NAME    [Toc]    [Back]

     boot_cats - CATS system bootstrapping procedures

DESCRIPTION    [Toc]    [Back]

   System startup
     When powered on, after a panic, or if the system is rebooted
via
     reboot(8)  or shutdown(8), the Cyclone or ABLE firmware will
proceed to
     its initialization, and will try to boot an operating system
if autoboot
     is  enabled.   Cyclone firmware must be upgraded to ABLE before OpenBSD can
     be run.

   Boot process options    [Toc]    [Back]
     The ABLE firmware  will  attempt  to  boot  the  commandline
stored in the
     boot.cmd environment variable, such as ``(hd0)bsd -f''.  Autoboot is enabled
 by  setting  the  boot.auto  environment  variable  to
`true', and will
     start after boot.timeout seconds.

     The  kernel can be passed arguments on the commandline.  The
expected syntax
 for OpenBSD kernel parameters is one or more option letters from the
     following list, prefixed by a dash (-):

           a     Prompt  for the root filesystem device after the
devices have
                been configured.
           c    Enter the ``User Kernel Configuration'' mode upon
startup
                (boot_config(8)).
           d    Enter the debugger, ddb(4), as soon as the kernel
console has
                been initialized.
           f    Use the footbridge(4) serial  port  (fcom(4))  as
the console.
           s    Boot the system single-user.
           v     Use  the vga(4) graphics display as the console,
if available.

   Abnormal system termination    [Toc]    [Back]
     In case of system crashes, the kernel will usually enter the
kernel debugger,
  ddb(4),  unless it is not present in the kernel, or
it is disabled
     via the ddb.panic sysctl.  Upon leaving ddb, or if  ddb  was
not entered,
     the  kernel  will  halt the system if it was still in device
configuration
     phase, or attempt a dump to the configured dump  device,  if
possible.  The
     crash  dump will then be recovered by savecore(8) during the
next multiuser
 boot cycle.  It is also possible  to  force  other  behaviours from ddb.

FILES    [Toc]    [Back]

     /bsd  default system kernel

SEE ALSO    [Toc]    [Back]

     ddb(4),   boot_config(8),   halt(8),   init(8),   reboot(8),
savecore(8),
     shutdown(8)

CAVEATS    [Toc]    [Back]

     ABLE is not able to access or boot off  OpenBSD  FFS  partitions on some
     disks.   This  can be helped by forcing smaller disk access,
by setting the
     ide.multi-limit nvram variable to a small integer value.   A
value of 1
     ought to work in all cases.

OpenBSD      3.6                        February     13,     2004