setboot(1M) setboot(1M)
NAME [Toc] [Back]
setboot - display and modify boot variables in stable storage
SYNOPSIS [Toc] [Back]
/usr/sbin/setboot [-p primary-path] [-h HA_alternate-path]
[-a alternate-path] [-b on|off] [-s on|off] [-v]
[-t testname=on|off|default]... [-T testname=on|off|default]...
DESCRIPTION [Toc] [Back]
The setboot command displays and sets boot variables in stable storage
(also known as nonvolatile memory). Any user can display the values;
only a superuser can change them.
On all systems, the variables are: primary path, alternate path,
autoboot flag, and autosearch flag. If SpeedyBoot is installed, the
variables expand to include: early CPU tests, late CPU tests, memory
initialization (on Itanium(R)-based systems), full memory tests,
processor hardware tests (on PA-RISC), platform dependent tests (on
Itanium-based systems), IO Hardware tests (on Itanium-based systems),
chipset tests (on Itanium-based systems), and central electronic
complex tests (on PA-RISC).
With no options, setboot displays the current values for the primary
and alternate boot paths and the autoboot and autosearch flags. If
SpeedyBoot is installed, setboot -v also displays the status of the
CPU, memory, hardware, and electronics tests.
SpeedyBoot [Toc] [Back]
The SpeedyBoot firmware and software extensions allows a superuser to
control which firmware tests are executed by the system during the
boot process. The tests settings can be specified both for all
subsequent boots and for the next one only. They are described in the
The Tests section below.
The -v, -t, and -T options of the setboot command provide the user
interface to the firmware tests. Currently -t options is not
supported on Itanium-based system architecture.
SpeedyBoot augments the test control that is available on systems that
have the Boot Console Handler (BCH). By turning off some or all of
the boot tests, you can shorten boot time appreciably. However, in
the event of a system panic or boot failure, all tests are executed on
the subsequent boot.
SpeedyBoot Tests [Toc] [Back]
The SpeedyBoot tests and the possible display values on a PA-RISC
platform are summarized in the following table:
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Test Current Supported Default NEXT BOOT
_______________________________________________________________________________
all on|off|partial yes|no|partial on|off|partial on|off|partial
SELFTESTS on|off|partial yes|no|partial on|off|partial on|off|partial
early_cpu on|off yes|no on|off on|off
late_cpu on|off yes|no on|off on|off
FASTBOOT on|off|partial yes|no|partial on|off|partial on|off|partial
full_memory on|off yes|no on|off on|off
PDH on|off yes|no on|off on|off
CEC on|off yes|no on|off on|off
_______________________________________________________________________________
The SpeedyBoot tests and the possible display values on a Itaniumbased
platform are summarized in the following table:
Test Current Default
___________________________________________________
all on|off|partial on|off|partial
SELFTESTS on|off|partial on|off|partial
early_cpu on|off on|off
late_cpu on|off on|off
FASTBOOT on|off|partial on|off|partial
Platform on|off on|off
Full_memory on|off on|off
Memory_init on|off on|off
IO_HW on|off on|off
Chipset on|off on|off
___________________________________________________
The Columns [Toc] [Back]
Test The keyword names of the tests that can be
controlled by SpeedyBoot. See The Tests
section below.
Current The current enablement of each test. on means
the test is normally executed on each boot.
off means the test is normally omitted on each
boot. partial means some of the subtests are
normally executed on each boot. On Itaniumbased
platform any test modified using the -T
option will be reflected in Current.
Supported Whether the test is supported by the system
firmware. yes means the test is supported. no
means the test is not supported. partial means
some of the subtests are supported. On
Itanium-based Platform this Column is not
supported.
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Default The default values for each test. on, off, and
partial are the same as for Current.
NEXT BOOT The values for each test that will be used on
the next boot. If they are different from
Current, the Current values will be
reestablished after the next boot. on, off,
and partial are the same as for Current. On
Itanium-based Platform this Column is same as
that of Current and hence not displayed
separately.
The Tests [Toc] [Back]
These are keywords for the hardware tests that are executed by
processor-dependent code (PDC) or firmware upon a boot or reboot of
the system.
all All the listed tests.
SELFTESTS Includes the early_cpu and late_cpu tests.
This is equivalent to the SELFTESTS option in
the boot console handler (BCH) service menu.
The difference is that setboot can control the
subtests separately, while BCH cannot.
early_cpu When on, run firmware, cache, and CPU-specific
tests. Performed out of firmware. When off,
skip the tests.
late_cpu When on, run firmware, cache, and CPU-specific
tests. Performed out of memory and therefore
faster than the early_cpu tests. When off,
skip the tests.
FASTBOOT Includes the full_memory and PDH tests on PARISC
Platform. Includes the Platform and
Full_memory tests on Itanium-based Platform.
This is equivalent to the FASTBOOT option in
the boot console handler (BCH) service menu.
The difference is that setboot can control the
subtests separately, while BCH cannot.
Note: When FASTBOOT is on, the tests are
performed, and vice versa.
full_memory When on, run write/read-write/read tests on all
memory locations. When off, only initialize
memory. Supported only on PA-RISC Platform.
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Platform When on, enables general platform hardware
tests. When off, do not. Supported only on
Itanium-based Platform.
Full_memory When on, Enables full destructive memory tests.
When off, do not. Supported only on Itaniumbased
Platform.
PDH Processor-dependent hardware. When on, test a
checksum of read-only memory (ROM). When off,
do not. Supported only on PA-RISC Platform.
CEC Central electronic complex. When on, test
low-level bus converters and I/O chips. When
off, do not. CEC is not available on all
systems. Supported only on PA-RISC Platform.
Memory_init When on, Enables full destructive memory tests.
When off, do not. Supported only on Itaniumbased
Platform.
IO_HW IO Hardware. When on, Enables system firmware,
or EFI drivers to perform all the tests of IO
hardware(boot devices only). When off, do not.
Supported only on Itanium-based Platform.
Chipset When on, Enables Chipset tests. When off, do
not. Supported only on Itanium-based Platform.
Options [Toc] [Back]
The setboot command supports the following options:
(none)
Display the current values for the primary and alternate
boot paths and the autoboot and autosearch flags. See
example 2 in the EXAMPLES: General section.
-p primary-path
Set the primary boot path variable to primary-path. See
ioscan(1M) for the correct format.
-h HA_alternate-path
Set the High Availability alternate boot path variable to
HA_alternate-path. See ioscan(1M) for the correct format.
High Availability alternate boot path is supported only on
Itanium-based architecture and for PA-RISC systems that
support hardware partitions.
-a alternate-path
Set the alternate boot path variable to alternate-path. See
ioscan(1M) for the correct format.
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-s on|off
Enable or disable the autosearch sequence. The
interpretation of Autoboot and Autosearch has changed for
systems that support hardware partitions. Refer to the
WARNINGS section. -s option is not supported on Itaniumbased
architecture.
-b on|off
Enable or disable the autoboot sequence. The interpretation
of Autoboot and Autosearch has changed for systems that
support hardware partitions. Refer to the WARNINGS section.
-v Display the current values for the primary and alternate
boot paths and the autoboot and autosearch flags and a
status table of the SpeedyBoot tests. See example 1 in the
EXAMPLES: SpeedyBoot section.
-t testname=value
Change the value for the test testname in stable storage to
value for all following boots. -t option is not supported
on Itanium-based architecture. The changes are reflected in
the Current and NEXT BOOT columns of the setboot -v display.
testname can be one of the following keywords, as described
above in the DESCRIPTION: SpeedyBoot Tests section.
all
SELFTESTS
early_cpu
late_cpu
FASTBOOT
full_memory
PDH
CEC
value can be one of:
on Enable the test.
off Disable the test.
default Reset the test to the system default, which
is shown in the Defaults column of the
setboot -v display.
-T testname=value
Change the value for the test testname to value for the next
system boot only. The change does not modify stable
storage, so the permanent values are restored after the
boot.
testname can be one of the keywords described above in the
"DESCRIPTION: SpeedyBoot Tests" section. and value are the
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same as for the -t option.
RETURN VALUE [Toc] [Back]
The setboot command returns one of:
0 Successful completion
1 Failure
DIAGNOSTICS [Toc] [Back]
The setboot command returns the following error messages:
"bootpath" is not a proper bootpath
The boot path bootpath is not in correct format. See ioscan(1M)
for the proper hardware path format.
cannot open /dev/kepd - message
setboot cannot open the kernel pseudo driver file /dev/kepd. The
message explains why.
cannot set autoboot/autosearch flags
The autoboot or autosearch flag could not be set.
cannot set type boot path
setboot can't set the specified boot path. type may be primary,
HA_alternate, or alternate.
error accessing boot path - message
The message explains why. For example, you may not have
permission (not be superuser) to change parameters.
error accessing firmware - message
The firmware could not be read or written. The message explains
why.
Invalid Arguments Passed to the invoked PDC routine [Toc] [Back]
This is an internal error.
test not found in /etc/setboot_tests file
The test you specified is not defined for your system.
The firmware of your system does not support querying or changing [Toc] [Back]
SELFTEST and FASTBOOT settings except through the boot-time console
interface, ie, BCH menu. Invoked PDC routine [option] not
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implemented. (On PA-RISC Platform only.)
or
The firmware of your system does not support querying or changing the [Toc] [Back]
SpeedyBoot settings. (On Itanium-based Platform only.)
You have specified a SpeedyBoot option (-t, -T, or -v) and your
system does not have the firmware to support it. Currently,
Itanium-based platform does not support -t options.
Unknown error errornum encountered by setboot(1M)
An unexpected error, number errornum, was encountered while
setboot was processing SpeedyBoot parameters.
Warning: Autoboot flag must be on for autosearch flag to have effect
If the autoboot flag is off, automatic searching for a bootable
system cannot occur, even if the autosearch flag is on.
warning: invalid data in /etc/setboot_tests
The /etc/setboot_tests file contains tests that are not supported
by setboot on your system. Do not modify this file.
EXAMPLES [Toc] [Back]
General
1. Set the primary path to 2/4.1.0 and enable the autoboot sequence:
setboot -p 2/4.1.0 -b on
2. Display the boot paths and auto flags:
setboot
displays
Primary bootpath : 2/0/1.6.0
HA Alternate bootpath : 2/0/1.6.1
Alternate bootpath : 2/0/2.0.0
Autoboot is ON (enabled) [Toc] [Back]
Autosearch is ON (enabled)
SpeedyBoot [Toc] [Back]
1. Display all current stable storage values.
setboot -v
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on PA-RISC architecture displays:
Primary bootpath : 10/0.0.0
HA Alternate bootpath : 10/0/1.6.1
Alternate bootpath : 10/12/5.0.0
Autoboot is ON (enabled) [Toc] [Back]
Autosearch is OFF (disabled)
TEST CURRENT SUPPORTED DEFAULT NEXT BOOT
---- ------- --------- ------- ---------
all partial partial partial partial
SELFTESTS partial yes on partial
early_cpu off yes on off
late_cpu on yes on on
FASTBOOT partial yes on partial
full_memory off yes on off
PDH on yes on on
CEC off no off off
on Itanium-based architecture displays:
Primary bootpath : 10/0.0.0
HA Alternate bootpath : 10/0/1.6.1
Alternate bootpath : 10/12/5.0.0
Autoboot is ON (enabled) [Toc] [Back]
TEST CURRENT DEFAULT
---- ------- -------
all partial partial
SELFTESTS off on
early_cpu off on
late_cpu off on
FASTBOOT on on
Platform on on
Full_memory on on
Memory_init on on
IO_HW off off
Chipset on on
2. Enable full_memory and PDH tests and have those tests executed on
all subsequent reboots.
setboot -t FASTBOOT=on
3. Disable the late processor tests and have those tests skipped on
all subsequent reboots. If early CPU tests are on when this
command is executed, the SELFTESTS state in BCH stays on while
setboot -v shows it as partial.
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setboot -t late_cpu=off
4. Reset all tests to the machine-shipped default values.
setboot -t all=default
5. Reset only the FASTBOOT (full_memory and PDH) tests to their
default values.
setboot -t FASTBOOT=default
6. Cause the early and late CPU tests to be executed on the next
system boot. The previously set test values take effect again
after the single boot.
setboot -T SELFTESTS=on
7. Cause all tests to be skipped on the next reboot. The previously
set test values will take effect for subsequent reboots.
setboot -T all=off
WARNINGS [Toc] [Back]
The setboot command fails under the following circumstances:
+ The number of writes to the stable storage exceeds the number
allowed by the architecture implementation.
+ Hardware failure.
+ The implementation does not have memory for the alternate boot
path, in which case, this variable is neither readable nor
writable.
The interpretation of Autoboot and Autosearch has changed for
systems that support hardware partitions. The firmware interprets
the bits in combination and not individually as done before. In
order to approximate the traditional behavior of setboot, the user
input for the autoboot and autosearch flags is internally mapped to
the right combination to achieve the desired behavior. This mapping
should be transparent to the user of setboot, but might show up when
accessing the firmware using means other than setboot.
For the primary path, the boot action corresponds to the Autoboot
and Autosearch flags in the following manner:
AutoBoot AutoSearch Boot Action
_______________________________________________________________________
off off Go to the BCH and prompt the user.
on off Attempt the primary path; on failure
go to BCH.
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on on Attempt the primary path; on failure
try next path.
off on Skip the primary path and try alternate path.
If the alternate paths are not configured to
boot or fail, go to BCH.
_______________________________________________________________________
Additionally, systems with hardware partitions support a boot action
for each path. However the boot action for the paths other than the
primary path cannot be set using setboot. Instead, these must be
set through the Boot Console Handler using the pf command. The
default boot action for the hardware partitions is to "skip this
device and try next path". The case where both the autosearch and
autoboot flags are on, will not work as expected until the path
flags for the alternate paths are set appropriately through the BCH.
In the default case, specifying setboot -b on -s on will not cause
an alternate path to be automatically booted when the primary path
fails, instead the user will be prompted.
DEPENDENCIES [Toc] [Back]
If SpeedyBoot is not installed on a system, options -v, -t, and -T
will produce a diagnostic error. Currently -t option is not supported
on Itanium-based architecture.
AUTHOR [Toc] [Back]
setboot was developed by HP.
FILES [Toc] [Back]
/dev/kepd Special device file used by the setboot command.
/etc/setboot_tests Definitions of tests which can be viewed or
controlled with the -v, -t, and -T options.
SEE ALSO [Toc] [Back]
hpux(1M), ioscan(1M), isl(1M), mkboot(1M).
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