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hardware is "known good"; the H80 has current firmware, the 3153 and
cable are also known good.

The system will boot and start AIX 5.2 from the cd-rom, but will only
run to the point of trying to find a console, then it hits the wall
with a c046 which is 'cannot identify console hardware' and halts.

This same media and consle has successfully updated (via a migration
install) a half-dozen H70s so I'm wonering if there is something with
the combination of this specific media and the H80 that has been
identified.

Whoops, typo.

Make that a halt on c045.

And the system behaves properly and as expected with AIX 4.3.3.


newsposter@mn.rr.com (chuck) wrote in message news:<ef48d760.0310160632.6b0ffebf@posting.google. com>...
> hardware is "known good"; the H80 has current firmware, the 3153 and
> cable are also known good.
>
> The system will boot and start AIX 5.2 from the cd-rom, but will only
> run to the point of trying to find a console, then it hits the wall
> with a c046 which is 'cannot identify console hardware' and halts.
>
> This same media and consle has successfully updated (via a migration
> install) a half-dozen H70s so I'm wonering if there is something with
> the combination of this specific media and the H80 that has been
> identified.

In article <ef48d760.0310160921.1b563c1e@posting.google.com >, chuck <newsposter@mn.rr.com> wrote:
> Whoops, typo.
>
> Make that a halt on c045.

Likely 0c45? That would be 'cannot configure console'. I've never had
that one so I'm at a loss to explain what could possibly be wrong.

We just did a migration update of our 6H1 (which is basically a newer H80)
to AIX 5.2 via serial console, and that worked great, for what it's worth.

> And the system behaves properly and as expected with AIX 4.3.3.

Hmm. So the serial console is hooked up to the first serial port, and works
fine for a normal AIX 4.3.3 console login? And there's no graphics adapter
in the machine and no graphical monitor plugged in?

-Dan

Dan Foster <dsf@globalcrossing.net> wrote in message news:<slrnbotlg5.rkp.dsf@gaia.roc2.gblx.net>...
> In article <ef48d760.0310160921.1b563c1e@posting.google.com >, chuck <newsposter@mn.rr.com> wrote:
> > Whoops, typo.
> >
> > Make that a halt on c045.
>
> Likely 0c45? That would be 'cannot configure console'. I've never had
> that one so I'm at a loss to explain what could possibly be wrong.
>
> We just did a migration update of our 6H1 (which is basically a newer H80)
> to AIX 5.2 via serial console, and that worked great, for what it's worth.
>
> > And the system behaves properly and as expected with AIX 4.3.3.
>
> Hmm. So the serial console is hooked up to the first serial port, and works
> fine for a normal AIX 4.3.3 console login? And there's no graphics adapter
> in the machine and no graphical monitor plugged in?
>
> -Dan

Ok, here was the problem and the solution.

cd-rom drive firmware.

If you have an IBM cd-rom drive (32x or 40x) you MUST have the most
recent firmware on-board. With downlevel firmware the drive craps out
reading the AIX 5.2.0 disk 1 just about the time it's trying to read
the device driver libraries for the serial port(s). The problem is
VERY consistant and repeatable.

I found ONE reference to the drive firmware on usenet and while I was
backed up in the Support Line queue I did the upgrade.

The firmware and the required genucode update utility can be found on
the pSeries support web site in the same place other firmware is
located.

Everything works now, completed the 5.2.0 migration install in about
75 minutes.

I've added a mandatory cd-rom drive firmware update to my personal AIX
5.2 upgrade checklist and pinged Support and a few friends in AIX
development to include this particular item in the read-me.

FYI
It's mentioned in the Release notes that some systems might encounter
problems booting of CD media. There's instructions on how to determine if
your system is affected and howto upgrade firmware.

/HE

--
Håkan Ekdahl
Pulsen SystemsAB

"chuck" <newsposter@mn.rr.com> wrote in message
news:ef48d760.0310161924.a1a2dbe@posting.google.co m...
> Dan Foster <dsf@globalcrossing.net> wrote in message
news:<slrnbotlg5.rkp.dsf@gaia.roc2.gblx.net>...
> > In article <ef48d760.0310160921.1b563c1e@posting.google.com >, chuck
<newsposter@mn.rr.com> wrote:
> > > Whoops, typo.
> > >
> > > Make that a halt on c045.
> >
> > Likely 0c45? That would be 'cannot configure console'. I've never had
> > that one so I'm at a loss to explain what could possibly be wrong.
> >
> > We just did a migration update of our 6H1 (which is basically a newer
H80)
> > to AIX 5.2 via serial console, and that worked great, for what it's
worth.
> >
> > > And the system behaves properly and as expected with AIX 4.3.3.
> >
> > Hmm. So the serial console is hooked up to the first serial port, and
works
> > fine for a normal AIX 4.3.3 console login? And there's no graphics
adapter
> > in the machine and no graphical monitor plugged in?
> >
> > -Dan
>
> Ok, here was the problem and the solution.
>
> cd-rom drive firmware.
>
> If you have an IBM cd-rom drive (32x or 40x) you MUST have the most
> recent firmware on-board. With downlevel firmware the drive craps out
> reading the AIX 5.2.0 disk 1 just about the time it's trying to read
> the device driver libraries for the serial port(s). The problem is
> VERY consistant and repeatable.
>
> I found ONE reference to the drive firmware on usenet and while I was
> backed up in the Support Line queue I did the upgrade.
>
> The firmware and the required genucode update utility can be found on
> the pSeries support web site in the same place other firmware is
> located.
>
> Everything works now, completed the 5.2.0 migration install in about
> 75 minutes.
>
> I've added a mandatory cd-rom drive firmware update to my personal AIX
> 5.2 upgrade checklist and pinged Support and a few friends in AIX
> development to include this particular item in the read-me.