[OpenIndiana-discuss] how to boot OI installed on IDE HD from USB enclosure

[Jim Klimov]

11 января 2017 г. 22:22:04 CET, Erdos New via openindiana-discuss <openindiana-discuss at openindiana.org> пишет:
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>I have OI hipster installed on a spare 2.5" laptop IDE Harddisk through
>IDE-44pin adapter on desktop pc.  i recently purchased an USB-IDE
>enclosure and moved the HD to the enclosure.   now OI won't boot from 
>USB/IDE enclosure.  receiving error.  
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>How do i make  OI boot from USB enclosure? 
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>-erdos

Probably the error is that it can not find and mount vfs root.

This is a long-standing issue with specifically zfs rpools and their integration with OS bootup (path to device is recorded in zfs label and passed by grub to kernel argument list - and kernel enumeration must find this device at same path). This issue prohibits e.g. easy switching of ide/ahci modes for sata disks, dual-booting (vm/hw from same partition) and root disk re-attachment. Logic for non-rpool import is different, so the issue is not there. 

What you can do is either boot from another media (livecd or liveusb), import the rpool and export it. If the device enumeration happens to be okay (and with usb it is not a given) - you'd be in luck, and the hdd will boot afterwards.

Alternately you can set up a firefly image to your rpool (miniroot matching the kernel should suffice, or a dedicated BE with iso image's contents) which does not require extra devices and risk of different device-path enumeration. If you're familiar with solaris 10 failsafe boots - firefly delivers that. See my github repo for illumos-zfs-splitroot scripts, they have a feature to integrate a firefly image as a boot option among beadm upgrade extensions.

Finally, make sure you don't use USB3 ports and reader, or that your OI Hipster installation has been pre-updated to have experimental support of USB3 (should've been added a month or two back).

Jim
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