It appears to be that some OSes use a different label, the same one that is used for zfs file systems, called EFI. UFS file system requires though traditional SMF label. Therefore, to install Solaris on such disk, it must be relabeled. For more info on EFI and SMF labels see http://docsun.cites.uiuc.edu/sun_docs/C/solaris_9/SUNWaadm/SYSADV1/p117.html
If you attempt to install Solaris without relabeling the disk, you will get the following error:
awk: division by zero record number 21 /sbin/install-solaris: test: unknown operator 25000
In debugging the above script, one can find:
# sh -x /sbin/install-solaris
+ prtvtoc /dev/rdsk/c1t0d0s0
+ [ 0 -eq 0 ]
+ break
+ [ 0 -eq 8 ]
+ awk BEGIN { tot = 1 }
$3 == "bytes/sector" { bytes_p_sec = $2 }
$3 == "sectors/track" { sec_p_track = $2 }
$3 == "tracks/cylinder" { track_p_cyl = $2 }
$3 == "sectors/cylinder" { sec_p_cyl = $2 }
$4 == "cylinders" { cyls = $2 }
# round down, just to be sure we do not over estimate
END {
mbytes_p_disk= ((bytes_p_sec * sec_p_track) / 1048576) * track_p_cyl * cyls;
# be accurate in the mbytes_p_cyl, but integerize
# mbytes_p_disk after this
printf("mbytes_p_cyl=%f;export mbytes_p_cyl;", mbytes_p_disk/cyls);
mbytes_p_disk=int(mbytes_p_disk);
printf("mbytes_p_disk=%d;export mbytes_p_disk;", mbytes_p_disk);
printf("bytes_p_sec=%d; export bytes_p_sec;", bytes_p_sec);
printf("track_p_cyl=%d; export track_p_cyl;", track_p_cyl);
printf("sec_p_cyl=%d; export sec_p_cyl;", sec_p_cyl);
printf("sec_p_track=%d; export sec_p_track;", sec_p_track);
printf("cyls=%d; export cyls", cyls);
} /tmp/vtoc.838
awk: division by zero
record number 21
+ eval
+ rm -f /tmp/vtoc.838
SI_DISKSIZES=
SI_TOTALDISK=
+ export SI_DISKLIST
+ export SI_DISKSIZES
+ export SI_NUMDISKS
+ export SI_TOTALDISK
dsk_name=c1t0d0
+ echo c1t0d0
+ grep c1t0d0
+ [ 0 -ne 0 ]
n=0
+ sed s/,/ /g
+ echo c1t0d0
+ expr 0 + 1
n=1
+ basename c1t0d0
+ basename c1t0d0
+ [ c1t0d0 = c1t0d0 ]
+ break
i=0
+ sed s/,/ /g
+ echo
disk_range=25000-40000
+ expr 25000-40000 : \([0-9]*\)-[0-9]*
t_lower=25000
+ expr 25000-40000 : [0-9]*-\([0-9]*\)
t_upper=40000
+ [ -ge 25000 -a -le 40000 ]
/sbin/install-solaris: test: unknown operator 25000
Below is the procedure for relabeling the disk. Boot from a CDROM in a signle user mode, for example:
ok boot cdrom -s
Verify that the disk indeed uses EFI label. The visual difference between two labels is that EFI do not have slice 2 that describes the entire disk and absence of cylinders.
# prtvtoc /dev/rdsk/c1t0d0s0
* /dev/rdsk/c1t0d0s0 partition map
*
* Dimensions:
* 512 bytes/sector
* 71132959 sectors
* 71132892 accessible sectors
*
* Flags:
* 1: unmountable
* 10: read-only
*
* First Sector Last
* Partition Tag Flags Sector Count Sector Mount Directory
0 2 00 34 4096000 4096033
1 3 01 4096034 8192000 12288033
3 4 00 12288034 8192000 20480033
4 4 00 20480034 8192000 28672033
5 4 00 28672034 8192000 36864033
6 4 00 36864034 8192000 45056033
7 4 00 45056034 26060507 71116540
8 11 00 71116541 16384 71132924
Run the format command, select the disk and type label:
# format -e c1t0d0
format> label
[0] SMI Label
[1] EFI Label
Specify Label type[1]: 0
Warning: This disk has an EFI label. Changing to SMI label will erase all
current partitions.
Continue? y
Auto configuration via format.dat[no]?
Auto configuration via generic SCSI-2[no]?
format> verify
Warning: Primary label on disk appears to be different from
current label.
Warning: Check the current partitioning and 'label' the disk or use the
'backup' command.
Primary label contents:
Volume name = < >
ascii name = <SUN36G cyl 24620 alt 2 hd 27 sec 107>
pcyl = 24622
ncyl = 24620
acyl = 2
nhead = 27
nsect = 107
Part Tag Flag Cylinders Size Blocks
0 root wm 0 - 90 128.37MB (91/0/0) 262899
1 swap wu 91 - 181 128.37MB (91/0/0) 262899
2 backup wu 0 - 24619 33.92GB (24620/0/0) 71127180
3 unassigned wm 0 0 (0/0/0) 0
4 unassigned wm 0 0 (0/0/0) 0
5 unassigned wm 0 0 (0/0/0) 0
6 usr wm 182 - 24619 33.67GB (24438/0/0) 70601382
7 unassigned wm 0 0 (0/0/0) 0
format> quit