I Installation Error Messages

This appendix explains the error messages you might see if there is a problem during an installation. The messages are sorted in alphabetical order.

<dev>: unknown device

The installation procedure detected that the distribution media to install from is not a supported installation device. Installation devices include Remote Installation Services (RIS) servers or rz* (SCSI) disks and CD-ROMs.

<string>: unknown machine type

The program used to determine the type of machine being installed has not found the expected Alpha architecture. The value of string is the value returned from the program. The system installation cannot continue and you must contact your field service representative.

A previous installation has left the system in a state that will not allow a restart. Please halt and then reboot to install this system.

This message may be displayed when restart is entered from the UNIX Shell. This message means that the installation has determined that a restart is not possible due to the current state of the system. You must first halt the system by entering the halt command and then reboot the system from the distribution media to start the installation procedure again.

Cannot find <CLIENT> in risdb file. Check with the system manager of your RIS server.

This message displays during a RIS installation. The name assigned to this system (CLIENT) during the installation does not have an entry in the risdb file on the RIS server. When this occurs, the problem is usually related to the use of a fully qualified hostname versus a non-fully qualified hostname, for example, abcxyz.com instead of abcxyz. This error is often caused by the particular name service configured on the network and can usually be resolved by modifying the entry in the risdb file so that it matches CLIENT.

Cannot find the name for $CLIENT using bin/getname. Check with the system manager of your RIS server.

During a RIS installation, the RIS server was unable to inform the client of its host name. The system being installed requests that the RIS server send its host name based on the IP address. The RIS server does this by executing the ~ris/bin/getname command. The error occurs when the getname command could not return the host name. Generally, this is due to a problem with the particular name service configured on the network. This can often be resolved by adding an entry to the /etc/hosts file (on the RIS server) for the system being installed.

Could not successfully write 'showboot' file. When the system halts, please enter your default boot disk as follows: >>> set BOOTDEF_DEV <boot_default>

This message indicates that the installation process could not successfully ascertain the default boot information from the console firmware and suggests that the console firmware variable BOOTDEF_DEV be set to the name of the disk that contains the newly-installed root file system. After setting this variable, reboot the system by issuing the boot command.

Error copying MAKEDEV to /mnt.

This message is displayed when of the installation process fails to copy the MAKEDEV script from the memory file system (/dev) to the dev directory on the newly created root file system which is currently mounted on /mnt (/mnt/dev). This is a fatal error for the installation. Invoke the installation again. If it fails, contact your Digital field service representative.

If the X server was started as part of the installation and repeated attempts to restart the installation fail, enter: restart nogui

This message may be seen if the graphical user interface encountered an error or if you intentionally selected the UNIX Shell option. If an error occurred before the installation graphical user interface was started, there may be a problem starting the X environment for the installation. In this case, you can invoke the installation procedure with the text-based interface by entering the restart nogui command.

No valid device is found. Contact a DIGITAL field service representative.

There are no disks on the system that are supported for the purpose of storing the root file system.

Consult the Software Product Description (SPD) and Appendix H for a list of supported disks.

If you have disks that are listed as supported for use as system disks connected to your system, use the following steps to check the cables: 1. Turn off the system and all connected expansion cabinets. 2. Check the cabling to all disks and expansion cabinets. 3. Turn on all expansion cabinets. 4. Turn on the system. 5. Start the installation again by booting from the distribution media.

Please change directory to / before restarting.

This message displays if you have exited the installation setup process, accessed the UNIX Shell option and then entered restart to start the installation process again. This message appears only if you have changed (cd) out of the root (/) directory. You must change directory to / by using the cd command before entering restart.

Please inspect the file /var/tmp/install.FS.log to identify the source of the failure.

This message displays when the installation procedure encounters a file system error. Use the cat /var/tmp.install.FS.log command to view the contents of the /var/tmp/install.FS.log file to identify the source of the failure. The /var/tmp/install.FS.log file is written in the memory file system and will exist only until the system is booted.

Digital UNIX provides the ability to view (or inspect) files by using various commands and utilities such as: vi(ew), ed, cat, head, and tail. Each of these commands and utilities is available to you at the UNIX shell prompt.

restart: not found

This message may display if you have exited the installation setup procedure, accessed the UNIX Shell option, started another shell, and then entered restart to start the installation procedure again. You must exit the second shell before you can enter restart at the UNIX Shell to start the installation setup procedure again.

Tape devices are not supported for installation.

The installation procedure detected that the distribution media selected to install from is a tape device. Tape devices are not supported. The installation cannot continue. Select another device.

The disk name "rz8" was not found on this system when attempting to validate the following filesystem(s): root usr

This error is the result of a disk name validation error that occurred during a cloned installation. The disk name, rz8, specified in the configuration description file (CDF) for the root and usr file systems was not found on your system. If you want to continue the cloned installation, ask the RIS server administrator to register your system for a different CDF. Then, restart the installation procedure.

The installation procedure cannot prepare the system disk for new boot blocks. <Text of disklabel diagnostic>

This message is displayed when the installation procedure fails while writing a default disk label (with new boot blocks) to the disk selected for the root file system.

The corrective action depends on the error message from the disklabel command. In general, you should confirm that the system disk is properly connected, powered up, and so on. If it is not, fix it and restart the installation. If the disk is properly set up, restart the installation and select a different disk for the root file system. Contact your Digital field service representative to determine the problem with the original disk.

The installation procedure cannot restore the system disk label and cannot update boot blocks.<Text of disklabel diagnostic>

This message is displayed when the installation procedure fails to restore the saved disklabel while updating the boot blocks on the disk selected for the root file system.

The installation procedure failed attempting to write a default disklabel to device <disk>.

This message is displayed when the installation procedure tries to write a default disk label to the disk specified. An attempt to apply the default label results in the installation procedure not being able to read a valid label on the specified disk. This failure most likely indicates a corrupt disk. Contact your Digital field service representative.

The installation procedure failed or was intentionally exited. To restart the installation, halt and reboot the system or enter: restart

This message is seen if the installation interface (text-based or graphical) encountered an error or if you intentionally selected the UNIX Shell option. Enter the restart command or reboot your system from the distribution media to begin the installation procedure again.

The installation procedure successfully installed the mandatory software subsets. Some optional subsets did not install correctly. Would you like to try again to install these subsets? (y/n)[]:

This message indicates that the setld command successfully installed the mandatory software subsets required for your system. However, it encountered a failure during the loading of one or more optional software subsets. Possible reasons could include a corrupt distribution media (CD-ROM or RIS), network errors (RIS), or a failing target disk device. You have the opportunity to reattempt the installation of the optional software subsets.

The installation procedure was not able to correctly install the mandatory software subsets.

This message indicates that the setld command was not able to install one or more of the mandatory software subsets required for your system. Possible reasons could include a corrupt distribution media (CD-ROM or RIS), network errors (RIS), or a failing target disk device. When this message is displayed, the installation procedure attempts to load software subsets again.

The installation process has failed to determine the configured disk devices for this system.

This message indicates that the utility used to identify configured disk devices on the target (client) system exited due to an error. Possible reasons include no devices found on the system, or the inability to write the list of devices found.