topic Re: can't boot from scsi disk in Operating System - Linux

can't boot from scsi disk

Ian Vaughan — Mon, 02 Dec 2002 12:35:07 GMT

howdy,
Anyhoo, I have a redhat 6.2-ish system ( kernel 2.2.21 - boggo std glibc) that runs fine from ide disc (/dev/hda) that I am trying to get working from a 9.1GB seagate scsi disc on a tekram 395uw controller.
I have rebuilt the kernel with the driver in so that I can use the scsi disk for data fs's (works fine) but cannot get the system to boot from the scsi.

I have made a copy of my ide root fs and put it on the scsi 1st partition ( cylinders 1-1023 = /dev/sda1) altered fstab (on the scsi disk) so that root is sda1 & other fs's /usr etc are still on /dev/hda? . Boot off a floppy (mkbootdisk) and do a "linux root=/dev/sda1" which works fine, then /sbin/lilo -L to put the boot info into the mbr for the scsi disk & when I boot I get the lilo: prompt & hit & then get a screen full of 9's & it hangs ??
Lilo version is 22.3.4 (latest), disk is dos formatted first to get 1106/255/63 disk geometry. Bios disk numbers are ide = 0x80, scsi1 = 0x81 but bios is set to boot from floppy -> scsi -> ide-0

I have even pulled the ide disk completely so that only scsi remains ( system should still boot without /usr ) and I still get the screen full of 9's.
Any ideas?

Re: can't boot from scsi disk

Kodjo Agbenu — Mon, 02 Dec 2002 20:47:28 GMT

Hi,

First of all, make sure that your scsi adapter has a BIOS capable of booting scsi disks.
Currently I use Tekram DC315 which is NOT capable of booting.

Then, your kernel must load the scsi driver very soon during boot process, using initial ramdisk feature (initrd).

If you need help to build your initial ramdisk, please post a reply to this reply.

At last, make sure that the DC315/395 driver is compiled as a module. It cannot be built in the main kernel.

Good luck.

Kodjo

Re: can't boot from scsi disk

Stuart Browne — Mon, 02 Dec 2002 22:05:35 GMT

Two things:

Is the /dev/sda1 filesystem set 'active' ?

What did you put in /etc/lilo.conf before running '/sbin/lilo' ?

Re: can't boot from scsi disk

Ian Vaughan — Tue, 03 Dec 2002 00:15:08 GMT

Howdy again,
I have sort-of sorted it by copying all the filesystems onto the scsi disk and dispensing with the ide altogether. Annoyingly it worked first time on a scsi only setup. I think it was the fact that the ide will always show up as being the first disk in the system. Not to worry it flies along now.

Ta to Bill Hassell - without his find ./ -print | cpio -pudmv /dest_dir - I would still be copying files over ;-)

bfn
ian