doc/en/gentoo-mips-faq.xml

<?xml version='1.0' encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!-- $Header: /var/cvsroot/gentoo/xml/htdocs/doc/en/gentoo-mips-faq.xml,v 1.5 2011/08/15 20:13:16 swift Exp $ -->

<!DOCTYPE guide SYSTEM "/dtd/guide.dtd">
<guide>

<title>Gentoo Linux/MIPS Frequently Asked Questions</title>

<author title="Author">
  <mail link="redhatter@gentoo.org">Stuart Longland</mail>
</author>
<author title="Editor">
  <mail link="mattst88">Matt Turner</mail>
</author>

<abstract>
This FAQ is intended to answer some of the most frequently asked questions
relating to Gentoo/MIPS and Linux/MIPS in general.
</abstract>

<!-- The content of this document is licensed under the CC-BY-SA license -->
<!-- See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5 -->
<license/>

<version>2</version>
<date>2011-08-14</date>

<faqindex>
<title>About this Document</title>
<section>
<title>Introduction</title>
<body>

<p>
This FAQ is intended to answer frequently asked questions about Gentoo/MIPS and
Linux/MIPS that we receive from various users.  It's aimed at both new users
and experienced users alike.  It has been split into a number of categories
to make navigation easier.
</p>

<p>
If you'd like to contribute to the FAQ or, having read this guide, you
still have questions that are left unanswered, feel free to
<uri link="http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/base/mips/">drop us a line</uri>.
</p>

</body>
</section>
</faqindex>

<chapter>
<title>About the Gentoo/MIPS Project</title>
<section id="what">
<title>What is Gentoo/MIPS?</title>
<body>

<p>
Gentoo/MIPS is a small project responsible for looking after the MIPS port of
Gentoo Linux.
</p>

</body>
</section>
<section id="why">
<title>Why install Gentoo Linux on MIPS?</title>
<body>

<p>
Okay, sure, some MIPS machines aren't the fastest boxes on the block these days.
However, despite the age of some of these beasts, they still can make very
functional, useful machines.  A Cobalt Qube 2 could make a very nice broadband
Internet router, capable of hosting websites, email, IRC and numerous other
tasks.  There are a number of reasons why you'd want to install Linux on this
sort of hardware.
</p>

<ul>
  <li>
    It teaches you a lot about computer hardware by giving you an alternate
    frame of reference
  </li>
  <li>
    It allows you to turn what would otherwise be useless junk into a very
    functional system
  </li>
  <li>
    Status Symbol: Linux on x86 is so common these days it's not funny.
    However, Linux on MIPS is a lot less common and quite a talking point.
  </li>
</ul>

</body>
</section>
<section id="port">
<title>Why don't you port Gentoo to NetBSD/MIPS or IRIX?</title>
<body>

<p>
Hey, great idea.  Unfortunately, a lot of the Gentoo/MIPS team already have
their hands full looking after Linux/MIPS as well as other commitments. A
project like this would fall under the umbrella of the
<uri link="http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/gentoo-alt/prefix/">Gentoo Prefix
project</uri>.  Some work has been done for IRIX, the remnants of which can be
found in <uri
link="https://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?quicksearch=irix">bugzilla</uri>.
</p>

</body>
</section>
</chapter>

<chapter>
<title>MIPS Hardware FAQs</title>
<section id="hw-what">
<title>What is MIPS?</title>
<body>

<p>
<uri link="http://www.mips.com">MIPS Technologies</uri> is a company that
produce a number of RISC CPU cores which implement the <uri
link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIPS_architecture">MIPS Architecture</uri>.
These processors appear in all sorts of hardware ranging from small embedded
devices to large servers.
</p>

<p>
It also happens to be an acronym; <b>M</b>illions of <b>I</b>nstructions
<b>P</b>er <b>S</b>econd.
</p>

</body>
</section>
<section id="hardware">
<title>What sort of hardware uses MIPS processors?</title>
<body>

<p>
In short... lots.  MIPS Processors see use inside all sorts
of machines, ranging from small PDAs (such as the early Windows CE powered Casio
PDAs), X Terminals (e.g. Tektronix TekXPress XP330 series), through to
workstations such as the Silicon Graphics Indy and O2 and even high end servers
such as the Silicon Graphics Origin 2000.
</p>

<p>
A comprehensive list can be found on the <uri
link="http://www.linux-mips.org/wiki/index.php/Systems">Linux/MIPS website</uri>
</p>

<p>
... and that's only scratching the surface.  These machines are wide and
varied.  Many of them do not currently run Linux.  Of those that do, we only
support a handful, although you're welcome to port Gentoo/MIPS to any MIPS
machine if you so wish.  Some of these machines are also the focus of the <uri
link="http://embedded.gentoo.org">Embedded Gentoo Project</uri> such as the
Linksys WRT54G.
</p>

</body>
</section>
<section id="supported">
<title>Is my machine supported?</title>
<body>

<p>
For the first one an easy way to find out is to have a look at the
<uri link="/doc/en/mips-requirements.xml">Gentoo/MIPS
requirements page</uri>.  This will tell you if the system you've got can
theoretically run Gentoo/MIPS.
</p>

<p>
If you don't find your machine listed there, you may wish to have a look on the
<uri link="http://www.linux-mips.org/wiki/index.php/Systems">Linux/MIPS
website</uri> to find it there.  Installation won't be straightforward however,
as the actual process of producing a kernel and suitable boot media for your
hardware will have to be done largely by yourself.  Naturally though, we'll try
to help where we can.
</p>

</body>
</section>
<section id="support_X">
<title>Why don't you support machine X</title>
<body>

<p>
If you've looked at the Gentoo/MIPS Hardware Requirements page, you've probably
noticed there are a lot of machines we don't support.  In the case of SGI
hardware, very little is known about some of them, not enough
to successfully port Linux to them.
</p>

<p>
If you managed to get Linux working on a box currently listed as
<e>unsupported</e> however, please tell us.  We'd be interested to know.
</p>

</body>
</section>
</chapter>

<chapter>
<title>MIPS Software FAQs</title>
<section id="stage">
<title>Which stage tarball do I use?</title>
<body>

<p>
This will depend on the CPU type running in your system.  The stage filename is
named as follows:
</p>

<pre caption="Stage Tarball Naming Scheme">
  stage3-mipsel4_multilib-20110627.tar.bz2
  \____/ \_____/ \_____/  \______/
     |      |       |        |
     |      |       |        `-- Gentoo Release (date of creation)
     |      |       |
     |      |       `--- ABI: multilib, n32, n64 (nothing for o32)
     |      |
     |      `----------- Endianness and ISA Level
     |                     mips   ==> Big Endian
     |                     mipsel ==> Little Endian
     |
     `------------------ Stage Tarball type: 1, 2 or 3.
</pre>

<p>
For R4000-class CPUs, use a <c>mips3</c> or <c>mipsel3</c> stage tarball.
</p>

<p>
For R5000-class or later CPUs, use a <c>mips4</c> or <c>mipsel4</c> stage
tarball.
</p>

</body>
</section>
<section id="chroot">
<title>I got an "Illegal Instruction" or "Cannot Execute Binary
File" error message when chrooting.  What did I do wrong?</title>
<body>

<p>
This is generally caused by using the wrong stage tarball.  If you try to run a
<c>mips4</c> userland on a <c>mips3</c> CPU, you'll get an <e>illegal
instruction</e> error message.  Likewise, if you have a Big Endian CPU and you
try to run Little Endian code on it, you'll get <e>cannot execute binary
file</e>.
</p>

<p>
The fix is simple: clean out your partition, then unpack the correct tarball.
</p>

</body>
</section>
</chapter>

<chapter>
<title>Silicon Graphics Specific FAQs</title>
<section id="netboot">
<title>Why doesn't my SGI machine netboot?</title>
<body>

<p>
This could be for any number of reasons, ranging from cabling issues, through to
issues on the server.  The best way to troubleshoot any problem is a
step-by-step approach...
</p>

<ol>
  <li>
    <b>Have you got the SGI machine (and server) plugged into the right
    network ports?</b><br />
    Make sure the network is cabled correctly.  Also note that some machines
    have special needs. For instance the Challenge S cannot obtain network
    connectivity under Linux via its UTP port, you need to use the AUI port
    via a transceiver.
  </li>
  <li>
    <b>Are there any firewalls in use?</b><br />
    Make sure your firewall is not blocking DHCP/BOOTP requests (ports 67 and
    68 on UDP) or TFTP (port 69 on UDP).<br />
    <c>iptables -I INPUT 1 -p udp --dport 67:69 -j ACCEPT</c> should get things
    rolling.
  </li>
  <li>
    <b>Have you disabled packet MTU discovery and set the port range?</b><br />
    SGI boxes require <path>/proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_no_pmtu_disc</path> = 1 and
    <path>/proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_local_port_range</path> = "2048 32767".
    See <uri
    link="/doc/en/handbook/handbook-mips.xml?part=1&amp;chap=2#doc_chap4">the
    Gentoo/MIPS handbook</uri>.
  </li>
  <li>
    <b>Is the server giving out the correct details via BOOTP?</b><br />
    Double check your <path>/etc/dhcp/dhcpd.conf</path>.  ISC's dhcpd won't dish
    out addressing information via BOOTP unless the machine has been statically
    defined with a fixed address.
  </li>
  <li>
    <b>Which TFTP server are you using?</b><br />
    <c>tftp-hpa</c> and <c>netkit-tftp</c> are known to work.  <c>atftp</c> is a
    lot more advanced, this can cause problems.  If in doubt, try installing
    <c>tftp-hpa</c> and see if the problem clears up.
  </li>
  <li>
    <b>Are the daemons running?</b><br />
    <c>dhcpd</c> should show up when typing <c>ps ax</c>.  As for TFTP, it'll
    largely depend on whether its a standalone server, or if its running from
    <c>(x)inetd</c>.  <c>tftp-hpa</c> runs as a process called <c>in.tftpd</c>.
    Look for that in the <c>ps ax</c> output and start any services not
    currently running.
  </li>
  <li>
    <b>Does the kernel exist in <path>/tftpboot</path>?</b><br />
    Make sure you place the kernel image to be booted in this directory and
    that it is world-readable.  (<c>chmod 644 /tftpboot/foo</c>)  Also, in your
    <path>/etc/dhcp/dhcpd.conf</path>, note that the path to the kernel will be
    relative to the <path>/tftpboot</path> directory if you're using
    <c>tftp-hpa</c>.
  </li>
  <li>
    <b>Have you unset the <c>netaddr</c> and <c>dlserver</c> PROM
    variables?</b><br />
    Try running <c>unsetenv netaddr</c> and <c>unsetenv dlserver</c>.
  </li>
</ol>

</body>
</section>
<section id="serial">
<title>The machine downloads the kernel, but then "hangs" (using a monitor and
keyboard &ndash; not serial console)</title>
<body>

<p>
Unfortunately, not all graphics frame buffers are supported under Linux yet.
This doesn't mean you can't use the machine... it just means you'll need a
null-modem serial cable to interact with it.  It is quite possible that the
machine is in fact running, however, the system is outputting to the serial
console rather than the screen.
</p>

</body>
</section>
</chapter>

<chapter>
<title>Cobalt Specific FAQs</title>
<section id="cobaltboot">
<title>Why won't my Cobalt machine boot?</title>
<body>

<p>
This could be for a number of reasons.  Our easiest bet however is to run
through a checklist and make sure everything is correct.
</p>

<ol>
  <li>
    <b>Have you got the Cobalt machine (and server) plugged into the right
    network ports?</b><br />
    Make sure the network is cabled correctly.  Please note, the Cobalt firmware
    will only boot via the Primary network port.
  </li>
  <li>
    <b>Are there any firewalls in use?</b><br />
    Make sure your firewall is not blocking DHCP/BOOTP requests (ports 67 and
    68 on UDP) or RPC/Portmap (port 111 on UDP and TCP).<br />
    <c>iptables -I INPUT 1 -p udp --dport 67:68 -j ACCEPT</c><br />
    <c>iptables -I INPUT 1 -p udp --dport 111 -j ACCEPT</c><br />
    <c>iptables -I INPUT 1 -p tcp --dport 111 -j ACCEPT</c>
    should get things rolling.
  </li>
  <li>
    <b>Is the server giving out the correct details via BOOTP?</b><br />
    Double check your <path>/etc/dhcp/dhcpd.conf</path>.  ISCs dhcpd won't dish
    out addressing information via BOOTP unless the machine has been statically
    defined with a fixed address.
  </li>
  <li>
    <b>Are you exporting <path>/nfsroot</path> in your
    <path>/etc/exports</path>?</b><br />
    Make sure you are exporting that to the Cobalt machine.  It only needs
    read-only access.  Also remember to run <c>exportfs -av</c> after you edit
    the file.
  </li>
  <li>
    <b>Are the daemons running?</b><br />
    <c>dhcpd</c> should show up when typing <c>ps ax</c>.  Likewise with
    <c>portmap</c> and the other RPC daemons.  The following commands should
    look after this for you:<br />
    <c>/etc/init.d/dhcp start</c><br />
    <c>/etc/init.d/nfs start</c>
  </li>
  <li>
    <b>Does the kernel exist in <path>/nfsroot</path>?</b><br />
    Make sure you place the kernel image to be booted in this directory and
    that it is world-readable.  (<c>chmod 644 /nfsroot/foo</c>)
  </li>
</ol>

</body>
</section>
<section id="qube2700">
<title>Why don't you support the Qube 2700?</title>
<body>

<p>
The Qube 2700 was the first of the Cobalt servers.  While they are very nice
machines, unfortunately, they lack a serial port.  In other words, any
interaction with the machine has to be done through a network.  At present, our
netboot images do not support this.
</p>

</body>
</section>

</chapter>
</guide>
1	swift	1.1	<?xml version='1.0' encoding="UTF-8"?>
2	swift	1.6	<!-- $Header: /var/cvsroot/gentoo/xml/htdocs/doc/en/gentoo-mips-faq.xml,v 1.5 2011/08/15 20:13:16 swift Exp $ -->
3	swift	1.1
4			<!DOCTYPE guide SYSTEM "/dtd/guide.dtd">
5	swift	1.6	<guide>
6	swift	1.1
7			<title>Gentoo Linux/MIPS Frequently Asked Questions</title>
8
9			<author title="Author">
10			<mail link="redhatter@gentoo.org">Stuart Longland</mail>
11			</author>
12	swift	1.5	<author title="Editor">
13			<mail link="mattst88">Matt Turner</mail>
14			</author>
15	swift	1.1
16			<abstract>
17	swift	1.4	This FAQ is intended to answer some of the most frequently asked questions
18	swift	1.1	relating to Gentoo/MIPS and Linux/MIPS in general.
19			</abstract>
20
21			<!-- The content of this document is licensed under the CC-BY-SA license -->
22			<!-- See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5 -->
23			<license/>
24
25	swift	1.5	<version>2</version>
26			<date>2011-08-14</date>
27	swift	1.1
28	neysx	1.3	<faqindex>
29	swift	1.5	<title>About this Document</title>
30	swift	1.1	<section>
31			<title>Introduction</title>
32			<body>
33
34			<p>
35			This FAQ is intended to answer frequently asked questions about Gentoo/MIPS and
36			Linux/MIPS that we receive from various users. It's aimed at both new users
37	swift	1.4	and experienced users alike. It has been split into a number of categories
38	swift	1.1	to make navigation easier.
39			</p>
40
41			<p>
42	swift	1.5	If you'd like to contribute to the FAQ or, having read this guide, you
43	swift	1.1	still have questions that are left unanswered, feel free to
44	swift	1.5	<uri link="http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/base/mips/">drop us a line</uri>.
45	swift	1.1	</p>
46
47			</body>
48			</section>
49	neysx	1.3	</faqindex>
50	swift	1.1
51			<chapter>
52			<title>About the Gentoo/MIPS Project</title>
53			<section id="what">
54			<title>What is Gentoo/MIPS?</title>
55			<body>
56
57			<p>
58	swift	1.5	Gentoo/MIPS is a small project responsible for looking after the MIPS port of
59			Gentoo Linux.
60	swift	1.1	</p>
61
62			</body>
63			</section>
64			<section id="why">
65			<title>Why install Gentoo Linux on MIPS?</title>
66			<body>
67
68			<p>
69			Okay, sure, some MIPS machines aren't the fastest boxes on the block these days.
70			However, despite the age of some of these beasts, they still can make very
71			functional, useful machines. A Cobalt Qube 2 could make a very nice broadband
72			Internet router, capable of hosting websites, email, IRC and numerous other
73			tasks. There are a number of reasons why you'd want to install Linux on this
74			sort of hardware.
75			</p>
76
77			<ul>
78			<li>
79			It teaches you a lot about computer hardware by giving you an alternate
80			frame of reference
81			</li>
82			<li>
83			It allows you to turn what would otherwise be useless junk into a very
84			functional system
85			</li>
86			<li>
87			Status Symbol: Linux on x86 is so common these days it's not funny.
88			However, Linux on MIPS is a lot less common and quite a talking point.
89			</li>
90			</ul>
91
92			</body>
93			</section>
94			<section id="port">
95			<title>Why don't you port Gentoo to NetBSD/MIPS or IRIX?</title>
96			<body>
97
98			<p>
99			Hey, great idea. Unfortunately, a lot of the Gentoo/MIPS team already have
100	swift	1.5	their hands full looking after Linux/MIPS as well as other commitments. A
101			project like this would fall under the umbrella of the
102			<uri link="http://www.gentoo.org/proj/en/gentoo-alt/prefix/">Gentoo Prefix
103			project</uri>. Some work has been done for IRIX, the remnants of which can be
104			found in <uri
105			link="https://bugs.gentoo.org/buglist.cgi?quicksearch=irix">bugzilla</uri>.
106	swift	1.1	</p>
107
108			</body>
109			</section>
110			</chapter>
111
112			<chapter>
113			<title>MIPS Hardware FAQs</title>
114			<section id="hw-what">
115			<title>What is MIPS?</title>
116			<body>
117
118			<p>
119			<uri link="http://www.mips.com">MIPS Technologies</uri> is a company that
120	swift	1.5	produce a number of RISC CPU cores which implement the <uri
121			link="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIPS_architecture">MIPS Architecture</uri>.
122			These processors appear in all sorts of hardware ranging from small embedded
123			devices to large servers.
124	swift	1.1	</p>
125
126			<p>
127			It also happens to be an acronym; <b>M</b>illions of <b>I</b>nstructions
128			<b>P</b>er <b>S</b>econd.
129			</p>
130
131			</body>
132			</section>
133			<section id="hardware">
134			<title>What sort of hardware uses MIPS processors?</title>
135			<body>
136
137			<p>
138	swift	1.5	In short... lots. MIPS Processors see use inside all sorts
139	swift	1.1	of machines, ranging from small PDAs (such as the early Windows CE powered Casio
140			PDAs), X Terminals (e.g. Tektronix TekXPress XP330 series), through to
141			workstations such as the Silicon Graphics Indy and O2 and even high end servers
142			such as the Silicon Graphics Origin 2000.
143			</p>
144
145			<p>
146	swift	1.5	A comprehensive list can be found on the <uri
147	swift	1.4	link="http://www.linux-mips.org/wiki/index.php/Systems">Linux/MIPS website</uri>
148	swift	1.1	</p>
149
150			<p>
151	swift	1.5	... and that's only scratching the surface. These machines are wide and
152	swift	1.1	varied. Many of them do not currently run Linux. Of those that do, we only
153			support a handful, although you're welcome to port Gentoo/MIPS to any MIPS
154			machine if you so wish. Some of these machines are also the focus of the <uri
155			link="http://embedded.gentoo.org">Embedded Gentoo Project</uri> such as the
156			Linksys WRT54G.
157			</p>
158
159			</body>
160			</section>
161			<section id="supported">
162			<title>Is my machine supported?</title>
163			<body>
164
165			<p>
166			For the first one an easy way to find out is to have a look at the
167			<uri link="/doc/en/mips-requirements.xml">Gentoo/MIPS
168			requirements page</uri>. This will tell you if the system you've got can
169	swift	1.5	theoretically run Gentoo/MIPS.
170	swift	1.1	</p>
171
172			<p>
173			If you don't find your machine listed there, you may wish to have a look on the
174			<uri link="http://www.linux-mips.org/wiki/index.php/Systems">Linux/MIPS
175			website</uri> to find it there. Installation won't be straightforward however,
176			as the actual process of producing a kernel and suitable boot media for your
177			hardware will have to be done largely by yourself. Naturally though, we'll try
178			to help where we can.
179			</p>
180
181			</body>
182			</section>
183			<section id="support_X">
184			<title>Why don't you support machine X</title>
185			<body>
186
187			<p>
188			If you've looked at the Gentoo/MIPS Hardware Requirements page, you've probably
189	swift	1.5	noticed there are a lot of machines we don't support. In the case of SGI
190	swift	1.1	hardware, very little is known about some of them, not enough
191			to successfully port Linux to them.
192			</p>
193
194			<p>
195			If you managed to get Linux working on a box currently listed as
196	swift	1.5	<e>unsupported</e> however, please tell us. We'd be interested to know.
197	swift	1.1	</p>
198
199			</body>
200			</section>
201			</chapter>
202
203			<chapter>
204			<title>MIPS Software FAQs</title>
205			<section id="stage">
206			<title>Which stage tarball do I use?</title>
207			<body>
208
209			<p>
210			This will depend on the CPU type running in your system. The stage filename is
211			named as follows:
212			</p>
213
214			<pre caption="Stage Tarball Naming Scheme">
215	swift	1.5	stage3-mipsel4_multilib-20110627.tar.bz2
216			\____/ \_____/ \_____/ \______/
217			\| \| \| \|
218			\| \| \| `-- Gentoo Release (date of creation)
219	swift	1.1	\| \| \|
220	swift	1.5	\| \| `--- ABI: multilib, n32, n64 (nothing for o32)
221	swift	1.1	\| \|
222			\| `----------- Endianness and ISA Level
223			\| mips ==> Big Endian
224			\| mipsel ==> Little Endian
225			\|
226			`------------------ Stage Tarball type: 1, 2 or 3.
227			</pre>
228
229			<p>
230	swift	1.5	For R4000-class CPUs, use a <c>mips3</c> or <c>mipsel3</c> stage tarball.
231	swift	1.1	</p>
232
233			<p>
234	swift	1.5	For R5000-class or later CPUs, use a <c>mips4</c> or <c>mipsel4</c> stage
235			tarball.
236	swift	1.1	</p>
237
238			</body>
239			</section>
240			<section id="chroot">
241	swift	1.5	<title>I got an "Illegal Instruction" or "Cannot Execute Binary
242			File" error message when chrooting. What did I do wrong?</title>
243	swift	1.1	<body>
244
245			<p>
246			This is generally caused by using the wrong stage tarball. If you try to run a
247			<c>mips4</c> userland on a <c>mips3</c> CPU, you'll get an <e>illegal
248			instruction</e> error message. Likewise, if you have a Big Endian CPU and you
249	swift	1.5	try to run Little Endian code on it, you'll get <e>cannot execute binary
250	swift	1.1	file</e>.
251			</p>
252
253			<p>
254	swift	1.5	The fix is simple: clean out your partition, then unpack the correct tarball.
255	swift	1.1	</p>
256
257			</body>
258			</section>
259			</chapter>
260
261			<chapter>
262			<title>Silicon Graphics Specific FAQs</title>
263			<section id="netboot">
264			<title>Why doesn't my SGI machine netboot?</title>
265			<body>
266
267			<p>
268			This could be for any number of reasons, ranging from cabling issues, through to
269	swift	1.4	issues on the server. The best way to troubleshoot any problem is a
270	swift	1.1	step-by-step approach...
271			</p>
272
273			<ol>
274			<li>
275			<b>Have you got the SGI machine (and server) plugged into the right
276			network ports?</b><br />
277			Make sure the network is cabled correctly. Also note that some machines
278	swift	1.4	have special needs. For instance the Challenge S cannot obtain network
279			connectivity under Linux via its UTP port, you need to use the AUI port
280	swift	1.1	via a transceiver.
281			</li>
282			<li>
283			<b>Are there any firewalls in use?</b><br />
284			Make sure your firewall is not blocking DHCP/BOOTP requests (ports 67 and
285			68 on UDP) or TFTP (port 69 on UDP).<br />
286			<c>iptables -I INPUT 1 -p udp --dport 67:69 -j ACCEPT</c> should get things
287			rolling.
288			</li>
289			<li>
290			<b>Have you disabled packet MTU discovery and set the port range?</b><br />
291			SGI boxes require <path>/proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_no_pmtu_disc</path> = 1 and
292	swift	1.4	<path>/proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_local_port_range</path> = "2048 32767".
293			See <uri
294	swift	1.1	link="/doc/en/handbook/handbook-mips.xml?part=1&chap=2#doc_chap4">the
295			Gentoo/MIPS handbook</uri>.
296			</li>
297			<li>
298			<b>Is the server giving out the correct details via BOOTP?</b><br />
299			Double check your <path>/etc/dhcp/dhcpd.conf</path>. ISC's dhcpd won't dish
300			out addressing information via BOOTP unless the machine has been statically
301			defined with a fixed address.
302			</li>
303			<li>
304			<b>Which TFTP server are you using?</b><br />
305			<c>tftp-hpa</c> and <c>netkit-tftp</c> are known to work. <c>atftp</c> is a
306			lot more advanced, this can cause problems. If in doubt, try installing
307			<c>tftp-hpa</c> and see if the problem clears up.
308			</li>
309			<li>
310			<b>Are the daemons running?</b><br />
311			<c>dhcpd</c> should show up when typing <c>ps ax</c>. As for TFTP, it'll
312			largely depend on whether its a standalone server, or if its running from
313			<c>(x)inetd</c>. <c>tftp-hpa</c> runs as a process called <c>in.tftpd</c>.
314			Look for that in the <c>ps ax</c> output and start any services not
315			currently running.
316			</li>
317			<li>
318			<b>Does the kernel exist in <path>/tftpboot</path>?</b><br />
319			Make sure you place the kernel image to be booted in this directory and
320			that it is world-readable. (<c>chmod 644 /tftpboot/foo</c>) Also, in your
321			<path>/etc/dhcp/dhcpd.conf</path>, note that the path to the kernel will be
322			relative to the <path>/tftpboot</path> directory if you're using
323			<c>tftp-hpa</c>.
324			</li>
325			<li>
326			<b>Have you unset the <c>netaddr</c> and <c>dlserver</c> PROM
327			variables?</b><br />
328			Try running <c>unsetenv netaddr</c> and <c>unsetenv dlserver</c>.
329			</li>
330			</ol>
331
332			</body>
333			</section>
334			<section id="serial">
335			<title>The machine downloads the kernel, but then "hangs" (using a monitor and
336	swift	1.5	keyboard – not serial console)</title>
337	swift	1.1	<body>
338
339			<p>
340			Unfortunately, not all graphics frame buffers are supported under Linux yet.
341			This doesn't mean you can't use the machine... it just means you'll need a
342			null-modem serial cable to interact with it. It is quite possible that the
343			machine is in fact running, however, the system is outputting to the serial
344			console rather than the screen.
345			</p>
346
347			</body>
348			</section>
349			</chapter>
350
351			<chapter>
352			<title>Cobalt Specific FAQs</title>
353			<section id="cobaltboot">
354			<title>Why won't my Cobalt machine boot?</title>
355			<body>
356
357			<p>
358			This could be for a number of reasons. Our easiest bet however is to run
359			through a checklist and make sure everything is correct.
360			</p>
361
362			<ol>
363			<li>
364			<b>Have you got the Cobalt machine (and server) plugged into the right
365			network ports?</b><br />
366			Make sure the network is cabled correctly. Please note, the Cobalt firmware
367			will only boot via the Primary network port.
368			</li>
369			<li>
370			<b>Are there any firewalls in use?</b><br />
371			Make sure your firewall is not blocking DHCP/BOOTP requests (ports 67 and
372			68 on UDP) or RPC/Portmap (port 111 on UDP and TCP).<br />
373			<c>iptables -I INPUT 1 -p udp --dport 67:68 -j ACCEPT</c><br />
374			<c>iptables -I INPUT 1 -p udp --dport 111 -j ACCEPT</c><br />
375			<c>iptables -I INPUT 1 -p tcp --dport 111 -j ACCEPT</c>
376			should get things rolling.
377			</li>
378			<li>
379			<b>Is the server giving out the correct details via BOOTP?</b><br />
380			Double check your <path>/etc/dhcp/dhcpd.conf</path>. ISCs dhcpd won't dish
381			out addressing information via BOOTP unless the machine has been statically
382			defined with a fixed address.
383			</li>
384			<li>
385			<b>Are you exporting <path>/nfsroot</path> in your
386			<path>/etc/exports</path>?</b><br />
387			Make sure you are exporting that to the Cobalt machine. It only needs
388			read-only access. Also remember to run <c>exportfs -av</c> after you edit
389			the file.
390			</li>
391			<li>
392			<b>Are the daemons running?</b><br />
393			<c>dhcpd</c> should show up when typing <c>ps ax</c>. Likewise with
394			<c>portmap</c> and the other RPC daemons. The following commands should
395			look after this for you:<br />
396			<c>/etc/init.d/dhcp start</c><br />
397			<c>/etc/init.d/nfs start</c>
398			</li>
399			<li>
400			<b>Does the kernel exist in <path>/nfsroot</path>?</b><br />
401			Make sure you place the kernel image to be booted in this directory and
402			that it is world-readable. (<c>chmod 644 /nfsroot/foo</c>)
403			</li>
404			</ol>
405
406			</body>
407			</section>
408			<section id="qube2700">
409			<title>Why don't you support the Qube 2700?</title>
410			<body>
411
412			<p>
413			The Qube 2700 was the first of the Cobalt servers. While they are very nice
414			machines, unfortunately, they lack a serial port. In other words, any
415			interaction with the machine has to be done through a network. At present, our
416	swift	1.5	netboot images do not support this.
417	swift	1.1	</p>
418
419			</body>
420			</section>
421
422			</chapter>
423			</guide>