On 09/23/14 11:55, ML mail wrote: > Hello, > > I am trying in vain to install OpenBSD 5.5 (amd64) on a Nexcom NSA > 5150 network appliance but as soon as I have installed it the system > does not boot. In fact it hangs at the AMI BIOS screen and does not > go further. I even need to disconnect/remove the storage in order to > get it back working (and access the BIOS again). > > > So far I have tried to install on the following media: > > - Apacer SSD flash 8 GB > - WD 250 GB SATA hard drive > - SanDisk Cruzer 4 GB USB key > > I also tried to install OpenBSD 5.6 current from the snapshots > (releases from the 18th and 22nd of September) without any success > neither. > > Could this be a bug in a driver of OpenBSD?
If your description is accurate, no. OpenBSD isn't loading -- you say you hang at the BIOS screen. Can't be an OS flaw if the OS isn't loading. HOWEVER, it may well be an OpenBSD MBR issue, where the BIOS is looking for a Microsoft (and maybe some Linux was tested too) boot loader, and choking over something it is seeing. If so (and it sure sounds like it is), it is clearly a BIOS problem, as it shouldn't be doing that, no matter what is in the MBR. The only question in my mind is if that's true, how'd you do the install? A: you PXE booted it (yay dmesg!), which doesn't involve an MBR code, so I'm still good with my theory. Good news, you don't HAVE to use OpenBSD's MBR. Put a standard MS MBR on your flash drive, hard drive, or SSD. How you do this is between you and your tools at hand -- I'd probably use a windows 98 boot floppy or CD. You could also try FreeDOS or similar. When you install OpenBSD, don't do the "use entire disk" option, manually enter fdisk, create your partition, make it OpenBSD type, flag it as active, continue on with the install. (or boot an DOS/win9x OS on the machine and do a "FDISK /MBR" to load the MS MBR on the disk after install -- this would fix what is on the disk now, assuming your bios is convinced it is broken). Another wild guess is maybe this BIOS doesn't like the OpenBSD "start at sector 64" default, standard used to be 63, maybe this bios didn't get the message that 4k disks work better starting at a 4k boundary. If the above suggestion doesn't work, try manually creating your fdisk partitions starting at sector 63 (this would also be clearly a BIOS bug). Oh. Maybe I should suggest starting with "check for updated BIOS" first. :) Nick.
