Chapter 15The Boot Process (Reference)
This chapter describes the firmware used for booting SPARC
based and x86 based systems. This chapter also provides an overview of the
boot process on each platform.
This is a list of the reference information in this chapter.
For step-by-step instructions on booting a system, see Chapter 13, SPARC: Booting a System (Tasks)
or Chapter 14, x86: Booting a System (Tasks).
SPARC: The Boot PROM
Each SPARC based system has a PROM (programmable read-only memory) chip
with a program called the monitor. The monitor controls
the operation of the system before the Solaris kernel is available. When a
system is turned on, the monitor runs a quick self-test procedure to checks
the hardware and memory on the system. If no errors are found, the system
begins the automatic boot process.
Note - Some older systems might require PROM upgrades before they will
work with the Solaris system software. Contact your local service provider
for more information.
SPARC: The Boot Process
The following table describes the boot process on SPARC based systems.
Table 15-1 SPARC: Description of the Boot Process
Boot Phase | Description |
|---|
Boot PROM | 1. The PROM displays system identification
information and then runs self-test diagnostics to verify the system's hardware
and memory. |
| 2. Then, the PROM loads the primary boot program, bootblk, whose purpose is to load the secondary boot program (that
is located in the ufs file system) from the default boot
device. |
Boot Programs | 3. The bootblk program
finds and executes the secondary boot program, ufsboot,
and loads it into memory. |
| 4. After the ufsboot program is loaded,
the ufsboot program loads the kernel. |
Kernel Initialization | 5. The kernel initializes itself and
begins loading modules by using ufsboot to read the files.
When the kernel has loaded enough modules to mount the root (/)
file system, the kernel unmaps the ufsboot program and
continues, using its own resources. |
| | 6. The kernel creates a user process and starts the /sbin/init
process, which starts other processes by reading the /etc/inittab file. |
init | 7. The /sbin/init
process starts the run control (rc) scripts, which execute
a series of other scripts. These scripts (/sbin/rc*)
check and mount file systems, start various processes, and perform system
maintenance tasks. |
x86: The PC BIOS
Before the kernel is started, the system is controlled by the read-only-memory
(ROM) Basic Input/Output System (BIOS), which is the firmware interface on
a PC.
Hardware adapters can have an on-board BIOS that displays the physical
characteristics of the device and can be used to access the device.
During the startup sequence, the PC BIOS checks for the presence of
any adapter BIOS, and if found, loads and executes each adapter BIOS. Each
individual adapter's BIOS runs self-test diagnostics and displays device information.
x86: Boot Subsystems
At three points during the Solaris boot process, you can make the following
choices about a booting system as follows:
Primary Boot Subsystem (Partition
Boot Menu) - This first menu appears if multiple operating
systems exist on the disk. The menu enables you to boot any of the operating
systems installed. By default, the operating system that is designed as active is booted.
Note that if you choose to boot a non-Solaris operating system, you cannot reach
the next two menus.
Interrupt the Autoboot Process -
If the autoboot process is interrupted, you can access the Solaris Device
Configuration Assistant.
The Solaris Device Configuration Assistant enables you to boot the Solaris
system from a different boot device, configure new or misconfigured hardware,
or perform other device-related or boot-related tasks.
Current Boot Parameters Menu -
Two forms of this menu exist, one for a normal Solaris boot and one menu for
a Solaris installation boot:
The normal Current Boot Parameters menu enables you to boot
the Solaris system with options, or enter the boot interpreter.
The install Current Boot Parameters menu enables you to select
the type of installation to be performed, or customize the boot.
The following table summarizes the purpose of the primary x86 boot
interfaces. See the sections that follow for a detailed description and example
of each boot interface.
Table 15-2 x86: Boot Subsystems
Boot Subsystem | Purpose |
|---|
Primary Boot Subsystem | This menu appears if the disk you
are booting from contains multiple operating systems, including the Solaris operating system. |
Secondary Boot Subsystem | This menu appears each time you boot
the Solaris release. The Solaris release is booted automatically unless you
choose to run the Solaris Device Configuration Assistant by interrupting the
autoboot process. |
Solaris Device Configuration Assistant/Boot
Diskette | There are two
ways to access the Solaris Device Configuration Assistant menus: Use the Solaris Device Configuration Assistant boot diskette
or the Solaris installation CD (on systems that can boot from the CD-ROM drive)
to boot the system. Interrupt the autoboot process when you boot the Solaris
software from an installed disk.
|
Current Boot Parameters Menu | This menu appears when you boot the
Solaris release from the disk, CD-ROM, or the network. The menu presents a
list of boot options. |
Note - If you need to create the Solaris Device Configuration Assistant
boot diskette, go to http://soldc.sun.com/support/drivers/dca_diskettes.
During the boot process, the boot subsystem menus allow you to customize
boot choices. If the system receives no response during the time-out periods,
it continues to boot automatically using the default selections. You can stop
the boot process when each boot subsystem menu is displayed. Or, you can let
the boot process continue automatically.
The following section provides examples of each boot subsystem screen.
x86: Booting the Solaris Release
During the device identification phase, the Solaris Device Configuration
Assistant does the following:
Scans for devices that are installed on the system
Displays the identified devices
Enables you to perform optional tasks such as selecting a
keyboard type and editing devices and their resources
During the boot phase, the Solaris Device Configuration Assistant does
the following:
Displays a list of devices from which to boot. The device
marked with an asterisk (*) is the default boot device.
Enables you to perform optional tasks, such as editing autoboot
settings and property settings, and choosing the network configuration strategy.
The following section provides examples of menus that appear during
the device identification phase. The device output varies based on your system
configuration.
|
Previous