Obsd Won't Boot After Install On C3000

[danboid]

I'm bringing my Z out of retirement so I wanted to try obsd 5.7 on it, obsd being something I've never installed before. The install seemed to go fine but I can't boot into it. I've read I might be able to do so via the D+B menu but obviously I want it to boot normally.

During install I let it use the whole MD and replace the partitions so I presumed I could avoid boot issues that way. I thought it would be the failsafe option but it seems that is not so. It looks like OE/OZ was one of the last things I tried installing as it boots into kexecboot currently but I don't see a menu option  for OpenBSD. Maybe I can add it in but I was under the impression kexec would auto-detect OSs? Nope. Maybe manually adding it in is possible?

I've tried installing omegamoon's multiboot kernel / menu but I get some Japanese error after choosing to install it off SD. I can't remember what it means or where the page was that explains what the OK menu error screens mean?

It seems the obsd install instructions expect you to be running cacko and that you will install the obsd ipk to sort the bootloader out but I'd like to avoid that as I don't want to install cacko again just to install that ipk. I'd like to dedicate the MD purely to obsd.

Thanks!

[ArchiMark]

Hi danboid,

It's been 6 - 8 months since I last installed....so my memory about it is a bit fuzzy now....

But read this thread, it might help....think you do need Cacko first....

https://www.oesf.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=26452

If TronD (Tim...) doesn't reply to this thread, post in the next most recent thread about 5.6, where he last posted....

Mark

[danboid]

It seems others have successfully done a Cacko-less obsd install:

https://www.oesf.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=17213

The prob with this is its not the full guide. He uploaded the full guide to a link that no longer exists. Classic forum mistake! The other odd thing is that it claims I should have a bsd dir on /dev/mtdblock2 after installing bsd but I don't.

There was also this:

https://www.oesf.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=21481

That suffered the same fate as the other in that it links to files that no longer exist.

I'm going to mess a bit more before it comes to re-installing cacko, if I can still find the install files for it!

[danboid]

There used to be a page that gave English translations of the Z's Japanese 'OK' (hold OK when inserting the battery) / flashing menus. I thought it was part of Meanies site but it seems it wasn't, or at least I can't see it there anymore.

Does anyone know if such a page still exists?

[danboid]

I got the omegamoon multiboot to install. After trying to install it again and getting the Japanese error I noticed the only two English characters in the message - AC - so I know what that one means now but multiboot fails to find a bootable device despite the fact that using fdisk under the D+B boot console shows me that hda4 (my obsd partition) is bootable.

[ArchiMark]

Think I tried the omegamoon multi-boot route about a year ago and didn't get it to work with OBSD....at least that's what I recall....

Think your best best is to go the Cacko route....I know you can still download Cacko files from somewhere, just don't recall where...but google it and think you'll find them...

Been so long, I don't recall where the English translation of the Japanese menus is...but would think it would be on one of Meanie's pages....

[danboid]

Oh well. I can't really justify spending much longer trying to get obsd to boot solo so it looks like I'll have to install cacko, making it the probably the most bloated bootloader ever!

I spent a good hour or two looking for a valid mirror of the 3K build of Cacko. I found a few places hosting Cacko for every other Zaurus device but I had to resort to the Wayback machine to get the 3K (beta) version:

http://web.archive.org/web/20110425071049/...om/cacko/c3000/

AFAIK there never was a non-beta / stable Cacko 1.23 released for the 3K.

I'll report back after trying again with Cacko installed but if anyone knows how to get obsd to boot sans Cacko I'm all ears!

[ArchiMark]

Per my earlier suggestion, you might want to either post on the fairly recent OBSD 5.6 thread here and see if TronD (Tim) responds or just PM him and ask him to post on this thread....he's much more knowledgeable than I am, especially when it comes to OBSD....

Just a thought....

[ArchiMark]

I charged up my 3200 and booted it up tonight for the first time in about 8 months...

It booted up 5.6....but can't recall my password....

So, guess time to try and install the latest OBSD.....

Meanwhile, I googled OpenBSD Zaurus and noticed the website that I had gotten a lot of useful info from when I first tried installing OBSD last year.

The site is

http://www.planetofidiots.com/zaurus/

Site is outdated (guy was running 4.3 as of last site update...) but still useful to read....

Realize now I meant to refer you to this site not omegamoon.....sorry about that....

 

[danboid]

Thanks for the link Mark, I'm sure that'll come in handy if I ever get OBSD booting properly. I've had a quick read and it seems he was booting via Qtopia too.

I tried installing cacko last night but without much luck. IIRC I used to have to use the fdisk on the pdaxrom installer to partition my drive first as the one in the D+B console seems to be a bit buggy. I also struggled to even find what partition map cacko expects but I think I found it here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/e29616/10133528/sizes/o/

Lets see if I can still download pdaX then...

Isn't necrocomputing fun!

[danboid]

I've made some progress in that I've got Cacko to install and boot now but no OBSD yet. As I thought, I had to first partition my MD using the pdaXii13 installer's (for the C3000's) fdisk to successfully install and boot Cacko.

Whereas under Linux and most other OSs you can do all your partitioning with just fdisk in most cases, it seems you have to use both fdisk and disklabel under OBSD. I found the official Zaurus install instructions a bit confusing when it came to the partitioning section so I hoped I could just follow the guide you posted - http://www.planetofidiots.com/zaurus

DON'T! (if you're joining in with the necromancy)

Despite stating it is using Qropia to boot OBSD, it says that when you get to the partitioning bit, choose 'whole' ie use the whole disk. I  thought it sounded a bit risky to Qtopia but I did this, presuming it would know just to use the whole of the 3+ GB's worth of free space on my MD. OBSD seemed to install fine but when I rebooted it only got as far as:

EXT3-FS: unable to read superblock
mount: Mounting /dev/hda1 on /hdd1 failed: Invalid argument
HDD1 Error!! start check battery !

So it looks like I'll now have to re-install Cacko and then try OBSD again but this time using a custom partitioning scheme

[danboid]

The planetofidiots guide says:

I experience an oddity during boot sequence of Qtopia, don't know if it's particular to the 3200 or not:

mount: Mounting /dev/hdc1 on /hdd1 failed: Invalid Argument
HDD1 error!!

It seems rather horrible and I was greatly distressed by it, but you can use ctl-C to exit that loop and continue on to normal booting, no harm at all. WEIRD.

I wish that was the case on the C3000, but its not. When I hit CTRL+C on that error, Qtopia just reboots. I've been into the D+B menu and according to Linux fdisk, there is only 1 OpenBSD hda4 partition on the MD after doing a 'whole' partition OBSD install.

ArchiMark:

I presume its best to create the 3 Qtopia/cacko partitions using Linux (pdaXii13 in my case) fdisk but just leave free space for disklabel or OBSD fdisk to create the OBSD label/partition/sliice or whatever, right?

Any other partitioning and installl tips for OBSD on the Z would be appreciated!

[ArchiMark]

Sorry, due to our time differences in our locations....just got up here and read your posts now...

I remember now going through similar thing with HDD and partitions.....

This was common error situation way back and of course happens now too when partitions are changed....

I know there's threads about this on the forum sections....

might be some posts about it here  in the OBSD section too from late last year or early this year....

Also, might be addressed in Meanie's pages....

You need to get some files and put them somewhere on the HDD for the system to find....

Sorry, just forgetting the details right now....

Have to leave house in a few minutes but back in a few hours....if I find more info I'll post it...

In meantime, do some checking around on this....hopefully, you'll find the info I'm referring to...

Mark

[ArchiMark]

Here's one thread related to issue...

https://www.oesf.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=26452


Another one:

https://www.oesf.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=24159

[danboid]

Thanks Mark but no need now as I now have OpenBSD 5.8 CURRENT installed, booting and running on my C3000!

I would advise anyone new to OBSD to read at least http://www.openbsd.org/faq/faq4.html#Morefdisk before or whilst installing.

The secret is to choose to (e)dit the partitions when you are first asked to do so and manually create a fourth, OpenBSD partition as described at the link. You need to manually calculate the offset of the first block of the OBSD partition, which is again described in the FAQ. I don't think there is any need to run 'update' under OBSD's installer's fdisk but I did make my OBSD partition the active one before quitting (or was it exiting? The one that saves changes) out of fdisk. Then, disklabel starts which creates the OBSD slices within the hda4 / OBSD master partition. For the disklabel section of the disk setup procedure I just used the suggested layout and that has done the trick. I also had to rename the openbsd installer ipk to remove the version number (in this case 58) from its fiilename before it would install. After clicking the 'Install OpenBSD' Puffy icon on my short lived Qtopia desktop my Z now boots 'directly' into OpenBSD.

That was a pretty tough install! It reminds me of installing Linux in the late 90's!

Now I finally get to set up OBSD and see what (doesn't) work! The first prob I've encountered is that suspend isn't working properly. When I push the suspend button, the screen goes a light grey colour instead of turning off. It prints 'uhub0 detached' to the terminal when you push suspend before the screen fades to grey. :/