len@rufus.math.nwu.edu (Len Evens) (01/28/90)
We recently encountered the following problem which was solved for us by Avi Freedman of Temple University. We found suddenly that we could not boot clients of a Sun 3/260S running OS 4.0.3. The source of the problem was that many months ago we had changed our /etc/hosts table so that the machine names were given by complete internet symbolic addresses, e.g. sname.lnet.univ.edu Our /etc/bootparams file, however, stil used just the raw machine name, e.g. cname root=sname:/export/root/cname\ swap=sname:/export/swap/cname We had not in fact rebooted the clients during this time, so we were unaware of the problem. When we did try to reboot, the process failed, and even though we suspected that the bootparams file might be invovlved we did not see the cause until Avi Freedman pointed it out. (He had apparently suffered for over a month before pinpointing it.) When we corrected the /etc/bootparams file to use the complete symbolic internet addresses, e.g., cname.lnet.univ.edu root=sname.lnet.univ.edu:/export/root/cname\ swap=sname.lnet.univ.edu:/export/swap/cname the problem disappeared. This problem will predictably arise for people who have been running independent networks which they later link up with internet. Leonard Evens len@math.nwu.edu Department of Mathematics Northwestern University Evanston, IL 60208 708-491-5537
gary@proa.sv.dg.com (02/07/90)
In article <4559@brazos.Rice.edu> len@rufus.math.nwu.edu (Len Evens) writes: >X-Sun-Spots-Digest: Volume 9, Issue 19, message 5 of 14 >.. >We had not in fact rebooted the clients during this time, so we were >unaware of the problem. When we did try to reboot, the process failed, and >even though we suspected that the bootparams file might be invovlved we >did not see the cause until Avi Freedman pointed it out. (He had >apparently suffered for over a month before pinpointing it.) When we >corrected the /etc/bootparams file to use the complete symbolic internet >addresses, e.g., > >cname.lnet.univ.edu root=sname.lnet.univ.edu:/export/root/cname\ > swap=sname.lnet.univ.edu:/export/swap/cname > >the problem disappeared. Perhaps only for the nonce. If you move on to BIND you will probably have more luck with: cname.lnet.univ.edu root=sname.lnet.univ.edu:/export/root/cname.lnet.univ.edu\ swap=sname.lnet.univ.edu:/export/swap/cname.lnet.univ.edu with the corresponding change in /etc/exports. Also, take a peek at your /etc/ethers or YP ethers file. You may need the domain specifier there. We, too spent many happy hours poking around with this. :-| (Bind is a side-effect of loading all the uunet upgrade stuff. This is (IMHO) a good thing, but - be prepared for your host calling itself cname.lnet.univ.edu.) Gary Bridgewater, Data General Corporation, Sunnyvale California gary@sv.dg.com or {amdahl,aeras,amdcad}!dgcad!gary The impossible we understand right away - the obvious takes a little longer.