I have a SparcStation 10 and it came with an external CD Rom Drive. I am trying to install Solaris 2.6 Server on this machine from the Cd Rom. At the OK> prompt I type "boot cdrom - browser" and I get an error:
scsi device not found:error = -1
or something to that effect. Does anyone have any experience with setting up a 411 type cdrom on a Sparc 10 or may know what I might be doing wrong?
Try: probe-scsi-all
at the ok prompt to see if the cdrom is detected. If not, the cabling may be loose, or the drive may be defective somehow. Also make sure that the scsi ID does not conflict with any other device(s) you may have in the system.
I did a probe-scsi-all and it detects my sony CD-ROM. But when I do a "test cdrom" it returns:
scsi device 6,0 is not responding
cdrom selftest ailed, Return code = - 1
I don't know wat else to do. Unless you somehow have to map the device name CDROM to the scsi device. Beats me....I need some help here.
Your error indicates that the SCSI device is not installed properly. As PxT suggests, it might be a good idea to check the SCSI IDs, the cable, the terminations, etc. Sounds like you have a hardware problem.
I am not familiar enough to even know how to check the SCSI IDs. If anyone can refer me to a book that might cover these type of hardware configuration commands and files, I would appreciate it. Keep in mind...I have only been using UNIX for about 1 week now.
Since the cdrom is external, look on the back of it and there should be some number next to it you should be able to change the number this number is your scsi id. Do you know if you have any other devices that are scsi? If so look at them also to make sure you don't use the same number.
The problem you are describing (and its solution) is not a UNIX problem. It is a SCSI hardware problem. SCSI does-not-equal UNIX, BTW.
The problem was the number thingy on the back which lets you specift the scsi device number. I would have never figured that one out on my own. I just want to say thanks for all your help and this website "RULES" when it comes to finding the help you really need.
Thanks
Yes, SCSI can be 'pretty wierd' at times. In a nutshell, there are a total of 8 SCSI IDs on a SCSI bus (as I recall off the top of my head). These IDs are 0 - 7. Often the 0 ID is reserved for the 'host adapter' which is tyically the bus interfaced card. (someone please correct me if I've misstated the ID info).
The more tricky, and often fatal problem that come with SCSI, is the requirement to have electrical terminations at both ends of the bus. All devices between the two ends must not be terminated. This can cause real nightmares for people. Sometimes you get all the SCSI IDs just right, but in rearranging things on the bus, you forget to readjust your terminations and WHAM!
Sometimes it will boot just fine and run until a intense transfer on the bus causes the OS to panic (hang up and die). Sometimes even correctly configured devices and terminations can cause unexpected errors.
BTW: I used to be a very big fan of SCSI but (as you can read); I've moved to EIDE for most server applications. I have found EIDE to be 'fast enough' and more reliable. However, for fault tolerant applications (like CPU switchover and other complex RAID configurations) SCSI provides good bus flexibility. Depending on your application, carefully consider the complexity of SCSI vs. the simplicity of EIDE before making a purchase.
In addition, the much higher cost of SCSI devices usually outweighs the performance benefit for low to mid-range applications. With the new ATA/100 disks running at 7200 rpm or greater the performance gap between SCSI is getting smaller.