Re: [Qemu-devel] Booting Solaris 9 install CD under qemu-system-sparc

[Martin Bochnig]

Paul Sheer wrote:

>Hi. i need to perform software builds on solaris-sparc and i'm trying
>to avoid buying a real sparc for this. So qemu would be really helpful.
>
>Be happy to buy something cool for whoever get's this working!
>
>When booting the solaris 9 install CD -
>
>qemu-0.8.2# uname -a
>Linux sheerp-laptop 2.6.18 #2 PREEMPT Sat Nov 11 15:35:16 SAST 2006 i686
>GNU/Linux
>qemu-0.8.2# qemu-system-sparc -hda qemu-Solaris-sparc.img -m 128 -boot d
>-cdrom /opt/sol-9-905hw-install-ga-sparc.iso  -nographic
>
>
>- i get the following:
>
>
>Nvram id QEMU_BIOS, version 1
>CPUs: 1
>nvram error detected, zapping pram
>Welcome to OpenBIOS v1.0RC1 built on Jun 8 2006 15:14
>  Type 'help' for detailed information
>
>[sparc] Booting file 'cdrom' without parameters.
>Not a bootable ELF image
>Not a Linux kernel image
>Not a bootable a.out image
>Not a bootable ELF image
>Not a Linux kernel image
>Loading a.out image...
>Loaded 7680 bytes
>entry point is 0x4000
>Jumping to entry point...
>device auxio size -1
>
>hangs here with 100% CPU
>
>
>thanks for any help with this
>
>-paul
>  
>

Booting Solaris_sparc inside qemu??
--->>  Unfortunately not (speaking of SunOS4.x/Solaris1.x and Solaris2.x 32 bit
kernel): Good news is, that it successfully starts booting (a physical
CD, a CD.iso or physical hdd) now.
That is, it can read the vtoc now and starts executing bootblk.
This quantum leap improvement is due to the fact, that qemu-system-sparc
has moved to using openbios last summer.

Bad news: openbios is a pretty good and standards conform implementation
of ieee1275-94 OpenFirmware.
But unfortunately is SUNW's proprietary OBP implementation not so
standards conform, but instead implements certain behaviour differently
(through explicit ifdefs in its sources).
So openbios sets up the qemu-system-sparc machine in a state that is not
expected by the Solaris_32bit guest. And it then dies before any output
would have been sent to the console (i.e. SunOS 5.8 32 bit ...).
Though it actually is quite a lot what it already does do now.
Blue Swirl is working on that front.

There is an opensource version of SUNW's OBP of implementation available
for download on opensparc.org for 3 months now. Licensed under either
BSD or GPL.
It is a version optimized for use with sun4v (not sun4u).
Maybe this can accellerate things.
You should ask Blue Swirl for everything that has to do with
sparc-emulation, please. My field is the HOST sparc support.

If you need it cheap and slow, just get a U5/U10 starting at $10 (final auction 
price) from ebay.
Or a Blade 100 - sometimes someone offers many at once in a multi_auction.
Chances are then, you snipe one for below $30,-


-Martin
p.s. Why not just completely switching to Solaris sparc ?!   :-)
A Blade1000/2000 (via ebay.yourCountry) offers _the_ best price/performance 
ratio of all sparc workstation models.