Update: As of VirtualBox 3.0.10, Openserver 5.0.7 should not require workarounds to install, only SCSI support is pending… (check the listed bugreports).

A customer required to replace and ancient SCO server used to run Foxplus, given that Openserver 5 is unlikely to be able to run with new hardware the only available route in this case was to virtualize the Openserver server. To date iBCS or ABI or whatever is the latest incarnation, didn’t work for us.

We are running SLES10SP2@x86_64 as host, but any host running VirtualBox should work. The original installation was done on 3.0.4 but this steps where tested in 3.0.8 for this article. The only missing functionality is GUI.

VM configuration

General

  • Operating System: Other
  • Version: Other

System

  • Base Memory: 512M
  • Enable ACPI
  • Processor: 1
  • Enable VT-x/AMD-V
  • Enable Nested Paging (showed improvement in file creation tests)

Hard Disks

  • IDE Controller: 1 disk (6GB, dynamic). None of the official SCSI drivers detect the virtualized SCSI adapters of VirtualBox

CD/DVD Drive

  • Image mounted: OpenServer-5.0.7Hw-10Jun05_1800.iso

Network:

  • Intel PRO/1000 MT Desktop

Installation Procedure (I will only list relevant changes in each steps)

  • Preparing your disk and choosing software –> Optional Software: In “Graphical Environment” we should deselect “X Server and Graphics Drivers” as Video Configuration Manager causes “Guru Meditation”.

  • Configuring optional software –> Network card: Deferred (it won’t work before installing MP5)

Post installation

Install MP5

  • Mount osr507suppcd5.iso. Run “custom” and select “Software” –> “Install New” –> “From <your_vm_name>” –> “Media Device” = CD-ROM Drive 0

Select and Install:

  • SCO Openserver Release 5.0.7 Maintenance Pack 5
  • SCO Openserver Release 5.0.7 Graphics and NIC Drivers

Reboot

Network configuration

  • Run scoadmin –> Networks –> Network Configuration Manager –> Hardware –> Add new LAN Adapter. It should detect the Intel NIC.

Fix Guru Meditation on poweroff

Shutdown events to reboot or poweroff triger “Guru Meditation” also. For the time being I found a workaround for poweroff, but reboot is still broken.

Edit /etc/conf/pack.d/uapm/space.c, search for function “uapm_offstates” of type “ulong_t”and modify events 0 and 3 to triger “APMPWR_OFF”.

Here’s a patch:

— space.c.orig 2009-10-08 16:38:00.000000000 -0400
+++ space.c 2009-10-08 16:38:00.000000000 -0400
@@ -76,10 +76,10 @@
*/

ulong_t uapm_offstates[] = {
– APMPWR_READY, /* 0 AD_HALT No auto reboot */
+ APMPWR_OFF, /* 0 AD_HALT No auto reboot */
APMPWR_READY, /* 1 AD_BOOT Auto reboot */
APMPWR_READY, /* 2 AD_IBOOT (same as AD_BOOT) */
– APMPWR_SUSPEND, /* 3 AD_PWRDOWN Turn off power */
+ APMPWR_OFF, /* 3 AD_PWRDOWN Turn off power */
APMPWR_STANDBY, /* 4 AD_PWRNAP Turn off if no A/C */
APMPWR_SUSPEND, /* (anything else) (essentially AD_HALT) */
};

Relink the kernel and reboot:

cd /etc/conf/cf.d
./link_unix

Pending bug reports:

  • http://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/3953
  • http://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/5096
  • http://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/5164

That’s all, hope that the guys at Sun can fix this issues in future releases…