> -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On > Behalf Of Nick Holland > Sent: Tuesday, September 23, 2014 9:57 PM > To: [email protected]; [email protected] > Subject: Re: OpenBSD not booting on a Nexcom NSA 5150 > > 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.
No luck for me. I can create the partitions at any offset and partition # can be able to reboot just fine. It's not until I do the install that I run into issues with the BIOS. It seems like it's scanning the partitions and choking on the boot loader? Even when I select another partition as active just having OpenBSD installed to another partition will cause my BIOS to reload before it finishes its POST. I had OpenBSD installed and booting fine with another hard drive a few months back.
