Question : How to create a network interface alias at OBP for jumpstart installation or network boot.
Solution :
Sometimes when we want to do a jumpstart installation or a network boot the default network interface which is selected is not connected to the network. The command ‘boot net – install’ fails to run in this case. The workaround is to create a new alias for the network interface which we know has network connectivity.
Example :
1. Halt the system to the OBP (ok) prompt, e.g.:
# init 0
2. Display network device trees:
ok> show-nets
This will show the available ethernet devices available with their device paths (see step# 3); write down the one you want to use, just to double check later.
3. Select network device to create an alias:
ok> show-nets a. /iommu@0,100000000/sbus@0,1000010000/bedma@5,84000010/be@5,8c0000 b. NO SELECTION Enter Selection, q to quit: a --- (we select "a" in this example) /iommu@0,100000000/sbus@0,1000010000/bedma@5,84000010/be@5,8c0000 has been selected. Type ^Y ( Control-Y ) to insert it in the command line. e.g. ok nvalias mydev ^Y for creating devalias mydev for /iommu@0,100000000/sbus@0,1000010000/bedma@5,84000010/be@5,8c0000
4. Create the alias:
ok> nvalias net1 ^Y
here,
“net1” is the alias you specify.
^Y is Control-Y (CTRL+Y) to paste the physical path of the network interface we copied in step #3.
5. Now start the network install or network boot :
ok> boot net – install