Test post from the office

Installing OpenSolaris on X2200 from USB drive

I recently aquired an X2200 with no optical drive, and having had a few questions from people about USB media for OpenSolaris , where my standard answer was to download the USB image, I decided it was time I should eat my own dog food as they say and take this USB stuff out for a test drive.

What you will need:

• A USB key. I used an el cheap 1GB stick I had lying about.
• An OpenSolaris USB image I used build 127 from genunix. Of course you can role your own from the iso.
  
• Some way of getting the USB image on to the USB stick. For me this would be my existing OpenSolaris desktop machine.
• A x86 machine capable of booting from a USB device. I my case this was a SUN a dual CPU quad core X2200

Assuming you have the USB stick and downloaded the image I won't bore you with the details on why you can't just copy the image to the stick. Just know you can't.

usbcopy, if you don't already have it installed you will need to install it:

pfexec pkg install SUNWdistro-const

Next you should disable hal for the time being, see bug id 11654

pfexec svcadm disable hal

Insert you usb key start the copy , make yourself a coffee.

pfexec usbcopy /Images/ISO/osol-dev-127-x86.usb
Found the following USB devices:
0:    /dev/rdsk/c19t0d0p0    3.9 GB    Generic  STORAGE DEVICE   9722
1:    /dev/rdsk/c19t0d1p0     Generic    STORAGE DEVICE   9722
2:    /dev/rdsk/c19t0d2p0     Generic    STORAGE DEVICE   9722
3:    /dev/rdsk/c19t0d3p0     Generic    STORAGE DEVICE   9722
4:    /dev/rdsk/c21t0d0p0    984.0 MB    410      RamBo USB 2.0    PMAP
Enter the number of your choice: 4

WARNING: All data on your USB storage will be lost.
Are you sure you want to install to
410 RamBo USB 2.0 PMAP, 984 MB at /dev/rdsk/c21t0d0p0 ?  (y/n) y
Copying and verifying image to USB device
Finished 936 MB in 1734 seconds (0.5MB/s)
0 block(s) re-written due to verification failure
Installing grub to USB device /dev/rdsk/c21t0d0s0
Completed copy to USB

For those of you having the misfortune to still be using Windows try out OpenSolaris Live USB Creator (Windows/.NET) . Linux folk no doubt have a tool for this too and I'll leave it you you to find out.

Ok on to the actual install. I wasted considerable time poking about the net on information about booting the X2200 from USB device. What a I found was information like, it's too hard , doesn't work, you need to use ELOM KVM-over-IP and mount a remote image. Ergh , quiche eating Linux weenies, waste of time I should have gone with my instinct and previous, although some what limited, x86 SUN experience and just turned the thing on. Basically it just works, no fuss no hassle.

If you do need to go poking around the ELOM and have some familiarity with SUN's other Lom devices then I'd suggest http://brandonhutchinson.com/wiki/ELOM_Notes as a handy reference. If you do have prior experience with SUN's other LOM device's you know full well they like to make things just that little bit different on each machine just to keep you on your toes! If thats not enough information read the ELOM manual.

Getting your console. There are a couple of different ways to get your console on X2200 I choose, in part because I hadn't used it before, to use the ELOM WEB interface method. The consoles redirection in the ELOM was going to give me a virtual graphic view of the console I thought this easiest . So plug the net management port into my network and let it DHCP to find an IP, point the web browser at it, and very familiar looking SUN Microsystems management GUI, login and go to the redirection tab and locate the console redirection button. Very shortly after this I have window showing me the console and my OpenSolaris live USB image is already at a the prompt waiting for me select keyboard and language, that easy. 12 minutes later OpenSolaris installed and running.

Now what to do with dual CPU quad core noise machine?

JAFA

A recent post of the The Age travel blog sparked more comments than you usually see on such mainstream media. It's about the JAFA's Hmm those innocuous hard red shelled sweets/lollies/candies with the chocolate orange center, biscuit cake, or strange alien from some SciFi show I here you say. No not really it's the Just another Fcking Aussie it's the catchy little tag apparently now befalling the traveling Australian.

I would consider my self a seasoned traveler having had the experience of traveling extensively throughout South East, Europe and the USA at times thanks to some of my former employers. In more recent days I have just returned from living and working in Europe for a few years. Yes Europe not London not England yes the continent mainland EU.

My summary jist of Ben's article that we have perhaps overstayed our welcome in some parts of the world with some outlandish behavior. Hardly alone in that are we? Cancun, Ibiza, Algarve, shit any given night on Ackland Street in St Kilda the drunken rabble of English or Irish can make you shake your head. Although to date for me nothing quite matches the buck's and, yes ladies, the hen's weekend's the Brits beset on some unsuspecting eastern European city where you get more bang for your buck, no pun intended.

While I have never been referred to as a JAFA however I have had the indignity on a number of occasions, of being questioned like a member of some Al-Qaeda sleeper cell operative as I entered the UK on my Australian passport at London City Airport. A situation shared by many of my antipodean brothers similarly working in Europe. "Yes officer I am here on business , no officer I don't intended to do work in a bar in Kangaroo Court, actually have a very well paid respectable job already but thanks for the offer anyway, we are still part of the commonwealth are we not officer?"

I recall a situation while working in Zurich where my boss suggested I should get involved in the expat community activities, in particular he was making reference to the pub nights out. My response was taken with much surprise. I wouldn't socialize with a lot of these people at home so what possible reason do I have to do it while I am away. Sure call me antisocial, I prefer more selective perhaps something I learn't from the Swiss. Point being if you’re going to hang out at the Walkabout it Shepards Bush well quiet frankly that’s your choice.

Sure you may say I am part of the professional middle aged latte drinking set, so be it the choices we have made. I do still take pleasure to don my Wallabies jersey and lose my voice trying to scream over 75 thousand English men at Twickenham, a last minute victory on here is definitely one not quickly forgotten.

I don't think Ben has discovered anything new here just the reality than when something is new it's novel and fun and everyone wants one but as time wears on those little idiosyncrasies that attracted you in the first place eventually become very great annoyances and besides now everyone has one it's no so fun anymore.

JAFA ...

What's with Australia Post?

Ok on my high horse. What is with Australia POST these days? It took over 3 months since arriving into the new home before mail started to arrive. Even now we still have problems having multiple envelopes being opened as well. Two official complaints lodge with Aust Post.. why two you ask ... because customer service lost the first one!! Nothing resolved to my satisfaction to date and never will be since there is not other choice. One last thing, I had to chase up customer service as they never once returned my call.

Package delivery... well it seems they never actual ring to see if you are in, two recent occasions in the house all day and the we delivered and you were not home slip appears in the letter box. Wouldn't be so much hassle as the post office is just down the road right. But wait the post office doesn't handle the post, no you have to go to some mail pickup warehouse miles away from civilization. To rub a bit of salt into the wound they are open at customer friendly hours of 10am and 4pm , since the most common reason you couldn't take delivery was because lets see ah yeah you work during the day!! BTW where to I find a job with those hours. I guess the post office is too busy selling ink jet cartridges, printers, people paying bills, and other assorted junk to be concerned about the mail.

Come on Aussie POST how about getting back to your core business, of delivering the post, and try doing that well!! You can save all that TV advertising money you are burning up as there is not much chance of in me using the US Postal system for Australia.