fill in the search engine box in the upper left with kernel-sn2 and click Search.
Select the kernel by highlighting and clicking on the empty box next to kernel-sn2.
Make sure it is now checked.
Select accept.
To install the ProPack kernel modules associated with the SLES9 SP3 sn2 kernel, see “How To Install SGI ProPack 4 for Linux SP3 For the First Time”. Those instructions include how to install the associated SGI ProPack kernel module group using either
If you use the SLES9 SP3 kernel-default kernel or sn2 kernel, which have KDB support compiled into the kernel, you may want to add the following modules to the MODULES_LOADED_ON_BOOT variable in /etc/sysconfig/kernel file, as follows:
kdbm_pg kdbm_task kdbm_vm xfsidbg |
These kernel modules add additional KDB commands to aid in debugging.
This section provides steps for installing the System Controller Software 1.12 (for IRIX and SGI ProPack for Linux). This software is licensed for SGI Origin and Onyx 3000 series systems based on MIPS processors and for SGI Altix 330 systems, SGI Altix 350 systems, the SGI Altix 3000 family of servers and superclusters and Silicon Graphics Prism Visualization systems.
| Note: The System Controller Software 1.12 CD is not shipped by default. You can download the System Controller Software 1.12 package from http://support.sgi.com/ or order it on CD-ROM (P/N 812-1138-007). Contact you SGI account representative if you need assistance obtaining the software package. |
Log in to the PC workstation or laptop computer where the System Controller Software 1.x" package resides, as root, using the root password you used in the previous installation process.
Insert the System Controller Software 1.12 CD into the system and enter the following command to mount the CD:
mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
Change directories to /mnt/cdrom/RPMS/ia64 and enter the following command:
./install
The installation begins. You will see which packages are being installed. After the installation is complete, you are returned to the root prompt.
After the software installation is complete, remove the System Controller Software 1.12 CD.
There are three levels of firmware to consider on your SGI Altix or SGI Prism system, as follows:
L2 controller software (only configurations of SGI systems with routers have L2 controllers)
L1 controllers on routers, IX-bricks, PX-bricks, C-bricks, and so on.
The system PROM (each node has a system PROM and each C-brick has two nodes).
L1 and L2 System Controller firmware provides support for managing and monitoring the power, cooling, and testing functions for a brick and system compute rack.
You can always download the latest L1/L2 system controller software and PROM firmware via Supportfolio at http://support.sgi.com/linux/
You can also find system controller software by using the search term “system controller” at: http://support.sgi.com/search_request/downloads/index.
PROM is released as patches and the latest firmware can also be found at: http://support.sgi.com/browse_request/linux_patches_by_os
| Note: Systems running SLES9 SP3 and SGI ProPack 4 SP3 should use PROM 4.43 which ships with SGI ProPack 4 SP3. The updated PROM contains key bug fixes, along with support for new kernel features, such as memory error recovery. Note that PROM 4.43 and subsequent versions are not compatible with SLES9 SP1 or SP2. SGI Altix or Silicon Graphics Prism software support contract customers can download PROM version 4.43 or later from the following area on Supportfolio: https://support.sgi.com/browse_request/suse_patch_browse_results |
To update or "flash" the system PROM, you first need to download the prom RPM from Supportfolio as described above.
| Note: The PROM image on your hard drive is automatically updated when you upgrade your system to the latest SGI ProPack for Linux release. The installation of the snprom RPM (step 1) happens automatically as part of the SGI ProPack installation. Flashing it (steps 2-4) must be performed. |
Once you have the latest PROM RPM, flash the PROM, as follows:
Install the update PROM image with the following command:
# rpm -Uvh RPM_NAME...
Reboot the system and enter the EFI shell. Access /boot/efi (typically fs0) from the EFI Shell> prompt:
Shell> fs0:
Issue the ls command and locate the PROM image binary:
fs0:\> ls
snprom.bin
Verify the PROM version with the following command:
fs0:\> flash -V snprom.bin SGI PROM Flashing Utility Version of prom image in file 3.32Verify that the current PROM on the system is older with the following command:
fs0:\> flash -R Running PROM version: 3.25Flash all the nodes with the latest PROM image:
fs0:\> flash -a snprom.bin
Caution: Always allow the flash process to complete before attempting any other system activities. Flashing the PROMs may take several minutes (depending on system size). Interrupting a flash process can result in disabled processors and nodes.
The all the nodes comment in step 4 includes both partitioned and unpartitioned systems. For partitioned systems, this means that it is important to upgrade all nodes (including all nodes in all partitions) before resetting any partitions. In other words, do not reset any partitions until all nodes in all partitions have been upgraded.
Instructions for updating (flashing) the L1/L2 system controller firmware are also included in the appropriate SGI hardware user's guide and the SGI L1 and L2 Controller Software User's Guide. The “SGI Documentation” section in the Introduction of this manual contains a list of SGI hardware manuals for the SGI Altix and Silicon Graphics Prism Visualization systems.