System Administration Guide: Basic Administration


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Guidelines for Booting a System

Keep the following in mind when you boot a system:

After a system is shut down, it is booted by using the boot command at the PROM level on a SPARC based system or by using the boot command at the Primary Boot Subsystem Menu on an x86 based system.
A system can be rebooted by turning the power off and then back on. This method is not a clean shutdown because system services and processes are terminated abruptly. However, turning a system's power off and back on is an alternative for emergency situations.
SPARC based systems and x86 based systems use different hardware components for booting. These differences are described in Chapter 15, The Boot Process (Reference).

Booting a System From the Network

You might need to boot a system from the network under the following situations:

When the system is first installed.
If the system won't boot from the local disk.
If the system is a diskless client.

In addition, there are two network configuration boot strategies available:

RARP (Reverse Address Resolution Protocol and ONC+ RPC Bootparams Protocol)
DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol)

The default network boot strategy is set to RARP.

Use this table if you need information on booting a system over the network.

Network Boot Task	For More Information
Boot a SPARC system or a SPARC diskless client	Chapter 13, SPARC: Booting a System (Tasks)
Boot an x86 system or an x86 diskless client	Chapter 14, x86: Booting a System (Tasks)
Boot a DHCP client during installation	Solaris 9 12/03 Installation Guide
Configure a DHCP client with DHCP Manager	System Administration Guide: IP Services

When to Shut Down a System

The following table provides a list of system administration tasks and the type of shut down that is needed to initiate the task.

Table 10-1 Shutting Down a System

Reason for System Shut Down	Appropriate Run Level	For More Information
To turn off system power due to anticipated power outage	Run level 0, where it is safe to turn off power	Chapter 12, Shutting Down a System (Tasks)
To change kernel parameters in the `/etc/system` file	Run level 6 (reboot the system)	Chapter 12, Shutting Down a System (Tasks)
To perform file system maintenance, such as backing up or restoring system data	Run level S (single-user level)	Chapter 12, Shutting Down a System (Tasks)
To repair a system configuration file such as `/etc/system`	See When to Boot a System	N/A
To add or remove hardware from the system	Reconfiguration boot (also to turn off power when adding or removing hardware)	Chapter 27, Managing Devices (Tasks)
To repair an important system file which is causing system boot failure	See When to Boot a System	N/A
To boot the kernel debugger (`kadb`) to track down a system problem	Run level 0, if possible	Chapter 12, Shutting Down a System (Tasks)
To recover from a hung system and you want to force a crash dump	See When to Boot a System	N/A

For examples of shutting down a server or a standalone system, see Chapter 12, Shutting Down a System (Tasks).

When to Boot a System

The following table provides a list of system administration tasks and the corresponding boot type that is used to complete the task.

Table 10-2 Booting a System

Reason for System Reboot	Appropriate Boot Type	Information for SPARC Procedure	Information for x86 Procedure
To turn off system power due to anticipated power outage	Turn system power back on	Chapter 12, Shutting Down a System (Tasks)	Chapter 12, Shutting Down a System (Tasks)
To change kernel parameters in the `/etc/system` file	Reboot the system to run level 3 (multiuser level with NFS resources shared)	SPARC: How to Boot a System to Run Level 3 (Multiuser Level)	x86: How to Boot a System to Run Level 3 (Multiuser Level)
To perform file system maintenance, such as performing a backup or restoring system data	Use Control-D from run level S to bring the system back to run level 3	SPARC: How to Boot a System to Run Level S (Single-User Level)	x86: How to Boot a System to Run Level S (Single-User Level)
To repair a system configuration file such as `/etc/system`	Interactive boot	SPARC: How to Boot a System Interactively	x86: How to Boot a System Interactively
To add or remove hardware from the system	Reconfiguration boot (also to turn on system power after adding or removing hardware)	SPARC: How to Connect a Secondary Disk and Boot	x86: How to Connect a Secondary Disk and Boot
To boot the kernel debugger (`kadb`) to track down a system problem	Booting `kabd`	SPARC: How to Boot the System With the Kernel Debugger (`kadb`)	x86: How to Boot a System With the Kernel Debugger (`kadb`)
To repair an important system file that is causing system boot failure	Recovery boot	SPARC: How to Boot a System for Recovery Purposes	x86: How to Boot a System for Recovery Purposes
To recover from a hung system and you want to force a crash dump	Recovery boot	See example on SPARC: How to Force a Crash Dump and Reboot the System	See example on x86: How to Force a Crash Dump and Reboot the System

For examples of booting a system, see Chapter 13, SPARC: Booting a System (Tasks) or Chapter 14, x86: Booting a System (Tasks).

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