DOCUMENT ID:  0904-02

SYNOPSIS:     Workaround for gigabyte x86 installation

OS RELEASE:   2.1

PRODUCT:      Solaris x86

KEYWORDS:     gigabyte x86 install hard drive cylinders error message


DESCRIPTION:

Installing Solaris 2.1 for x86 on a hard drive > 1023 cylinders



After Solaris installation, you'll receive the following sort of error
message:

"requested cylinder is beyond range of BIOS geometry."


SOLUTION:

This error message will be generated when your hard drive controller
does not support reading of sectors beyond 1023 cylinders via BIOS. 

Initial stage of Solaris booting is done via BIOS, which accesses root
file system (slice 0) and alternate slice (slice 9).  So these two
slices should reside within the first 1023 cylinders. 

Current Solaris installation unconditionally creates slice 9 at the end
of Solaris partition, which causes slice 9 to be created beyond absolute
cylinder 1023 on a large hard drive. 

This doesn't apply to 2.4 as the design was changed to illiminate the
problem. 

Workaround -

 A> IDE drive 

On a IDE drive, use a CMOS user defined drive type to specify a geometry
as less than 1024 cylinders.  This can be achieved by doubling the
number of heads or tracks.  Then, re-install Solaris. 

 B> SCSI drive

On a SCSI drive, Solaris alternate sectors are not used in any way, and
we will remove them from the VTOC. 

In summary, when installation is done, boot from boot floppy diskette
and CDROM, exit to the Shell, remove slice 9, then reboot. 
 
Follow these steps, once Solaris installation is done:

1.  Reboot your system using Solaris boot diskette and CDROM.  

2.  Select 'Exit to the shell' after you are asked to take
    the diskette out by responding to the  prompt.  

3.  Edit VTOC table to remove slice 9 (Tag 9 means ALTSCTR
    slice).
 
    # fmthard -i -n "" /dev/rdsk/c0t0d0s2 > /tmp/out
    # vi /tmp/out, and remove the last line in the file.
        
    Last line should start something like this:    
    9   9   01   ...   ...   ...

    # fmthard -s /tmp/out -n "newlabel" /dev/rdsk/c0t0d0s2
      no error message should be displayed here. 

 4.  Reboot.

Also see 112002.faq


DATE APPROVED: 09/18/95