Boot Fails: Redhat AS3 install on Proliant 8500R

[Bob Aders]

I'm new to linux and I can't get my server to boot up after I install Redhat Enterprise AS version 3 for x86. When the machine reboots after the install, only a blinking cursor appears on a black screen.

Any help would be appreciated,

Bob

[NiCK_76]

Hi Bob,

Check boot order in the bios.
Did you installed grub or lilo on mbr?

NiCK

[Steven E. Protter]

if this server requires disk setup prior to installation, you need to have that done prior to the install.

It may be having trouble detecting disk arrays.

That prepatory step must take place prior to installation.

SEP

[xyko_1]

Hi Bob,

if I could understand your point you have finished the installation process till the end, and on the next boot your system doesn't shows a graphical screen.

If your boot process shows you a lot off messages pointing to services going up, the system appears to be booting ok but you have problems with xfree configuration. Try to start your system in text mode (init 3) and see if the system goes on. After that you will have to reconfigure your graphical environment using one of the graphical configuration tools of RedHat.

Some good information to you => http://www.redhat.com/docs/manuals/linux/RHL-9-Manual/ref-guide/ch-x.html

Do you know how to start your system in text mode ? Are you using lilo or grub ?

regards,
xyko

[HGN]

Hi

Did you get any kind of error messages during install?I'm sure you would have taken care of this but did the install detect the harddrives? If everything was good you can power off and poweron ,just to make sure you can try to boot from the OS CD again to make suer things are fine with the server. Like others have specified here you can try and boot in text mode and also what kind of boot laoder are you using.

Rgds

HGN

[Bob Aders]

Thanks for the replies!

When I finish the installation and reboot, nothing appears but a blinking cursor on a black screen. No prompts or text messages appear. Also, I cannot type anything.

I used a Compaq SmartStart cd to erase the hard drives and setup the arrays. Then, proceeded with the AS3 installation. I installed lilo on mbr thinking that grub was not necessary and had read that is the preferred boot method on servers.

I've tried changing the boot order on the machine, but that has not helped.

Sco Uniware 7 is what I am accustomed to working with and have never seen this before. The puzzle to me is that the install seemed to go through its processes without any errors.

Thanks for any suggestions,

Bob

[xyko_1]

Bob,

It seems that mbr is not ok because even lilo prompt doesn't appears to you. Did you create a bootdisk as part of the installation process ? If yes, did you tried to boot from that disk ?
If not, bad choice, I suggest you to boot the server with the installation CD and start it in rescue mode. Then you may see if your disk partitions are ok using fdisk. I don't know if it's possible to recreate the mbr in rescue mode but if it is you may do that. If you have to reinstall the system from the beginning I suggest you to created a bootdisk and use it if the problem does not disapear.

regards,
xyko