I am trying to attach my 44P 170 to my serial port (com 1) of my PC. I attached a null modem cable to the serial port of the 170 as well. I am able to access the SMS menu but not able to boot from CD by pressing 5 when the memory icon appears. The system hangs with 0c31 in the op panel. When I disconnect the null modem cable and attach a graphics monitor, kybd and mouse to the GXT250 adapter I am able to boot from CD and access diagnostics. I even attached an IBM 3151 to the serial port and am not getting the same op panel message of 0c31. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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Problem booting and running diagnostic CD when attached to PC
- Thread starter axiecat
- Start date
C31 -> system has identified graphics screen and native keyboard as console.
Boot to AIX first. If you run chcons /dev/tty0 to reassign the console to tty device on port S1 (could be a different tty number) you may get control of your system on S1 on next boot. But you may have to run a
bosboot -a -d /dev/ipldevice
first.
Perhaps in the SMS menus there is an option somewhere to choose a console... but I don't know, it never has been an issue for me.
Another option is to start an install from CD and then choose terminal attached to S1 as console, then when the install menu's appear, just turn machine off and reapply power. It will probably remember S1 as console on next boot. (You'll see C33 instead of C31 then)
HTH,
p5wizard
Boot to AIX first. If you run chcons /dev/tty0 to reassign the console to tty device on port S1 (could be a different tty number) you may get control of your system on S1 on next boot. But you may have to run a
bosboot -a -d /dev/ipldevice
first.
Perhaps in the SMS menus there is an option somewhere to choose a console... but I don't know, it never has been an issue for me.
Another option is to start an install from CD and then choose terminal attached to S1 as console, then when the install menu's appear, just turn machine off and reapply power. It will probably remember S1 as console on next boot. (You'll see C33 instead of C31 then)
HTH,
p5wizard
I beg to differ p5wizard.
An excerpt from the Diagnostic Information for Multiple Bus Systems book:
c31 Select the console display for the diagnostics. If you continue to get the message, check the cables and make sure you are using the serial port.
c32 A directly attached display (HFT/LFT) was selected.
c33 A TTY terminal attached to serial ports S1 or S2 was selected.
At the c31 code the system should be trying to display, on all serial ports and an LFT / HFT if it thinks it has one, "type x to use this device as the console" or similar, where 'x' is a number.
It would be showing C32 if it had selected the LFT but would not stay on that code once the console was selected, it would immediately move to the next progress code as it continues the boot.
The fact it is showing c31 suggests one of two conditions:
1. That pressing 5 worked and it did boot from the diag CD and is trying to configure a console (Did the CD light flash much ?), but the pc console is not working.
2. That pressing 5 made no difference, the console (pc and terminal emulation program) could not connect to the rs6000 and because the mouse, keyboard and monitor have been removed the system thinks that the LFT / console has gone missing and it has done a diagnostic boot because of the missing console / lack of device
If the diags work on a 3151 then either the cable or the pc terminal application is the problem.
Axiecat, Are you using the same cable to connect the 3151 and the pc ? If so the pc terminal application / config is the problem.
If not then the cable is the likely suspect.
A lot of pc null modem cables are not wired for software and hardware flow control. They don't have all of the required wires / connections for an rs6000.
During the boot process; BIST, POST, booting diags or AIX, the serial port / rs232 connection changes it's flow control between hardware and software control.
If your pc cable is not wired for both you may be able to see all of the displayed sections of the boot process.
It may work fine if AIX is up and running when you just connect from the pc, but you may not get access to everything without the correctly wired cable. You may be unable to see the early part of the boot, the bit where it is asking you to select the console.
And the system gets stuck on c31.....
Does the 3151 work while AIX is running ?
When you use the 3151 to run CD diags, does it display the "type x to use this ..." message during the boot process (while c31 is on the lcd display) ?
Check the pc terminal program is set to the same settings as the console.
Good luck.
An excerpt from the Diagnostic Information for Multiple Bus Systems book:
c31 Select the console display for the diagnostics. If you continue to get the message, check the cables and make sure you are using the serial port.
c32 A directly attached display (HFT/LFT) was selected.
c33 A TTY terminal attached to serial ports S1 or S2 was selected.
At the c31 code the system should be trying to display, on all serial ports and an LFT / HFT if it thinks it has one, "type x to use this device as the console" or similar, where 'x' is a number.
It would be showing C32 if it had selected the LFT but would not stay on that code once the console was selected, it would immediately move to the next progress code as it continues the boot.
The fact it is showing c31 suggests one of two conditions:
1. That pressing 5 worked and it did boot from the diag CD and is trying to configure a console (Did the CD light flash much ?), but the pc console is not working.
2. That pressing 5 made no difference, the console (pc and terminal emulation program) could not connect to the rs6000 and because the mouse, keyboard and monitor have been removed the system thinks that the LFT / console has gone missing and it has done a diagnostic boot because of the missing console / lack of device
If the diags work on a 3151 then either the cable or the pc terminal application is the problem.
Axiecat, Are you using the same cable to connect the 3151 and the pc ? If so the pc terminal application / config is the problem.
If not then the cable is the likely suspect.
A lot of pc null modem cables are not wired for software and hardware flow control. They don't have all of the required wires / connections for an rs6000.
During the boot process; BIST, POST, booting diags or AIX, the serial port / rs232 connection changes it's flow control between hardware and software control.
If your pc cable is not wired for both you may be able to see all of the displayed sections of the boot process.
It may work fine if AIX is up and running when you just connect from the pc, but you may not get access to everything without the correctly wired cable. You may be unable to see the early part of the boot, the bit where it is asking you to select the console.
And the system gets stuck on c31.....
Does the 3151 work while AIX is running ?
When you use the 3151 to run CD diags, does it display the "type x to use this ..." message during the boot process (while c31 is on the lcd display) ?
Check the pc terminal program is set to the same settings as the console.
Good luck.
DukeSDD, thanks for setting me straight - I should have checked the books first...
I agree with your diagnose and think it is probably a cable/handshaking problem. Service Processor is happy with just the RxD/TXD/Gnd leads, but AIX/boot wants proper HW handshaking in order to open the tty ports.
A modem cable with fully wired null modem should do the trick, but it is best to try out the modem cable with a running system and a logon-enabled port...
HTH,
p5wizard
I agree with your diagnose and think it is probably a cable/handshaking problem. Service Processor is happy with just the RxD/TXD/Gnd leads, but AIX/boot wants proper HW handshaking in order to open the tty ports.
A modem cable with fully wired null modem should do the trick, but it is best to try out the modem cable with a running system and a logon-enabled port...
HTH,
p5wizard
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