bootlist command
Purpose
Displays and alters the list of boot devices available to the system.
Syntax
bootlist -mode mode {[ -ls ] [ [ -rm ] | [ Device [ -attr Attribute=Value ... ] ... ] ] }
Description
The bootlist command allows the user to display and alter the list of possible boot devices from which the system may be booted. When the system is booted, it will scan the devices in the list and attempt to boot from the first device it finds containing a boot image. This command supports the updating of the following:
- Service boot list. The service list designates possible boot devices for when the system is booted in service mode. How a system is booted in service mode is hardware-platform dependent. It may require a key switch to be turned to the Service position, a particular function key to be pressed during the boot process, or some other mechanism, as defined for the particular hardware platform.
- Previous boot device entry. This entry designates the last device from which the system booted. Some hardware platforms may attempt to boot from the previous boot device before looking for a boot device in one of the other lists.
The bootlist command supports the specification of generic device types as well as specific devices for boot candidates. Devices in the boot device list occur in the same order as devices listed on the invocation of this command.
The selection of the boot list to display or alter is made with the -mode mode option, where the mode variable is one of the keywords: service, normal, both, or prevboot. If the both keyword is specified, then both the normal boot list and the service boot list will be displayed, or if being altered, will be set to the same list of devices. If the prevboot keyword is specified, the only alteration allowed is with the -rm flag . The -rm flag invalidates the boot list specified by the -mode flag.
The devices currently in the boot list may be displayed by using the -ls flag. The list of devices that make up the specified boot list will be displayed, one device per line. If a device specified in the boot list is no longer present on the system, a '-' is displayed instead of a name.
Device Choices
The device name specified on the command line can occur in one of two different forms:
- It can indicate a specific device by its device logical name.
- It can indicate a generic or special device type by keyword. The
following generic device keywords are supported:
Keywords Description fd Any standard I/O-attached diskette drive scdisk Any SCSI-attached disk (including serial-link disk drives) badisk Any direct bus-attached disk cd Any SCSI-attached CD-ROM rmt Any SCSI-attached tape device ent Any Ethernet adapter fddi Any Fiber Distributed Data Interface adapter When a specific device is to be included in the device list, the device's logical name (used with system management commands) must be specified. This logical name is made up of a prefix and a suffix. The suffix is generally a number and designates the specific device. The specified device must be in the Available state. If it is not, the update to the device list is rejected and this command fails. The following devices and their associated logical names are supported (where the bold type is the prefix and the xx variable is the device-specific suffix):
Device name Description fdxx Diskette-drive device logical names hdiskxx Physical-volume device logical names cdxx SCSI CD-ROM device logical names rmtxx Magnetic-tape device logical names entxx Ethernet-adapter logical names fddixx Fiber Distributed Data Interface adapter logical names
Attribute Choices
Attributes are extra pieces of information about a device that the user supplies on the command line. Since this information is specific to a particular device, generic devices do not have attributes. Attributes apply to the device that immediately precedes them on the command line, which allows attributes to be interspersed among devices on the command line. Currently, only network devices have attributes. These are:
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| bserver | IP address of the BOOTP server |
| gateway | IP address of the gateway |
| client | IP address of the client |
| speed | Network adapter speed |
| duplex | The mode of the network adapter |
Error Handling
If this command returns with an error, the device lists are not altered. The following device list errors are possible:
- If the user attempts to display or alter a boot list that is not supported by the hardware platform, the command fails, indicating the mode is not supported.
- If the user attempts to add too many devices to the boot list, the command fails, indicating that too many devices were requested. The number of devices supported varies depending on the device selection and the hardware platform .
- If an invalid keyword, invalid flag, or unknown device is specified, the command fails with the appropriate error message.
- If a specified device is not in the Available state, the command fails with the appropriate error message.
Flags
| Flag name | Description |
|---|---|
| Device | Provides the names of the specific or generic devices to include in the boot list. |
| -attr Attribute=Value | Specifies the device attribute value pairs to be used instead of the defaults. The Attribute=Value variable can be used to specify one attribute value pair or multiple attribute value pairs for one -attr flag. If you use an -attr flag with multiple attribute value pairs, the list of pairs must be enclosed in quotation marks with a blank space between the pairs. For example, entering -attr Attribute=Value lists one attribute value pair per flag, while entering -attr 'Attribute1=Value1 Attribute2=Value2' lists more than one attribute value pair. |
| -mode Mode | Specifies which boot list to display or alter. Possible values for the mode variable are normal, service, both, or prevboot. |
| -ls | Indicates that the specified boot list is to be displayed after any specified alteration is performed. The output is a list of device names. |
| -rm | Indicates that the device list specified by the -mode flag should be invalidated. |
Exit Status
Examples
- To invalidate the Service mode boot list, type:
bootlist -mode service -rm - To make a boot list for Normal mode with devices listed on the
command line, type:
bootlist -mode normal hdisk0 hdisk1 rmt0 fd - To attempt to boot through a gateway using Ethernet, and then
try other devices, type a command similar to the following. Substitute
the IP addresses specified in the example with your IP addresses.
bootlist -mode normal ent0 -attr gateway=129.35.21.1 bserver=129.12.2.10 \ client=129.35.9.23 hdisk0 rmt0 tok0 bserver=129.35.10.19 hdisk1
