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Asset ID: 1-71-1018945.1
Update Date:2009-02-01
Keywords:

Solution Type  Technical Instruction Sure

Solution  1018945.1 :   Redirecting display to a local monitor on the Sun Fireā„¢ X2100, X4100 & X4200 servers  


Related Items
  • Sun Fire X4100 Server
  •  
  • Sun Fire X2100 Server
  •  
  • Sun Fire X4200 Server
  •  
Related Categories
  • GCS>Sun Microsystems>Servers>x64 Servers
  •  

PreviouslyPublishedAs
230803


Description
This document explains how to redirect the display on the Sun Fire[TM] X2100, X4100 and x4200 servers to a locally attached monitor under Solaris[TM] 10 X86.


Steps to Follow
When trying to redirect the display with a 'known good' monitor, keyboard and mouse attached locally to the system, display output will be sent to the monitor early in the boot process but sometimes the screen will then go blank.

'Known good', means that it works on another Sun[TM] system and is listed on Sun's HCL (if not a Sun manufactured device) :http://www.sun.com/bigadmin/hcl/data/sol/)

The device path for the onboard graphics port (ATi Rage XL) will look similar to:

# ls -la /dev/fb*
lrwxrwxrwx   1 root     root          46 Jan 16 17:10 /dev/fb -> /devices/pci@0,0/pci10de,5c@9/display@5:text-0
lrwxrwxrwx   1 root     root          10 Jan 12 17:09 /dev/fb0 -> fbs/text-0
/dev/fbs:
total 12
drwxr-xr-x   2 root     root         512 Jan 12 17:09 .
drwxr-xr-x  16 root     sys         3584 Jan 16 17:10 ..
lrwxrwxrwx   1 root     root          51 Jan 12 17:09 text-0
-> ../../devices/pci@0,0/pci10de,5c@9/display@5:text-0

The device pointing to 'text-0'  could be seen as an invalid link but this is correct.

The first to take is to ensure the 'bootenv.rc' file contains the correct entries for the input and output device.  This is achieved via the 'eeprom' command in Solaris[TM]:

# man eeprom
<--start extract-->
x86
EEPROM storage is simulated using a  file  residing  in  the
platform-specific   boot   area.   The   /platform/platform-
name/boot/solaris/bootenv.rc file simulates EEPROM storage.
<--end extract-->

Complete as follows:

# eeprom input-device=keyboard
# eeprom output-device=screen

Check the settings with the 'eeprom' command with no options.

Try rebooting, assuming that 'Xsun' or 'Xorg' (display managers) are configured correctly (only use one or the other).

If you get display output all the way through boot, dtlogin should then appear.

If the display still goes blank early in boot the process, check the '/var/dt/Xerrors' file for errors (and the '/var/log/Xorg.0.log' if running Xorg).

An example of the errors you could see in Xerrors is:

<--start example errors -->

Build Operating System: SunOS 5.10 Generic i86pc
Current Operating System: SunOS oberon 5.10 Generic_118844-26 i86pc
Build Date: 09 September 2005
SUNWxorg-server package version: 6.8.0.5.10.7400,REV=0.2004.12.15
SUNWxorg-server patches applied: 118966-11 119062-01
SUNWxorg-graphics-ddx package version: 6.8.0.5.10.7400,REV=0.2004.12.15
SUNWxorg-graphics-ddx patches applied: 118966-11
    Before reporting problems, check http://sunsolve.sun.com/    to make sure that you have the latest version.
Module Loader present
Markers: (--) probed, (**) from config file, (==) default setting,
    (++) from command line, (!!) notice, (II) informational,
    (WW) warning, (EE) error, (NI) not implemented, (  ) unknown.
(==) Log file: "/var/log/Xorg.0.log", Time: Thu Jan 12 08:11:01 2006
(==) Using config file: "/etc/X11/xorg.conf"
Data incomplete in file /etc/X11/xorg.conf
    Undefined InputDevice "Keyboard1" referenced by ServerLayout "Simple Layout"
.
(EE) Problem parsing the config file
(EE) Error parsing the config file

Fatal server error: no screens found

<--end example errors-->

In the above example you can see the 'Xorg' configuration is incorrect as the Xserver is unable to find the keyboard device (required to start the Xserver).

To correct this or any misconfiguration of the display managers,  you will need to run 'kdmconfig', select your display manager (Xsun or Xorg) and following the on-screen instructions.

To choose which driver you need for the display device you can run 'prtpicl -v' to get the make and model of the graphics card/port(s) e.g:

:video-adapter-type   svga
:vesa-oem-vendor     ATI Technologies Inc
:vesa-oem-string     ATI MACH64
:vesa-oem-revision   01.00
:vesa-oem-product    MACH64GM

You may also need to run 'devfsadm' first to ensure t newly attached keyboard and mouse are correctly linked

Once the Xserver via 'kdmconfig'  has been configured, test the configuration via the same command by selecting to continue through the fist couple of screen and then when displayed select 'F2' to test the current configuration. If a screen with multicoloured bubbles is displayed, the configuration is correct and after a reboot all output should be sent to the locally attached monitor



Product
Solaris 10 Operating System for x86 Platforms
Sun Fire X2100 Server
Sun Fire X4100 Server
Sun Fire X4200 Server

Internal Comments
For the internal use of Sun Employee's.

Created by Bryn Cowling


x2100, x4100, x4200, Aquarius, Galaxy, Xsun, Xorg, Display, Monitor, Screen, output, Solaris 10, X86, redirect
Previously Published As
83595

Change History
Date: 2007-10-10
User Name: 97961
Action: Update Canceled
Comment: *** Restored Published Content *** Deleting. IBIS Pre-Migration Clean-Up 10-Oct-2007
Version: 0
Date: 2007-10-10
User Name: 97961
Action: Reassign
Comment: Deleting. IBIS Pre-Migration Clean-Up 10-Oct-2007
Version: 0

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