Installation troubleshooting D1131732220 Auriel (82.182.149.46) #Please first read the [Installer Errata] to see if you have hit a #known bug; then if after going thru this page you still have a #problem you can reproduce, please add it to the list of known #problems. # #The initial bootstrap of a new operating system on new hardware is #often problematic. Here follow some suggestions that might help you #clear some hurdles. # #First, check the [supported PC hardware] list to make sure the #hardware you're running is supported. # #Your plan9.ini file must be an accurate description of the machine. #The first line of defense is therefore to look at the plan9.ini file #and edit it. The floppy is a DOS floppy, so you should be able to #edit plan9.ini from a Windows machine or other system. # #9load(8) is the program that loads and starts the kernel. It needs #to find and load the kernel, based on plan9.ini and the hardware it #can discover. The last line 9load prints before loading the kernel is #! entry: 0x80100020 # #If you don't see that line, then your problem is with 9load. In this #case, you can turn on debugging by typing a control-R at any time #while it's running. Even if the debugging output doesn't help you, #what's printed might help others, so make notes. # #If there are problems during the boot of the CD, try some #combinations of the boot parameters: sdXX!cdboot!9pcflop.gz, where: #C0 is Primary Master, C1 is Primary Slave, D0 is Secondary Master #and D1 is the Secondary Slave. # #On some Linux systems and running in vmware4, it seems 9load hangs #at bootup, before it finds plan9.ini. When 9load starts running at #physical address 0x10000, and later at 0x80010000, in order to find #configuration information, it searches all units on devices fd and #sdCn, in that order, for a file called plan9\plan9.ini or plan9.ini #on a partition named dos or 9fat. Unfortunately, if you are running #vmware 4 under GNU/Linux, and you have loaded the scsi-ide emulation #layer in linux (maybe to use your CDRW), 9load will probably hang. #In order to solve the problem, you need to use an iso image for you #cd drive virtual device, making sure the iso image does not contain #a dos partition. VMware comes with a linux.iso sample image #(/usr/{whatever}/lib/vmware/isoimages/linux.iso), which can be used #in this rare situations. # #The first line the kernel prints is the CPU identification. For #example, you might see: #! cpu0: 40 MHz GenuineIntel 386SX # #If this (or a similar) line is printed, your problem is with the #kernel rather than 9load. (If you see the entry: line above but not #the cpu0: line, it could be either 9load or the kernel causing #trouble.) # #If the kernel hangs after printing "kfs...version...time...", #something in the startup scripts has failed. To see each command #before it is executed, add the line "debug=1" to your plan9.ini. #Also, while the kernel is hung, press the following: Ctl-t, Ctl-t, #p. This will print a process listing. Look for the few lines with #the largest numbers in the first column, and note their names (the #names look like kfs, ipconfig, genrandom). That will help determine #which program is hanging. # #If the kernel reboots before you get a chance to read what is on the #screen, you might try attaching a serial console and adding the line #"console=0" or "console=1" to send kernel output to DOS's COM1 or #COM2 as well as the screen. The serial console will run at 9600 #baud, 8-bits, no parity, and 1 stop bit. # #VIDEO PROBLEMS # #If the kernel gets running but the VGA doesn't turn on, you may need #to play with the screen settings. # #If the screen goes black and you see nothing, aux/vga (see vga(8)) #thinks it recognizes your video card, but either the monitor #settings being used are incorrect or aux/vga doesn't really know #everything it needs to program your card. In this case you might try #a smaller screen resolution, starting at 640x480x8 and working up. A #640x480 screen is perfectly adequate for the installation. If you #are using an LCD, you should use the exact size of the LCD; aux/vga #sometimes has problems stretching smaller resolutions on LCDs. # #If the kernel doesn't switch into VGA mode but continues to run in #CGA mode, along with a complaint along the lines of "no frame #buffer" and a shell prompt (%), the system doesn't recognize your #video card at all. # #Aux/vga will have left a hex dump of your VGA BIOS memory on the #screen VDA cards are identified by matching text in their bios with #the list of know strings in /lib/vgadb. If your card is not #identified it may only be because it has different text in its bios #(E.G. a different copyright message), or it may be wholy unsupported #(see [Supported PC hardware]). # #Look through the strings in the hex dump for a text string which #describes your card, write this down together with the address it #starts at. Now create a RAM /tmp file system and edit /lib/vgadb #using the venerable ed(1) editor. Search for a similar entry, and #append your new one after it. # #! ramfs #! ed /lib/vgadb #! 28683 #! /Stealth/ #! 0xC0045="Stealth 64 Vers. 1.05" #! a #! 0xC0045="Stealth 64 Vers. 2.03" #! . #! w #! 28712 #! q # #You will now be able to restart the install process by typing # #! aux/vga -l $resolution^'x'^$depth #! rio -i /bin/inst/gui # #If your Card is not supported but you can find out the exact chip #type -- such as by looking in the hardware manual, the Display #Properties in Windows 95, 98, or NT, or the configuration #information used by a Unix-like system -- see if /lib/vgadb supports #it. You can then add an entry for that device as above, however #adding an BIOS string to a random chip type type is unlikely to be #successfull. # #If you have other video cards, it can't hurt to try a different one. # #Before invoking aux/vga to start the VGA, the floppy boot script #writes the output of "aux/vga -vip" to the file vgainfo.txt in the #root directory of the floppy disk. It also writes the output of #"pci" to the file pci.txt. Both are useful for debugging #unrecognized cards. # #The boot disk uses the vgadb file from the root directory of the #floppy disk as /lib/vgadb, to make it possible to edit on other #systems. Note that vgadb now identifies cards both using BIOS #strings and using PCI identifiers, the latter being the preferred #method of identification since it is more general. # #Sometimes it suffices to add some information to /lib/vgadb; if you #find this to be true, please let us know so we can update our master #database. # #The Installer can run in text mode if your video card is not #detected, but for reference here is an old guide of how to do a #manual install in text mode: # # * [http://www.darkuncle.net/plan9/without_rio.txt] (mirror) # * [http://www.proweb.co.uk/~matt/plan9/without_rio.txt] (mirror). # #MEMORY PROBLEMS # #If your system prints "no physical memory" during the installation #but you have at least 32MB of memory, then perhaps your BIOS is not #reporting it in a way that Plan 9 understands. Some BIOSes have an #option to "report alternative memory". Try toggling it. (If that #doesn't work, the *maxmem= entry in plan9.ini(8) will override #anything the BIOS reports.) # #BOOT LOADER # #If you encounter troubles booting plan9 from lilo, see #[troubleshooting plan9 & lilo]. # #As a last resort, look in the [comp.os.plan9 archives | #http://lists.cse.psu.edu/archives/9fans], ask in comp.os.plan9, or #mail the Bell Labs Plan 9 trouble line 9trouble@plan9.bell-labs.com. # #If you mail 9trouble, please include the contents of plan9.ini(8), #vgainfo.txt, and pci.txt from your boot floppy, as well as any #hardware information gleaned from other sources. # #Finally, if you resolve a problem via some method not listed here, #edit this page (see bottom) to tell the world about it! #