System boot process:
Power on PDC executes CPU, Memory and other tests PDC initialize the console to display messages Looks for Primary boot path It loads and executes Initial System Loader (ISL). Roll of boot ROM ends. ISL loads the secondary system loader called "hpux". It resides on boot area of the disk "hpux" loads "/stand/vmunix" into memory and hands control over to kernel Kernel loads the device drivers Swapper process started. It has process ID 0. It manages memory for swapping in and out. It schedules all other process. Its first job is to startup the init process. /sbin/pre_init_rc getting executed. It checks and repairs root file system. /sbin/init started. Process ID is 1. It refers /etc/inittab. It does the following.
1. read the /etc/inittab for default run level
2. ioinitrc - It invokes insf command with -e option to find any new devices.
3. bcheckrc - activates LVM and run fsck on file systems if required.
4. /sbin/rc - It brings the system to the default run level. This script is run whenever the system moves from to a higher one or vice versa.
5. /usr/bin/getty
To add a program to the startup time:
1. Execution script for starting and stopping is installed in /sbin/init.d directory
2. Configuration files are placed in /etc/rc.config.d directory
3. If script is to be run on run level 2, place a link to the execution script at /sbin/rc2.d directory
HP-UX boot disk has a boot area. The files in this area are in the LIF format.
Important parts of the boot area are
1. ISL: Initial program loader
2. hpux: Secondary system loader
3. AUTO: contains hpux utility name and arguments to be passed to the hpux utility
4. LIF volume header that identifies LIF volume
5. File containing hp-ux volume name
ISL Commands:
ISL> hpux show autofile # To view the contents of AUTO file
ISL> hpux -is boot # To boot the system in the single user mode
ISL> hpux -lq boot # To ignore quorum and boot
ISL> hpux -lm boot # To boot in the maintenance mode
ISL> hpux -ll /stand # To list the files in the /stand directory
HPUX Commands:
setboot command is used to view or change the boot path in a running system
To set the primary path to scsi.1.0 and auto boot on
# setboot -p scsi.1.0 -b on
To create an area on the boot disk for a LIF volume, boot utilities and BDRA
# pvcreate -B /dev/rdsk/c0t0d0
To place the boot utilities on the boot disk:
# mkboot /dev/rdsk/c0t0d0
To add an AUTO file in boot area:
# mkboot -a "hpux (52.3.0;0)/stand/vmunix" /dev/rdsk/c0t0d0
To List the contents of LIF volume
# lifls -l /dev/dsk/c0t0d0
lifcp command is used to copy files to or from the LIF volume
To copy the contents of AUTO file to file1
# lifcp /dev/rdsk/c0t0d0:AUTO file1 # Copies the contents of AUTO file to file1.
*c n v from http://sys-admin.net/wiki/HP-UX/Startup