Managing Systems and Workgroups: A Guide for HP-UX System Administrators

Administering a System: Booting and Shutdown
Booting Systems
Chapter 5464
Booting Systems
Whenever you turn on (or reset) your computer the hardware, firmware,
and software must be initialized in a carefully orchestrated sequence of
events known as the boot sequence.
The Boot Sequence: Starting an HP-UX System
HP-UX based systems go through the following sequence when you
power them on or reset them:
1. Hardware and/firmware-based routines on-board the processors and
I/O cards perform self-tests and initialize those items along with
enough memory to continue the boot process. They also locate and
initialize communications with console display and keyboard devices,
and a boot device.
2. Pre-boot firmware/software routines then load and execute the
HP-UX boot loader.
3. The HP-UX boot loader:
• Locates, opens, and reads the kernel file and copies the kernel
into memory
• Initiates the HP-UX kernel
4. HP-UX goes through its initialization process and begins normal
operation.
NOTE The HP-UX operating system currently runs on two different hardware
platforms:
• HP 9000 Systems — PA-RISC processor family
• HP Integrity Servers — Itanium processor family
An HP Integrity Server uses the Extensible Firmware Interface (EFI). If
your system displays the EFI boot manager following the initial
firmware test results, then you are booting an HP Integrity Server.
If you are booting an HP Integrity Server see “Booting HP-UX on HP
Integrity Servers: Details and Variations” on page 465.