sparc64 9.1-beta1 test results

[Kurt Lidl]

I downloaded the sparc64 .iso image from the recently built 9.1-beta1
test distribution.

I burned it to a CD-ROM, and then booted it on my test Netra-T1 105.
(440Mhz CPU, 1GB memory, 2 x 18GB disks)

I booted via 'boot cdrom' at the PROM monitor.

I accepted all the default options - UFS install, entire disk, install
all sets, turn on all services offered by default, told it to setup
a dump device...

A couple of notes:

At the end of the install cycle, the installer asks if you want to
reboot the machine.  I selected yes, and then the machine rebooted.
But it attempted to reboot the cd-rom media again.  Obviously, it
was using the same "boot cdrom" be which I selected the original boot
media.

I sent a break to the serial console, then did a "reset", so the machine
would attempt to boot the first device in the "boot-device" list of
devices.

On the first boot of the freshly installed system, I noted a few errors:

Boot device: rootdisk  File and args:

>> FreeBSD/sparc64 boot block
    Boot path:
   Boot loader: /pci at 1f,0/pci at 1,1/scsi at 2/disk at 0,0:a
Consoles: Open Firmware console

FreeBSD/sparc64 bootstrap loader, Revision 1.0
(root at heller.cse.buffalo.edu, Thu Jul 12 14:04:35 UTC 2012)
bootpath="/pci at 1f,0/pci at 1,1/scsi at 2/disk at 0,0:a"
Loading /boot/defaults/loader.conf
[...]
Trying to mount root from ufs:/dev/da0a [rw]...
Setting hostuuid: 34d846dd-d126-11e1-95bc-080020da684a.
Setting hostid: 0x52a3fdee.
No suitable dump device was found.
Entropy harvesting: interrupts ethernet point_to_point kickstart.
Starting file system checks:

It looks like the setting of 'dumpdev="AUTO"' in the /etc/rc.conf
doesn't work properly on the sparc64 machines.

[...]
Creating and/or trimming log files.
Starting syslogd.
realpath: /dev/dumpdev: No such file or directory
/etc/rc: WARNING: Dump device does not exist.  Savecore not run.
ELF ldconfig path: /lib /usr/lib /usr/lib/compat
Clearing /tmp (X related).
Updating motd:.
Starting ntpd.
Starting powerd.
powerd: lookup freq: No such file or directory
/etc/rc: WARNING: failed to start powerd
[...]

More fallout of the dumpdev not working, I think.
And then a failure to start the powerd daemon.

[...]
Wed Jul 18 18:17:28 EDT 2012

FreeBSD/sparc64 (sol.pix.net) (ttyu0)

login: Jul 18 18:17:28 sol getty[1533]: open /dev/ttyv2: No such file or directory
Jul 18 18:17:28 sol getty[1536]: open /dev/ttyv5: No such file or directory
Jul 18 18:17:28 sol getty[1534]: open /dev/ttyv3: No such file or directory
Jul 18 18:17:28 sol getty[1538]: open /dev/ttyv7: No such file or directory
Jul 18 18:17:28 sol getty[1532]: open /dev/ttyv1: No such file or directory
Jul 18 18:17:28 sol getty[1531]: open /dev/ttyv0: No such file or directory
Jul 18 18:17:28 sol getty[1537]: open /dev/ttyv6: No such file or directory
Jul 18 18:17:28 sol getty[1535]: open /dev/ttyv4: No such file or directory
Jul 18 18:17:28 sol getty[1541]: open /dev/ttyu2: No such file or directory
[...]

The installed /etc/ttys file specifies a bunch of virtual terminals that
do not exist on the sparc64 machines.  It would be cool if someone
could get this fixed before the 9.1-RC1 release was cut.

Anyhow, that's about all that jumps out at me with the BETA1 image.
I'm going to try to install a ZFS based system next.

-Kurt