AIX: Booting Problems With An Apple Network Server
This article lists reasons why an Apple AIX system will not boot after a power outage or crash, and provides information on how to recover from these situations.
This article has been archived and is no longer updated by Apple.
There are many reasons why the system won't boot. The most common cause is a corrupt file system that won't mount.
How To Fix A Corrupt File System
There are two steps: booting from maintenance mode, and checking the file systems with fsck. Each is detailed below.
Step 1: Booting From Maintenance Mode
If you cannot start your Network Server from your hard disk, you can access system information from maintenance mode.
To use maintenance mode to examine or restore information:
Step 1A
Insert the Installation CD or a bootable backup tape.
Step 1B
Shut down the Network Server, if it is not already down. To shut down the system, enter this command:
shutdown -F
Step 1C
Turn the front key switch to the left (service) position.
Step 1D
Turn on your Network Server. The computer starts from the CD or backup tape. A message appears asking you to define the system console.
Step 1E
Press F1 and then the Enter key to use the local display as your console. You need an extended keyboard to identify your console unless you are installing with a terminal connected to the modem port.
Step 1F
When prompted, select a language for installation instructions. For English, type 1 and press Enter. The following message appears on your screen:
Welcome to the Base Operating System
Installation and Maintenance
Type the number of your choice and press Enter.
Choice is indicated by >>>.
1 Start install now with default settings
2 Change/show installation settings and install
> > > 3 Start maintenance mode for system recovery
88 HELP ?
99 PREVIOUS MENU
Step 1G
Choose the option (Access a root volume group)
Step 1H
Choose the disk that contains the rootvg
Note: the rootvg will contain at least these logical volumes
/dev/hd1
/dev/hd9var /dev/hd8
/dev/hd2
/dev/hd3 /dev/hd4
If the disk contains these, choose it and continue.
Step 1I
Choose "Access a root volume group and start a shell before mounting the file system"
Step 1J
Now that you have a shell, you are ready to use fsck to check the file systems.
Step 2: fsck The File Systems
To fsck the file systems do the following.
fsck -y /dev/hd1
fsck -y /dev/hd9var
fsck -y /dev/hd2
fsck -y /dev/hd3
fsck -y /dev/hd4
This might take a few minutes depending on how large your file systems are.
Once this has finished, you can turn the key to the unlock mode and power off the server.
Other Errors
Other errors can be identified by the three digit display.
For most problems with the booting process, a three digit error code appears on the LCD panel on the front of your Network Server. This section lists the possible error codes and recommended action. For the procedures in this section, you must have root privileges.
This section describes the display values for system startup. The error codes in the following table require you to run a hardware diagnostic program to isolate and correct the problem. This table tells you what device is causing the problem and at what point in the boot cycle.
Error Code 522
The display value 522 indicates that the /etc/inittab file has been incorrectly modified or is damaged and the configuration manager was started from the /etc/inittab file with conflicting options. This causes the system to stop. You can solve this problem by entering maintenance mode and either correcting the damaged file or replacing it with a copy from the installation media or another system.
Error Code 551
If the boot process halts with a display value of 551, there may be a problem with any of the following:
If these solutions do not correct the problem, try the following command from maintenance mode:
fsck hdiskn
...where n is the number of the hard disk that contains the root volume group. The fsck command checks file system consistency and repairs the file system.
Error Code 552
The 552 error code indicates that the Network Server is in an infinite loop. To fix the problem, clean up the file system (using the fsck command) and format the log volume.
To format the log volume, run the following command at the maintenance mode prompt for the root volume, after you mount all the file systems:
/etc/aix/logform /dev/hd8
This command reformats your log logical volume. After you run this command, restart your Network Server.
Error Code 553
If the Network Server stops at display value 553 during the boot process, it may be due to a problem running or reading the /etc/inittab file. The /etc/inittab file controls the initialization process. This problem occurs when /tmp or root (/) file systems are full. Follow these steps to solve the problem:
Step 1
Boot from maintenance mode and access the root volume group.
Step 2
Check for available space on the file system. Use the df command to check for space. For example, enter:
df -k /dev/hdisk0
Step 3
Erase files as necessary to get disk space. Often the /smit.log and /smit.script files cause the problem. Remove them with the following command:
rm /smit.log /smit.script
Step 4
Examine the /etc/inittab file for corruption. The file may be empty or missing or it may have an incorrect entry. You may have to recreate this file or fix an entry.
Step 5
If the /etc/inittab file is not corrupt, look for modification or permissions problems with the following files:
/etc/environment
/bin/sh
/bin/bsh
/etc/fsck
/etc/profile
/.profile
Step 6
Return the front key to the upright (unlocked) position and restart your Network Server.
Additional Codes
Error Code c31 Or c32
If the Network Server stops at value c31 or c32, it is trying to locate the system console. The Network Server may not locate the console if the console is defined but not enabled or if the console is a TTY that cannot be reached. System error messages 163
First, look for loose cables. If the cable connections are correct, boot into maintenance mode and enter a shell for the root volume group. Enter the following command to enable the console:
chcons -a login=enable /dev/hft/0
Then restart your Network Server.
System Messages During Installation
This section lists the messages that can appear during the installation of AIX.
0516-404 allocp: Not enough resources available to fulfill allocation. Either not enough free partitions or not enough physical volumes to keep strictness. Try again with different allocation characteristics.
0516-788 extendlv: Unable to extend logical volume.
0503-008 installp: There is not enough free disk space in file system /usr. An attempt to extend this file system was unsuccessful. Make more space available, then retry this operation.
The three messages above indicate that there is not enough space to complete the installation. To solve the problem, do one or more of the following three things:
--Select fewer file sets than the number originally selected for installation.
--Extend the root volume group to another disk. Enter:
extendvg rootvg hdiskn
where n is the number of the specified disk.
--Remove user-defined file systems to free space in the r o o t v g file system.
Here is another system message that you may encounter during installation.
BOS install: After saving all the data from the previous system in /tmp, it was discovered that there will not be enough free space in /tmp to make the boot image. Please reboot in normal mode and increase the size of /tmp or reduce the number of files to save as listed in the /etc/preserve.list file.
During a preservation install, files listed in /etc/preserve.list were copied into /tmp. After doing this, there was not enough room in /tmp to create the boot image. Reboot your Network Server in normal mode and increase the size of /tmp or reduce the number of files to be saved.
Here is another system message that you may encounter during installation.
BOS install: Could not create boot image.
The bosboot command failed. Check the /var/adm/ras/devinst.log file for errors.
Here is another system message that you may encounter during installation.
The following disks failed the preliminary diagnostic tests: <disk name>.
The installation disk failed the diagnostic pretest. Run full diagnostics on the specified disk.
Here are three more system messages that you may encounter during installation.
image.data file contains no vg_data stanza for rootvg.
The installation cannot continue.
image.data has invalid logical volume data. Cannot continue.
image data has invalid file system data. Cannot continue.
In the three cases above, use the default image.data file on the Installation CD.
Here are three more system messages that you may encounter during installation.
0516-366 putlvodm: Volume group rootvg is locked. Try again.
0516-788: extendlv: Unable to extend logical volume.
0503-008 installp: There is not enough free disk space in the file system /usr. An attempt to extend this file system was unsuccessful. Make more space available, then retry this operation.
One of these three messages above might occur if you have interrupted the installation of your optional software. When you interrupt an installation, the Network Server sometimes locks the root volume group. To unlock the root volume group:
Here is another system message that you may encounter during installation.
installp: An error occurred during bosboot processing.
Please correct the problem and rerun.
0301-152 bosboot: not enough file space to create: /tmp/unix
The bosboot command is unable to finish because of insufficient space in /tmp. Extend the /tmp file system (use smit chfs), or free some space and restart your Network Server.
Here is another system message that you may encounter during installation.
installp: An error occurred during bosboot processing.
Please correct the problem and rerun.
301-155 bosboot: Invalid or no boot device specified.
An invalid device is specified. The bosboot command could not complete because it could not locate the required boot device. To solve the situation, determine if the link to the boot device is missing or incorrect. Correct the error and complete installation, follow these steps:
Step 1
To identify the book disk, enter:
lslv -m hd5
The Network Server displays the name of the boot disk.
Step 2
Create a link between the boot device indicated and the /dev/ipldevice file by entering:
ln /dev/boot_device_name /dev/ipldevice
An example of the boot_device_name is hdisk0
Step 3
Rerun or continue the installation.
Here is another system message that you may encounter during installation.
No disks are available.
No hard disks are configured on the Network Server. You can only use the maintenance option of the installation program. You can view the devices file from the maintenance shell by entering the following command:
cat /etc/objrepos/devs
Turn off your Network Server and examine devices to ensure that all SCSI devices are unique and that SCSI devices are properly terminated. Also, check the physical connections between devices. Then, restart and try the installation again.
If these steps do not work, run diagnostics on your hard disk.
How To Fix A Corrupt File System
There are two steps: booting from maintenance mode, and checking the file systems with fsck. Each is detailed below.
Step 1: Booting From Maintenance Mode
If you cannot start your Network Server from your hard disk, you can access system information from maintenance mode.
To use maintenance mode to examine or restore information:
Step 1A
Insert the Installation CD or a bootable backup tape.
Step 1B
Shut down the Network Server, if it is not already down. To shut down the system, enter this command:
shutdown -F
Step 1C
Turn the front key switch to the left (service) position.
Step 1D
Turn on your Network Server. The computer starts from the CD or backup tape. A message appears asking you to define the system console.
Step 1E
Press F1 and then the Enter key to use the local display as your console. You need an extended keyboard to identify your console unless you are installing with a terminal connected to the modem port.
Step 1F
When prompted, select a language for installation instructions. For English, type 1 and press Enter. The following message appears on your screen:
Welcome to the Base Operating System
Installation and Maintenance
Type the number of your choice and press Enter.
Choice is indicated by >>>.
1 Start install now with default settings
2 Change/show installation settings and install
> > > 3 Start maintenance mode for system recovery
88 HELP ?
99 PREVIOUS MENU
Step 1G
Choose the option (Access a root volume group)
Step 1H
Choose the disk that contains the rootvg
Note: the rootvg will contain at least these logical volumes
/dev/hd1
/dev/hd9var /dev/hd8
/dev/hd2
/dev/hd3 /dev/hd4
If the disk contains these, choose it and continue.
Step 1I
Choose "Access a root volume group and start a shell before mounting the file system"
Step 1J
Now that you have a shell, you are ready to use fsck to check the file systems.
Step 2: fsck The File Systems
To fsck the file systems do the following.
fsck -y /dev/hd1
fsck -y /dev/hd9var
fsck -y /dev/hd2
fsck -y /dev/hd3
fsck -y /dev/hd4
This might take a few minutes depending on how large your file systems are.
Once this has finished, you can turn the key to the unlock mode and power off the server.
Other Errors
Other errors can be identified by the three digit display.
For most problems with the booting process, a three digit error code appears on the LCD panel on the front of your Network Server. This section lists the possible error codes and recommended action. For the procedures in this section, you must have root privileges.
This section describes the display values for system startup. The error codes in the following table require you to run a hardware diagnostic program to isolate and correct the problem. This table tells you what device is causing the problem and at what point in the boot cycle.
Value | |
| 510 | The system has started the Configuration manager. |
| 511 | The Configuration manager has completed. |
| 517 | The system is attempting to mount the /(root) and /usr file systems. These file systems are of type bootfs. If the mount does not successfully complete during a network boot, the system changes the three-digit display value to 518. |
| 585 | The system is configuring the network. |
| 591 | The system is configuring the Logical Volume Manager (LVM). |
| 594 | The system is configuring an asynchronous I/O. |
| 704 | The system is configuring the 2.2 GB 16-bit SCSI disk drive. |
| 723 | The system is configuring an unknown CD-ROM or SCSI device driver. |
| 727 | The system is configuring an asynchronous device. |
| 731 | The system is configuring an unknown PTY. |
| 811 | The system is configuring the processor complex or the standard input/output. 812 The system is configuring the memory. |
| 814 | The system is configuring the NVRAM. |
| 821 | The system is configuring the standard keyboard adapter. |
| 823 | The system is configuring the standard mouse adapter. |
| 828 | The system is configuring the standard floppy disk adapter. |
| 831 | The system is configuring the serial port 2. |
| 868 | The system is configuring the integrated SCSI adapter. |
| 871 | The system is configuring the graphics subsystem adapter. |
| 921 | The system is configuring a keyboard. |
| 925 | The system is configuring a three-button mouse. |
| 935 | The system is configuring a 3.5-inch diskette drive. |
| 9002 | The system is configuring the 825 SCSI card. |
Error Code 522
The display value 522 indicates that the /etc/inittab file has been incorrectly modified or is damaged and the configuration manager was started from the /etc/inittab file with conflicting options. This causes the system to stop. You can solve this problem by entering maintenance mode and either correcting the damaged file or replacing it with a copy from the installation media or another system.
Error Code 551
If the boot process halts with a display value of 551, there may be a problem with any of the following:
| /dev is missing or corrupted | mkdir /dev |
| bad boot logical volume | bosboot -a |
| /etc problems | restore selective files (if possible) or reinstall |
If these solutions do not correct the problem, try the following command from maintenance mode:
fsck hdiskn
...where n is the number of the hard disk that contains the root volume group. The fsck command checks file system consistency and repairs the file system.
Error Code 552
The 552 error code indicates that the Network Server is in an infinite loop. To fix the problem, clean up the file system (using the fsck command) and format the log volume.
To format the log volume, run the following command at the maintenance mode prompt for the root volume, after you mount all the file systems:
/etc/aix/logform /dev/hd8
This command reformats your log logical volume. After you run this command, restart your Network Server.
Error Code 553
If the Network Server stops at display value 553 during the boot process, it may be due to a problem running or reading the /etc/inittab file. The /etc/inittab file controls the initialization process. This problem occurs when /tmp or root (/) file systems are full. Follow these steps to solve the problem:
Step 1
Boot from maintenance mode and access the root volume group.
Step 2
Check for available space on the file system. Use the df command to check for space. For example, enter:
df -k /dev/hdisk0
Step 3
Erase files as necessary to get disk space. Often the /smit.log and /smit.script files cause the problem. Remove them with the following command:
rm /smit.log /smit.script
Step 4
Examine the /etc/inittab file for corruption. The file may be empty or missing or it may have an incorrect entry. You may have to recreate this file or fix an entry.
Step 5
If the /etc/inittab file is not corrupt, look for modification or permissions problems with the following files:
/etc/environment
/bin/sh
/bin/bsh
/etc/fsck
/etc/profile
/.profile
Step 6
Return the front key to the upright (unlocked) position and restart your Network Server.
Additional Codes
Error Code c31 Or c32
If the Network Server stops at value c31 or c32, it is trying to locate the system console. The Network Server may not locate the console if the console is defined but not enabled or if the console is a TTY that cannot be reached. System error messages 163
First, look for loose cables. If the cable connections are correct, boot into maintenance mode and enter a shell for the root volume group. Enter the following command to enable the console:
chcons -a login=enable /dev/hft/0
Then restart your Network Server.
System Messages During Installation
This section lists the messages that can appear during the installation of AIX.
0516-404 allocp: Not enough resources available to fulfill allocation. Either not enough free partitions or not enough physical volumes to keep strictness. Try again with different allocation characteristics.
0516-788 extendlv: Unable to extend logical volume.
0503-008 installp: There is not enough free disk space in file system /usr. An attempt to extend this file system was unsuccessful. Make more space available, then retry this operation.
The three messages above indicate that there is not enough space to complete the installation. To solve the problem, do one or more of the following three things:
--Select fewer file sets than the number originally selected for installation.
--Extend the root volume group to another disk. Enter:
extendvg rootvg hdiskn
where n is the number of the specified disk.
--Remove user-defined file systems to free space in the r o o t v g file system.
Here is another system message that you may encounter during installation.
BOS install: After saving all the data from the previous system in /tmp, it was discovered that there will not be enough free space in /tmp to make the boot image. Please reboot in normal mode and increase the size of /tmp or reduce the number of files to save as listed in the /etc/preserve.list file.
During a preservation install, files listed in /etc/preserve.list were copied into /tmp. After doing this, there was not enough room in /tmp to create the boot image. Reboot your Network Server in normal mode and increase the size of /tmp or reduce the number of files to be saved.
Here is another system message that you may encounter during installation.
BOS install: Could not create boot image.
The bosboot command failed. Check the /var/adm/ras/devinst.log file for errors.
Here is another system message that you may encounter during installation.
The following disks failed the preliminary diagnostic tests: <disk name>.
The installation disk failed the diagnostic pretest. Run full diagnostics on the specified disk.
Here are three more system messages that you may encounter during installation.
image.data file contains no vg_data stanza for rootvg.
The installation cannot continue.
image.data has invalid logical volume data. Cannot continue.
image data has invalid file system data. Cannot continue.
In the three cases above, use the default image.data file on the Installation CD.
Here are three more system messages that you may encounter during installation.
0516-366 putlvodm: Volume group rootvg is locked. Try again.
0516-788: extendlv: Unable to extend logical volume.
0503-008 installp: There is not enough free disk space in the file system /usr. An attempt to extend this file system was unsuccessful. Make more space available, then retry this operation.
One of these three messages above might occur if you have interrupted the installation of your optional software. When you interrupt an installation, the Network Server sometimes locks the root volume group. To unlock the root volume group:
- 1. Log in as root.
2. Enter chvg -u rootvg
3. Enter smit_install and attempt to install your optional software again.
Here is another system message that you may encounter during installation.
installp: An error occurred during bosboot processing.
Please correct the problem and rerun.
0301-152 bosboot: not enough file space to create: /tmp/unix
The bosboot command is unable to finish because of insufficient space in /tmp. Extend the /tmp file system (use smit chfs), or free some space and restart your Network Server.
Here is another system message that you may encounter during installation.
installp: An error occurred during bosboot processing.
Please correct the problem and rerun.
301-155 bosboot: Invalid or no boot device specified.
An invalid device is specified. The bosboot command could not complete because it could not locate the required boot device. To solve the situation, determine if the link to the boot device is missing or incorrect. Correct the error and complete installation, follow these steps:
Step 1
To identify the book disk, enter:
lslv -m hd5
The Network Server displays the name of the boot disk.
Step 2
Create a link between the boot device indicated and the /dev/ipldevice file by entering:
ln /dev/boot_device_name /dev/ipldevice
An example of the boot_device_name is hdisk0
Step 3
Rerun or continue the installation.
Here is another system message that you may encounter during installation.
No disks are available.
No hard disks are configured on the Network Server. You can only use the maintenance option of the installation program. You can view the devices file from the maintenance shell by entering the following command:
cat /etc/objrepos/devs
Turn off your Network Server and examine devices to ensure that all SCSI devices are unique and that SCSI devices are properly terminated. Also, check the physical connections between devices. Then, restart and try the installation again.
If these steps do not work, run diagnostics on your hard disk.
Published Date: Feb 18, 2012