Installing Solaris Via Install Server or Jumpstart Server Over VLAN Fails With "Connection timed out"

Asset ID:	1-72-1938327.1
Update Date:	2018-03-06
Keywords:

Solution Type Problem Resolution Sure

Solution 1938327.1 : Installing Solaris Via Install Server or Jumpstart Server Over VLAN Fails With "Connection timed out"

Applies to:

SPARC T3-1 - Version Not Applicable and later
Sun Blade T6320 Server Module - Version Not Applicable and later
SPARC T4-2 - Version Not Applicable and later
Sun SPARC Enterprise T5120 Server - Version Not Applicable and later
Sun SPARC Enterprise T5240 Server - Version Not Applicable and later
Oracle Solaris on SPARC (64-bit)
This also applies to all systems with T1, T2, T2+, and T3 CPUs

Symptoms

In this example a T6320 Blade server should get Solaris 11 installed using Automated Installer but the installation fails. It doesn't even start, it fails with "Connection timed out".

Cause

The OBP of the T6320 Blade currently does not support VLANs. Therefore communication to the Automated Installer (AI) server fails and as a result installing Solaris on the T6320 over network fails.

Open Boot PROM supports VLANs only from OBP 4.36.0 onwards
Even the OBP of later systems like T4-x or T5-x can only deal with VLANs with OBP 4.36.0 or newer.

{0} ok setenv network-boot-arguments host-ip=192.168.1.7,router-ip=192.168.1.254,subnet-mask=255.255.255.0,file=http://192.168.1.124:5555/cgi-bin/wanboot-cgi
network-boot-arguments = host-ip=192.168.1.7,router-ip=192.168.1.254,subnet-mask=255.255.255.0,file=http://192.168.1.124:5555/cgi-bin/wanboot-cgi
Boot device: /pci@0/pci@0/pci@c/network@0 File and args: - install <---- NEM0
cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu cpu Device: pci
Device: niu
Device: pci-performance-counters
ChassisSerialNumber xxxxxxx-xxxxxxxxxx
/pci@0: Device 0 pci
/pci@0/pci@0: Device 1 pci
/pci@0/pci@0/pci@1: Device 0 pci pci
/pci@0/pci@0/pci@1/pci@0: Device 1 usb usb usb
/pci@0/pci@0/pci@1/pci@0: Device 2 usb usb usb
/pci@0/pci@0/pci@1/pci@0,2: Device 1 display
/pci@0/pci@0: Device 2 pci
/pci@0/pci@0/pci@2: Device 0 LSILogic,sas tape disk
/pci@0/pci@0: Device 8 pci
/pci@0/pci@0/pci@8: Device 0 lpfc SUNW,emlxs fp disk tape lpfc SUNW,emlxs fp disk tape
/pci@0/pci@0: Device 9 pci
/pci@0/pci@0/pci@9: Device 0 lpfc SUNW,emlxs fp disk tape lpfc SUNW,emlxs fp disk tape
/pci@0/pci@0: Device c pci
/pci@0/pci@0/pci@c: Device 0 network network
/pci@0/pci@0: Device d pci
/pci@0/pci@0/pci@d: Device 0 Nothing there
/pci@0/pci@0: Device e Nothing there
hub

Sun Blade T6320 Server Module, No Keyboard
Copyright (c) 1998, 2011, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
OpenBoot 4.33.4, 16256 MB memory available, Serial #xxxxxxxx.
Ethernet address 0:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx, Host ID: xxxxxxxx.

Boot device: /pci@0/pci@0/pci@c/network@0 File and args: - install
1000 Mbps full duplex Link up
HTTP: Could not connect to 192.168.1.124:5555 (Connection timed out) <---- AI installation fails with "Connection timed out"
ERROR: boot-read fail

Evaluating:
Boot load failed
{0} ok

The Automated Installer (AI) server's IP is 192.168.1.124 as we can see i.e. from the OBP output:

{0} ok setenv network-boot-arguments host-ip=192.168.1.7,router-ip=192.168.1.254,subnet-mask=255.255.255.0,file=http://192.168.1.124:5555/cgi-bin/wanboot-cgi

The Automated Installer (AI) server is on a VLAN:

ipadm_show-addr.out

ADDROBJ TYPE STATE ADDR
lo0/v4 static ok 127.0.0.1/8
vlan501/v4 static ok 192.168.3.30/24
vlan503/v4 static ok 192.168.1.124/24 <---- IP 192.168.1.124 (AI server) is on a VLAN: 503
net6/v4 static ok 192.168.2.77/24
lo0/v6 static ok ::1/128

ifconfig-a.out

lo0: flags=2001000849 mtu 8232 index 1
inet 127.0.0.1 netmask ff000000
vlan501: flags=100201000843 mtu 1500 index 3
inet 192.168.3.30 netmask ffffff00 broadcast 192.168.3.255
ether 0:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx
vlan503: flags=100201000843 mtu 1500 index 2
inet 192.168.1.124 netmask ffffff00 broadcast 192.168.1.255 ether 0:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx <---- IP 192.168.1.124 (AI server) is on a VLAN: 503
net6: flags=100001000843 mtu 1500 index 4
inet 192.168.2.77 netmask ffffff00 broadcast 192.168.2.255
ether z:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx
...

dladm/dladm_show-vlan_-Z.out

LINK ZONE VID OVER FLAGS
vlan503 global 503 aggr0 -----
vlan501 global 501 aggr0 -----

dladm/dladm_show-aggr_-x.out

LINK PORT SPEED DUPLEX STATE ADDRESS PORTSTATE
aggr0 -- 1000Mb full up 0:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx --
net0 1000Mb full up 0:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx attached
net1 1000Mb full up 0:xx:xx:xx:xx:xb attached

Solution

For T4-x and T5-x:

Update the System Firmware to at least (incorporates OBP 4.36.0):

T4-x: System Firmware 8.5.0.a or newer
T5-x: System Firmware 9.2.0.a or newer

For Systems older than T4-x / T5-x there is currently no support for VLAN at OBP level. You can use one of the following workarounds:

- Configure a normal (non-VLAN) interface on the AI server in order to be able to install the client.
- Alternatively, boot from CD/DVD to initiate the installation over network: http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E23824_01/html/E21798/media-ai.html#scrolltoc

See RFE (Bug):17002212 : OBP SHOULD BE ABLE TO BOOT OVER VLAN for more information and a new RFE (Bug) 18949447: OBP should be able to boot over VLAN, requested also for T6320 and other systems has been created for the support for other systems.

How to boot over VLAN with OBP 4.36.0 and newer

With OBP 4.36.0 onwards the net boot command allows users to use a new option: vlan=<VLAN ID>, where <VLAN ID> is a decimal integer between 1 and 4094 (including 1 and 4094)

For example:

{0} ok boot /pci@400/pci@2/pci@0/pci@8/network@0:vlan=125

References

<BUG:18949447> - OBP SHOULD BE ABLE TO BOOT OVER VLAN, REQUESTED ALSO FOR T6320 AND OTHER SYSTEMS
<BUG:17002212> - OBP SHOULD BE ABLE TO BOOT OVER VLAN

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