This document contains tips for determining Xstation booting problems.
Related documentation
The following IBM publication is also available for reference:
AIX Xstation Manager/6000 Version 1.4.1 System Management Guide (SC23-2264-05).
The LAN statistics screen appears on the Xstation terminal as it boots. Copyright and Xstation Manager information appear at the top of the screen followed by relevant LAN information. Also displayed will be the network adapter's hardware address and relevant information about the adapter's connection mode.
Two lines are displayed for each working LAN adapter. Lines labeled BOOTP: give information about the transmission/reception of bootp packets. Lines labeled TFTP: give information about the transmission/reception of tftp packets.
Reading from left to right in either the bootp or tftp line, interpret the fields as follows:
Ethernet connector type selection is done by jumper settings on the PCB. The default setting is usually "thin". To select "thick" or "10BaseT", consult the appropriate Setup and Operator's Guide for the Xstation.
Compliance with IEEE802.3 standards are required for proper operation. Ensure that only 50-ohm IEEE802.3 cables, connectors, and terminators are used throughout the network. Just one section of 90-ohm cable can cause dead spots in the network.
For thin net, or coaxial, Ethernets, do not use more than 30 stations per segment. Also, ensure the length of each segment is less than 185 meters.
For thick net Ethernets, use only IBM approved transceivers or the IBM cable adapter which ships with Xstation 140s, 150s and 160s.
An unsuccessful boot may have an underlying cause, especially if the Xstation had previously been operating satisfactorily. Check the following items:
If not, modify the NIS master server to provide these services in its NIS services map by editing the /etc/services file and remaking the maps.
bootp is a broadcast mechanism the Xstation uses to find its server. If bootp is enabled but the packets are not answered, the Xstation LAN statistics screen will show field 1, bootp packets sent, incrementing; field 2, packets received, at 0 and not incrementing; and field 4, packages sent with no reply received, incrementing.
If bootp is enabled but the packets are not answered, perform the following checks:
ps -ef | fgrep bootpd
If no bootpd process is running, check inetd for an active bootps. Enter:
lssrc -ls inetd
If the bootps subserver is not listed as active, then enable it using SMIT or the command line:
Via SMIT:
Via the command line:
refresh -s inetd
ls -l /usr/sbin/bootpd
If the permissions are not -r-xr-xr-x bin bin, change them so that they are.
If the time and date do not appear to be correct, enter the following, replacing MMDDHHmmYY with the current time and date:
date MMDDHHmmYY
Then enter:
touch /etc/bootptabto make its date/time current and to enable a new bootpd to be spawned the next time a bootp request is received.
Check the contents of the /etc/bootptab file and verify that there are no blank lines, that there is a network type line, and that there is an Xstation line with the proper entries for the topology and configuration. If necessary, correct the file.
To run bootpd with output to the console, enter:
bootpd -d -d -d -d -s &
To run bootpd with output to a file, enter:
bootpd -d -d -d -d -s > /tmp/bootpd.out 2>&1
If bootp succeeds, a handoff is made to request tftp download of the Xserver code.
NOTE: Certain Xstation models can load locally from FLASH memory and may not need a tftp download.
A symptom seen at the Xstation may be that the tftp packet counts increment slowly and eventually timeout. Error codes 66XX for token ring or 88XX for Ethernet may be posted in the fifth tftp field.
If tftp fails, do the following:
For 4.2.x and lower:
tftp dgram udp wait nobody /etc/tftpd tftpd -n
For 4.3.x and higher:
tftp dgram udp6 SRC nobody /usr/sbin/tftpd tftpd -n
tftp 69/udp
If you are booting through a gateway, router, or bridge, the Xstation IP address, host IP address, gateway IP address, and subnet mask must be entered into the Xstation's Network Setup menus. If you have a bridge or router with no IP address, use the boot host's IP address as the gateway address. Additionally, change the bootp mode to direct or disable it completely.
If the Xstation tftp works, that is, if the first two tftp counters quickly increment to about 500, but error messages or a white screen with no error messages appears on the Xstation, check the x_st_mgrd process. Examples of error messages include:
Could not connect to fileserver Could not read configuration file Cannot load X server code
ps -ae | grep x_st_mgrd
If it is not running, start it from the command line by running:
/etc/rc.tcpip
9000/tcp
If the entry for x_st_mgrd is not found, edit the /etc/services file and add the entry; then configure the change into the Object Data Manager (ODM) by running the command refresh -s inetd.
NOTE: If you are using NIS, be sure to make the change on the NIS master; then run the make command from /var/yp.
Finally, kill the x_st_mgrd process and restart it using the command in the first step of this section. Also, verify the Xstation name and that it does not begin with an x.
T170=2328
If the tag is missing, add it and reboot the Xstation.
cd /usr/lpp/x_st_mgr/bin ls -l *
Check for 644, -rw-r--r--, on the following files:
Then enter the following commands:
cd /etc/x_st_mgr ls -l *
Check for 644, -rw-r--r--, on the following files:
n may be 1 and 2 or 3 and 4, depending on the version of x_st_mgr.
If any of the preceding files have the wrong permissions or ownership (root/system), then change to the proper permissions and ownership and restart x_st_mgrd using the command in the first step under the subsection "Xstation Manager problems".
[ Doc Ref: 90605228314726 Publish Date: Jan. 16, 2001 4FAX Ref: 1306 ]