The system
autodetects the appropriate kernel to boot on x86 based systems. New installations
of the Solaris OS autoboot to 64-bit mode on 64-bit capable hardware. Upgrade
installations of the Solaris OS autoboot to 64-bit mode on 64-bit capable
hardware, unless the eeprom boot-file parameter was previously set to a value other than kernel/unix.
For upgrade installations of the Solaris OS, where the eeprom boot-file parameter was previously set to a value other than kernel/unix, you will need to do one of the following to boot the
system to 64-bit mode:
If you are running at least the Solaris Express release:
Manually set the system to boot to 64-bit mode. See How to Modify the Solaris Boot Behavior by Editing the GRUB Menu.
Use the eeprom command to enable autodetection. See How to Set Solaris Boot Parameters by Using the eeprom Command.
If you are running the Solaris 10 release:
Manually set the system to boot to 64-bit mode. See Example 12–2.
Use the eeprom command to enable autodetection.
See
Setting the boot-file Parameter With the eeprom Command.
Solaris 10: For all new software
installations, as well as upgrade installations, where the eeprom boot-file parameter had previously been set to kernel/unix,
the eeprom boot-file parameter is set
to a null value (""). The system then automatically boots
to 64-bit mode on x86 based systems that are capable of 64-bit computing when
you type b at the boot prompt.
You do not need to manually specify which kernel a 64-bit capable system should boot unless one of the following conditions exists:
The eeprom boot-file parameter
was previously set to a value other than kernel/unix.
You want to force the system to boot to a particular mode.
The following table shows the boot mode result for an x86 based system
that is 64-bit capable, depending on the Solaris OS version, the boot command
that is used, and how the eeprom boot-file parameter
is set.
|
Boot Command |
eeprom |
Boot Mode Result |
|---|---|---|
|
b kernel/unix |
The |
32-bit mode boot |
|
b kernel/amd64/unix |
The |
64-bit mode boot |
|
b |
|
64-bit mode boot |
|
b |
|
32-bit mode boot |
|
b |
|
64-bit mode boot |
To manually specify which mode a 64-bit capable x86 based system boots
to on future reboots, set the eeprom boot-file parameter.
Note that you must be superuser or assume an equivalent role to run the eeprom command.
To manually specify that a 64-bit capable x86 system always boot a 64-bit
kernel, set the eeprom boot-file parameter
as follows:
# eeprom boot-file=kernel/amd64/unix
To manually specify that a 64-bit capable x86 system always boot a 32-bit
kernel, set the eeprom boot-file parameter
as follows:
# eeprom boot-file=kernel/unix
To restore the default autodetect boot behavior, type:
# eeprom boot-file=""
To determine the current boot-file parameter, type:
$ eeprom boot-file
For more information on the eeprom command, see the eeprom ( 1M ) man page. For information on how to troubleshoot problems on 64-bit capable x86 based systems, see Troubleshooting a Failed 64-Bit Boot.
Solaris 10: To boot a 64-bit capable
x86 based system with kmdb, use the
k option
to the boot specification. Although b kmdb is still a valid
command, the preferred method is to use b
k.
Typing b kmdb at the boot prompt causes a system
to boot the autodetected kernel type with the kernel debugger enabled, regardless
of how the eeprom boot-file parameter
is set.
Typing b
k at the
boot prompt boots whichever kernel the system would otherwise boot if you
typed b, with the kernel debugger enabled. The kernel is
specified by the eeprom boot-file parameter,
or by the autodetected default, if the boot-file parameter
is set to a null value ("").
For an example of how to boot a 64-bit capable x86 based system with kmdb, see Example 12–8.
For more information on 64-bit computing on the x86 platform, see the isainfo ( 1 ) , isalist ( 1 ) , and sysinfo ( 2 ) man pages.