Sun blade 1500 bad magic number

Good afternoon all,

First, sorry for my English, this is not my first language but I try my best :).

So, here we go.

A friend of mine gave me an old Sun Blade 1500 he wasn't using. He said it was working fine except for the missing hard drive.

I had in my IT personnal box an old IDE hard drive that I plugged in that Sun Blade.

Then, I downloaded Solaris 10 on oracle's website and burt it on a DVD.

When I boot the computer with the DVD in, it says :

Can't read disk label.
Can't open disk label package

Can't open boot device

I searched on Google, but couldn't find anything relevant, so that's why I'm asking you.

Is it possible that my hard drive is not compatible with that Sun's computer? (am I suppose to buy a HDD from Sun (oracle) to fit that computer?
Why does it says "Can't read disk label" even on the DVD player which is the original one builtin with the computer when I write "boot cdrom"?

Please, let me know if you need more details about that.
Thanks a lot in advance :).

Hi,

Boot the server from cdrom, from the "{ok}" prompt. Then use the "format" utility to label the disk.

Regards

Dave

Hi gull04,

Thanks a lot for your vey quick reply, you rock

So, from the "OK" prompt i write

boot cdrom

the output is

Boot device: /pci@1e,600000/ide@d/cdrom@2,0:f File and args:
Can't read disk label.
Can't open disk label package

Can't open boot device

Also, sorry for that but any idea how to use the format utility?

When I type "format", the output is:

format ?

I'm very sorry for my lack of knowledge, I'm have good knowledge of GNU/Linux, but I don't know anything about Unix/BSD and proprietary computers like Sun Blade ;(.

Hi,

I suspect that the cdrom is in fact a cdrom, you will need to use a CDROM image and not a DVD.

On the Oracle site there is a text only install for Solaris which is around 450Mb and will fit on a CDROM.

Regards

Dave

First, as gull04 says, make sure that you have the correct media for the CD/DVD drive.

Second, boot into single user:

 
boot cdrom -s

then run format to 'label' the drive (ie, write a Sun label to the HD).

(Entering 'boot cdrom' at the 'ok' prompt will try and take you into the installer which may not work if the HD is not labelled.)

Hi again

On the front of the player, it says DVD. So, I've burned a DVD+ with the iso available here

Also, I can't find any CD (700Mo) iso available to download for a sparc arch. Am I missing something?

Thanks again a lot for your help

---------- Post updated 08-14-12 at 03:31 AM ---------- Previous update was 08-13-12 at 05:02 PM ----------

Hi again, sorry to bother you one more time.

So, I'm back to give more details about what is going on.

I'm trying to find a CD (700 Mo) version of Solaris, but I can't find one. I need version 8,9 or 10 of a Solaris Sparc version.

The reason I need one of these specific versions is because I want to install Cadds 5 Release 14 which is only compatible with these versions according the the vendor's website (more details : Click "by Product" and select "Cadds 5i Release 14" for PDF file)

So, I've tried lots of websites, but can't find any of these versions for Sparc architecture and using a CD and not a DVD.

Also, I have another problem with my Sun Blade 1500.

If the network cable is plugged, during the open bios process, I have this message going again and again.

Requesting Internet Address for 0:3:ba:7b:39:16

Of course, that message doesn't come up when the cable is unplugged. This is how I was able to run commands as described on my previous posts.

But, what bothers me is that it doesn't look like a mac address. Usually, a mac address is 12 digits, but this one only contains 10. Of course, I've tried to give that mac address an IP in my router configuration but it doesn't accept that mac address saying is probably not a valid one.

Also, when I plug another computer on that switch using the same cable etc... it works perfectly and I have internet access.

Does that mean there is something wrong with that Ethernet adapter?
But why it detects when it's plugged?

Any idea will help me a lot.

Thanks again to all of you for all your help :).

HI Firstpost,

You will need to start at the very begining here, firstly make sure the system is good. So power it on and watch the POST messages as it comes up to the {ok} prompt.

Once you have it at the {ok} prompt, run the following;

{ok} reset-all
{ok} test cdrom

This will tell you that the CDROM/DVD is good hopefully.

That is a valid MAC address, and it looks like the default boot is network.

Before you run the reset all command above run;

{ok} devalias 

And post the output.

Regards

Dave

Hi gull04, thanks again for your quick reply :).

So, I've done what you asked.

When I turn the computer ON (ethernet cable is unplugged or it doesn't start)

Bad magic number in disk label
Can't open disk label package
Bad magic number in disk label
Can't open disk label package
Boot device: net file and args
Timed out waiting for Autonegotation to complete
Check cable and try again
Link Down
Timed out waiting for Autonegotation to complete
Check cable and try again
Link Down
Timed out waiting for Autonegotation to complete
Check cable and try again
Link Down
Timed out waiting for Autonegotation to complete
Check cable and try again
Link Down
Evaluating :
Can't open boot device

ok

Then, at the {ok} prompt, I run the devalias command

devalias

screen        /pci@1f,700000/SUNW,XVR-1200@3
mouse        /pci@1e,600000/usb@b/mouse@2
keyboard    /pci@1e,600000/usb@b/device@1/keyboard@0
net        /pci@1f,700000/network@2
disk        /pci@1e,600000/ide@d/disk@0,0
cdrom        /pci@1e,600000/ide@d/cdrom@2,0:f
ide        /pci@1e,600000/ide@d
ttyb        /pci@1e,600000/isa@7/serial@0,2e8
ttya        /pci@1e,600000/isa@7/serial@0,3f8
name        aliases

After that, I ran the test cdrom command

test cdrom

Evaluating:
cdrom device has no selftest method

And finally, I ran the reset-all command. After typing that command, the screen goes black and then the computer speakers bips. It looks like it restarts the computer.

Thanks again a lot for your help gull04. Hope these details will help you to find where the problem comes from.

FYI.....

0:3:ba:7b:39:16 is valid and as 12-digit would be

0003ba7b3916

Hi hicksd8,

Thanks a lot for that tip, I've learned something today :).

So, just in case, I've tried to set up that MAC address in my router and gave it a fixed IP address. Then, restarted the computer with the Ethernet cable plugged but no luck, still have this output

Requesting Internet Address for 0:3:ba:7b:39:16
Requesting Internet Address for 0:3:ba:7b:39:16
Requesting Internet Address for 0:3:ba:7b:39:16
....

Best regards,

Yes, I understand, but your box is looking for something to give it an IP address, eg, a DHCP server.

You'd need a DHCP server of some kind that knows about this MAC address and is set up to respond providing an IP address.

Hi Firstpost,

The system was trying for a net boot, I was kind of looking for a bit more info from the test cdrom - however lets get on with this.

The CDROM versions are not available anymore unless you have an Oracle support contract.

So a couple of quick questions, firstly as we probably have to assume that the DVD is working.

Did the .iso image download cleanly?

How did you copy the .iso to the DVD? This should be a utility that will transfer the image to the full disk - so if you put the disk in M/C you should not see a file that ends -in .iso

Regards

Dave

Hi hicksd8

Yes, my box has a builtin DHCP server.

If I just plug any computer on the network, it will get an IP address given by that box.
Also, I can set up that box to fix IP address depending on the MAC address of the ethernet adapter.

The problem is that with that computer, without any specific setup on my box, it doesn't get any IP address as it does with any computer plugged on the same switch with same cable.

Then, when I realized it could get an IP address, I've tried to force it via DHCP reservation using the MAC address but it doesn't work either ;(.

Hi firstpost,

I meant to say in the last post, you should have used something like "Rawrite" or "dd" to make the copy of the .iso to the DVD.

Regards

Dave

Hi gull04

Yes, the download finished correctly. I haven't found any MD5 cheksum on the oracle's website so I couldn't check it up, but it looks to be correct (size, and firefox said it was correctly downloaded)

Then, I burned the DVD using CDBurnerXP (under Windows XP). Yeah I know, this is closed source software but the only DVD burner I have is on my GF's laptop.
Of course, I used the option "burn image on CD/DVD", and didn't directly burned the iso file on the DVD. At the end of the process, CDBurnerXP said the DVD was correctly burned.

Just in case, I'm going to burn another DVD with a very low speed. We never know.

Best regards.

Hi Firstpost,

Just before you do that, if you put the DVD in the laptop what do you see if you open the DVD in windows?

Regards

Dave

Hi,

So, when I try to boot the CD on my GF's laptop it doesn't boot at all. But maybe that is realated with the architecture? My GF's laptop is a i386 proc and the CD I've burned is for sparc. Do you think it should boot up?

Also, just in case, I've burned another DVD with the same ISO file. This time I burned at the slowest speed (4x) and asked for a check up at the end of the process. Apparently, no error have been detected and CDBurnerXP said that the burning process went OK.

I have tried again to boot it up on the Sun Blade 1500, here is the output

boot cdrom

Boot device: /pci@1e,600000/ide@d/cdrom@2,0:f File and args:
Can't read disk label.
Can't open disk label package

Can't open boot device

And again, I've tried to boot that newly burned DVD on my GF's laptop but nothing boots up. Architecture problem?

When I put the DVD in the drive and look at it in Windows, here's what I see (D means directory)

DVD Name is "SOL_10_811_SPARC"

D .INSTALL
D .BOOT
D PLATFORM
D SOLARIS_10
.CDTOC
.INSTALL_CONFIG
.SLICEMAPFILE
_VOLUME
_VOLUME_INF.1
_VOLUME_INF.2
_VOLUME_INF.3
_VOLUME_INF.4
_VOLUME_INF.5
COPYRIGHT
INSTALLER
OFFER_TO_PROVIDE_SOURCE_COD.TXT

Any idea?
Thanks again for all time spend on my problem,
Regards.

Hi Firstpost,

It looks like the DVD has been burnt OK - there is no chance that you will be able to boot the laptop from it - the x86 version would be fine but SPARC just won't work.

From memory the sun blade 1500 will run on all solaris versions up to Solaris 10 8/11 which seems to be what you have, I'll have to have a little think about this.

It's lunch time here - back soon.

Regards

Dave

Hi Dave,

No problem at all, take your time and enjoy your lunch ;).

Because I have spare CDs/DVDs I have downloaded Solaris 11 text install (525 Mb so fits on a CD). I know Cadds5 won't work on it, but I may test it just to see if I'm able to boot up from CD and maybe test the installation see if the hard drive labels problems I had is still here.

I'll let you know of course :).
Best regards,

If you boot up your (x86) laptop and insert the DVD, you should be able to see the files on it. That's all. As has already been stated, you won't be able to boot from it.

You should try to boot into single user first.

 
boot cdrom -s

Leaving off the -s will try to take you into the installer which will look around the box more. Booting single user is simpler. If booting single user doesn't work, nothing will.

If booting single user fails I'd be inclined to open the box and reseat the DVD drive cables; ribbon cable (both ends) and PSU cable. Next, perhaps swap the DVD drive for another one.