Initializing IRIX Hard
Disks
Background
IRIX can use to different file systems, EFS
and XFS and the drives can be set up as a systems disk or an option
drive.
The disk utility, fx, is used to initialize
raw hard disk drives for SGI systems.
fx is an interactive, menu-driven disk
utility. It detects and maps out bad blocks on a disk. It also displays
information stored on the label of the disk, including partition sizes,
disk drive parameters, and the volume directory.
The INITIALIZE option creates only the volume
header and partition table; this is the minimum that needs to be done for
a disk drive to be usable.
There are two versions of fx. One runs in the
standalone environment and must be used when the system disk is modified;
it can be used for most other purposes as well, but may be less
convenient. The -d, -l, -c, and -C options are not supported in
standalone.
The other version runs as an IRIX command and
is normally used by the superuser. While an ordinary user can use some
features, if the disk device permissions permit, other features (typically
formatting and bad block management) have permission checks within the
various drivers that can only be used by the super user. A notable
exception is that as shipped, all floppy-related fx features can be used
by any user. When used on a mounted disk, or a disk whose partitions are
part of mounted logical volume, this version warns you not to do anything
destructive, but does not otherwise prohibit it.
A copy of the standalone version is normally
kept in /stand/fx and can be invoked when the system is not running by
giving the following command at the PROM Command Monitor:
boot stand/fx
A standalone fx is provided in the /stand
directory of CD-ROM discs containing software distributions with install
tools, and can be invoked by the Command Monitor command: For systems with
the 32 bit ARCS PROM (Indigo, Indigo2, Indy, Onyx, Challenge and O2), use
this command:
boot -f dksc(ctlr,unit,8)sashARCS
dksc(ctlr,unit,7)stand/fx.ARCS
For systems with 64-bit ARCS PROM (for
example, Power Challenge, Power Onyx, Power Indigo2, Indigo2 10000,
Origin, Onyx2, and OCTANE ) use this command:
boot -f dksc(ctlr,unit,8)sash64 dksc(ctlr,unit,7)stand/fx.64
where ctlr is the controller number (usually
0), unit is the SCSI id of the CD-ROM drive.
Use the hinv command within the PROM to list the installed drives.
>> hinv
On an R5200 300MHz O2 with a 2GB and 9GB hard drive the response will
look like this:
System: IP32
Processor: 30Mhz R5000 with FPU
Primary I-cache size: 32 Kbytes
Primary D-cache size: 32 Kbytes
Secondary cache size: 1024 Kbytes
Memory size: 128 Mbytes
Graphics: CRM, Rev C
Audio: A3 version 1
SCSI
Disk:
scsi(0)disk(1)
SCSI
Disk: scsi(0)disk(2)
SCSI
Disk: scsi(0)cdrom(4)
In this output, the controller number is the
"scsi" number and the drive address is the "disk" number. The type of
controller is not listed. As
a rule, workstations have integral controllers and servers may have
integral SCSI controllers or non-integral controllers that are SCSI or
VME. On some Challenge systems, the output of hinv in the PROM monitor
shows only disks on the boot IOP (I/O processor).
Using fx
When the standalone version
of fx is booted without the -x option, it prompts to see if you wish to
use the expert mode, because it is often forgotten on the command
line.
The
command version of fx is invoked by name like any IRIX command.
Unless the -d option is used,
fx will prompt for disk type, controller, target, and lun numbers.
Recognized controller types are dksc for SCSI disk drives, and fd for
floppy drives. Note that fd is not available in the standalone
version.
fx next prompts for
controller number, drive number (SCSI target ID), and lun (logical unit)
number.
The controller type,
controller number, drive number, and optional lun number can be given as
command line parameters, bypassing the interactive questions just
described (see also the -d option). The format is:
fx "controllertype(controller_number, drive_number[,
lun_number])"
For
example:
fx "dksc(0,1)"
This is equivalent
to:
fx "dksc(0,1,0)"
because the lun number
defaults to 0 if it is not specified. The quotes are necessary in the
first argument in the command version, because parentheses are shell
special characters, and in the second because the drive name contains a
space. For floppy disk drives, you are also prompted for the density to
use.
Once controller type,
controller number, drive number, and lun number have been selected, fx
issues a diagnostic command to the drive. For SCSI drives, the drive
information from the inquiry command is displayed, including the firmware
revision; for other drive types, the previously assigned type from the
volume header is displayed. A controller or drive self test is performed,
followed by sanity checks on the partition layout. If any 'major'
differences are found, you are asked if you want to use the existing
values. It is almost always correct to keep the existing values, unless
you are going to initialize the disk anyway.
If it appears that no valid
volume header is present, fx asks if you want to use the defaults; you can
answer no if you plan to set up custom parameters or partitions.
fx then enters its main menu.
Menu items can be selected by typing the least unambiguous prefix (the
portion included between [ and ]) or the full name. A menu item can be an
action (for example, exit) or the name of a submenu (for example,
badblock). Submenus have a trailing / to indicated that they are
submenus.
Selecting a submenu name
causes that submenu to be displayed, and items from it can be selected. To
return to a parent menu from a submenu, enter two dots (..). The menus are
organized as a hierarchy, so you can go up two levels by typing ../.., or
use a command several levels down by separating each level by a /. By
typing a command pathname, such as
/label/show/partition
a command can be executed
from any point in the menu hierarchy. Similarly, typing the full pathname
of any menu moves you to that menu (this includes typing / for the top
level).
To obtain help for the items
on the current menu, enter a question mark (?) at the prompt. Many of the
functions listed below have options to modify their actions; to obtain
more information about them than the summary, enter ? item where item can
be either the least unambiguous prefix, or the full name. Most of the
(non-default) options are not listed in this document.
To exit from fx, select exit
at the main menu; a shorthand for exiting from any level is /exit.
Entering /.. from any menu allows you to select a different disk using
normal controller/target/lun prompts, without having to exit and
restart.
Internal Drive
Set the drive SCSI ID to 2 or another free
address. Remember that IRIX
expects the system drive to be set to SCSI ID 1, does not recognize SCSI 0
as a valid SCSI drive address, no 2 devices on a particular SCSI
controller can have the same SCSI address, and if you have a narrow SCSI
device connected to the SCSI controller the maximum device address is
7.
External Drive
Mount the drive in an external enclosure and
connect it to the external SCSI connector on the workstation you are using
to initialize the drive. Make
sure that a terminator is attached to the last device on the daisy
chain.
Set the drive SCSI ID to 2 or another free
address. Remember that IRIX
expects the system drive to be set to SCSI ID 1, does not recognize SCSI 0
as a valid SCSI drive address, no 2 devices on a particular SCSI
controller can have the same SCSI address, and if you have a narrow SCSI
device connected to the SCSI controller the maximum device address is
7.
Starting fx to Initialize an Option Disk Drive
EFS (IRIX 5.X, IRIX 6.0, IRIX6.1,
IRIX6.2, IRIX6.3)
You will need to use a system running IRIX
5.X or an IRIX 5.X installation CD in a CD-ROM to accomplish this
task.
1.
Mount the drive to be initialized in a drive bay of the
computer
2.
When
appears press the Esc button to
get the System Maintenance Menu.
3.
Type 5 to enter the Command Monitor.
4.
Type hinv at the command prompt to verify that both the system
drive and the drive you are initializing are seen by the
computer. You should also
verify the controller and drive device numbers.
If you are using a system
running IRIX 5.X you can use the stand alone shell that resides in the 0
partition of the system drive type
boot stand/fx
--x
If you are booting from a CDROM type the
following (based on the
CDROM being on controller 0 with scsi id 4)
boot -f dksc(0,4,8)sashARCS
dksc(0,4,7)/stand/fx.ARCS
--x
At this point the
stand alone shell will boot and load fx. After fx loads it will query you
for the type of device (dksc), controller (ctrl) and device number. If the displayed default is
correct simply press Enter to accept the default. If the displayed default value
is incorrect type the correct value and then press Enter.
Note: In order to partition a 9GB or larger
drive for use with IRIX 5.3 or earlier, you need to configure the drive
into smaller partitions where each partition is less than 8GB due to
operating system limitations.
Once the main menu issue the
following commands.
/r/o
This will execute the
repartition/option drive command.
You will next be asked
whether you want to create an EFS or XFS file system, select EFS.
Next you will be asked
if you want to create a log partition. Answer yes.
You will then be asked
to confirm that you want to create the partition. Type “yes” to have the partition
created.
Note: If you are creating multiple
partitions on a hard disk larger than 8Gbytes for use with IRIX 5.3 or
earlier, you will need to modify the above instructions as follows:
(r)epartition [enter]
(e)xpert [enter]
continue? yes [enter]
change partition = (0) 6
[enter]
part type = (volhdr) efs
[enter]
base cyl = (0) 3
[enter]
# of cyls (max XXXX) =
(0) XXX ** here type in l/2 of the number in the
parentheses where is says max** [enter]
change partition = (7) 7
[enter]
part type = (volhdr) efs
[enter]
base
cyl = (0) XXX [enter] ** number here is base cyls from 5 plus max # of
cyls from 5 plus one** [enter]
# of cyls (max XXXX) =
(0) XXX ** number here is the actual number in
the parenthesis [enter]
change partition = (8) . .
// [enter]
Once the
partition has been created you need to write the information about the
partition out to the label record of the disk. To accomplish this type the
following command:
/l/sy
This will execute the
label/synchronize command, which writes the in-core copy of the disk
label back to disk, as well as changing the parameters in the disk
driver.
You now need to exit fx
which you accomplish by typing
/exit
Once the Maintenance Menu
reappears, power down the computer and remove the drive you have just
initialized.
XFS (IRIX 6.X)
You will need to
use a system running IRIX 6.X or an IRIX 6.X installation CD in a CD-ROM
to accomplish this task.
5.
Mount the drive to be initialized in a drive bay of the
computer
6.
When
appears press the Esc button to
get the System Maintenance Menu.
7.
Type 5 to enter the Command Monitor.
8.
Type hinv at the command prompt to verify that both the system
drive and the drive you are initializing are seen by the computer. You should also verify the
controller and drive device numbers.
If you are using a system
running IRIX 5.X you can use the stand alone shell that resides in the 0
partition of the system drive type
boot stand/fx
--x
If
you are booting from a CDROM type the
following (based on the
CDROM being on controller 0 with scsi id 4)
boot -f dksc(0,4,8)sashARCS
dksc(0,4,7)/stand/fx.ARCS --x
At
this point the stand alone shell will boot and load fx. After fx loads it will query you
for the type of device (dksc), controller (ctrl) and device number. If the displayed default is
correct simply press Enter to accept the default. If the displayed default value
is incorrect type the correct value and then press Enter.
Once the main menu
issue the following commands.
/r/o
This will execute the
repartition/option drive command.
You will next be asked
whether you want to create an EFS or XFS file system, select XFS.
Next you will be asked
if you want to create a log partition. Answer yes.
You will then be asked
to confirm that you want to create the partition. Type “yes” to have the partition
created.
Once the partition has
been created you need to write the information about the partition out
to the label record of the disk.
To accomplish this type the following command:
/l/sy
This will execute the
label/synchronize command, which writes the in-core copy of the disk
label back to disk, as well as changing the parameters in the disk
driver.
You now need to exit
fx which you accomplish by typing
/exit
Once the Maintenance
Menu reappears, power down the computer and remove the drive you have
just initialized.
Starting fx to Initialize a System
Disk Drive
EFS (IRIX 5.X, IRIX
6.0, IRIX6.1, IRIX6.2, IRIX6.3)
You will need to
use a system running IRIX 5.X or an IRIX 5.X installation CD in a CD-ROM
to accomplish this task.
1
Mount the drive to be initialized in a drive bay of the
computer
2
When
appears press the Esc button to
get the System Maintenance Menu.
3
Type 5 to enter the Command Monitor.
4
Type hinv at the command prompt to verify that both the system
drive and the drive you are initializing are seen by the
computer. You should also
verify the controller and drive device numbers.
If you are using a system
running IRIX 5.X you can use the stand alone shell that resides in the 0
partition of the system drive type
boot stand/fx
--x
If
you are booting from a CDROM type the
following (based on the
CDROM being on controller 0 with scsi id 4)
boot -f dksc(0,4,8)sashARCS
dksc(0,4,7)/stand/fx.ARCS --x
At
this point the stand alone shell will boot and load fx. After fx loads it will query you
for the type of device (dksc), controller (ctrl) and device number. If the displayed default is
correct simply press Enter to accept the default. If the displayed default value
is incorrect type the correct value and then press Enter.
Once the main menu
issue the following commands.
/r/ro
This will execute the
repartition/root drive command.
You will next be asked
whether you want to create an EFS or XFS file system, select EFS.
You will then be asked
to confirm that you want to create the partition. Type “yes” to have the partition
created.
Now you need to set
the swap space on the drive.
To accomplish this type the command
/r/re
You will see a prompt
asking which partition to resize with a default of swap. Press the Enter key to accept
the default. If the default
is not swap change it to swap.
Next
you will be asked for the size of the desired swap partition. Type m followed by the Enter key
to signify your entry will be in Mbytes. Then enter the desired size for
the swap partition followed by the Enter key.
You will be asked if
you want to create the partition, type yes followed by the Enter
key.
Once the partition has been
created you need to write the information about the partition out to the
label record of the disk.
To accomplish this type the following command:
/l/sy
This will execute the
label/synchronize command, which writes the in-core copy of the disk
label back to disk, as well as changing the parameters in the disk
driver.
You now need to exit fx
which you accomplish by typing
/exit
Once
the Maintenance Menu reappears, power down the computer and remove the
drive you have just initialized.
XFS (IRIX 6.X)
You will need to
use a system running IRIX 6.X or an IRIX 6.X installation CD in a CD-ROM
to accomplish this task.
1
Mount the drive to be initialized in a drive bay of the
computer
2
When
appears press the Esc button to
get the System Maintenance Menu.
3
Type 5 to enter the Command Monitor.
4
Type hinv at the command prompt to verify that both the system
drive and the drive you are initializing are seen by the
computer. You should also
verify the controller and drive device numbers.
If you are
using a system running IRIX 5.X you can use the stand alone shell that
resides in the 0 partition of the system drive type
boot stand/fx
--x
If you are booting from a CDROM type the
following (based on the
CDROM being on controller 0 with scsi id 4)
boot -f dksc(0,4,8)sashARCS
dksc(0,4,7)/stand/fx.ARCS --x
At this point the
stand alone shell will boot and load fx. After fx loads it will query you
for the type of device (dksc), controller (ctrl) and device number. If the displayed default is
correct simply press Enter to accept the default. If the displayed default value
is incorrect type the correct value and then press Enter.
Once the main menu
issue the following commands.
/r/ro
This will execute the
repartition/root drive command.
You will next be asked
whether you want to create an EFS or XFS file system, select EFS.
You will then be asked
to confirm that you want to create the partition. Type “yes” to have the partition
created.
Now you need to set the swap
space on the drive. To
accomplish this type the command
/r/re
You will
see a prompt asking which partition to resize with a default of
swap. Press the Enter key
to accept the default. If
the default is not swap change it to swap.
Next you
will be asked for the size of the desired swap partition. Type m followed by the Enter key
to signify your entry will be in Mbytes. Then enter the desired size for
the swap partition followed by the Enter key.
You will
be asked if you want to create the partition, type yes followed by the
Enter key.
This will
execute the repartition/option drive command.
You will
next be asked whether you want to create an EFS or XFS file system,
select XFS.
Next you will be asked if
you want to create a log partition. Answer yes.
You will then be asked to
confirm that you want to create the partition. Type “yes” to have the partition
created.
Once the partition has been
created you need to write the information about the partition out to the
label record of the disk.
To accomplish this type the following command:
/l/sy
This will execute the
label/synchronize command, which writes the in-core copy of the disk
label back to disk, as well as changing the parameters in the disk
driver.
You now need to exit
fx which you accomplish by typing
/exit
Once the Maintenance Menu
reappears, power down the computer and remove the drive you have just
initialized.
