Suse on proliant 2500 gives hanging installations

[Irineas]

I hav an proliant 2500 server
two processors.
1 gyg mem
1 p/2 scsi card in rate 5, 5 X 4.3 gyg internal.
1 h/d scsi card in rate 5, 7 X 4.3 gyg extern
on internal scsi 1 tower with 7 sony scsi c'd players on the external plug
All updates to the last availeble drivers and rompacks.
Rompack set to receive a unix installation.

used the parms mem=1043M buslogic=iobase

The problem is as follows.
I tried several Linux installations and all of them drops dead when they have to write on de scsi disk partitions during installation.

I can see the partitions, i can manipulate them and make a software raid, but the installations can not write on them.
What is the error in this ??.

Should i plug the internal drives into the internal card ?
Are ther special drivers available.
I use smartstart 5.5.

Please help me further.
With kind regards.

Rene Spruit

[Steven E. Protter]

These servers require disk setup prior to Linux installation. I don't think plugging the drives into the internal card will help, though its worth a try.

The usual procedure is to boot the server off a cd that comes with it or can be downloaded on the compaq support site. Then you do disk setup and preparation. Then you boot again off the Linux cd.

Good Luck,

SEP

[Ivan Ferreira]

Can you install without using the smart start CD? Can you access to the console logs during installation?

Can you install wihout software raid?

Do you have an specific error message?

Are all the SCSI termination correct?

Can you enter in rescue mode with the linux installation cd, and manipulate the disks (create partition, filesystems, etc)?

[Irineas]

Hi Steven and Ivan

Thank you very much for youre comments

This machine runs like a f1 renault when Novell or NT4 was installed....!

I have used the smartstart 5.5 wich gives a wizzard for auto install, i tried that but it was to less adjustable to my wishes.
It also gives a manual installation in wich you can choose Linux as OS, wich (ofcourse) i choose, and wich is more adjustable.

It configures the arrays fine, no problem that i can discover or seen with testing.
I am at this moment re-installing the eisa and array beceause of the hardware change i just made.
This is done after a full system erase.
So there are no left-over items like half installed components and/or software or drivers.

After that i use the Compaq util to start installing my OS, wich i like te be Linux.
Linux lets it self start in the gui mode whenever i givethe parms mem-1043M buslogic =iobase. When i give in the full amount of Mem = 1Gyg it will not run and gives kernel panic.
With these parms i can in de Linux gui, delete partitions, make them en configure them as raid et cetera.
When Linux needs to write to disk, it blocks. It just drops dead.
I used allready a bundle of Linux versions, from Red Het 6.1 and Suse 6.4 till Suse 9.3. I used the Debian versions till the latest internet installer version.
All runs til the moment they need to write on the scsi discs.

I think i am doing something wrong or am overlooking something.
Ore do i have troubles with the caches om these things ??

New start.
The hardware will now be unchanged, i tried it all and i do need some ref point.
The 5 scsi 4.3G discs are connected to de raid controller type "Smart 2DH ( Rev, C,V4,50 ) in slot 5 and set as primairy boot device.

The smart utils are installed to receive Linux.
I intend to install Suse 6.4 Dutch version.
Wich i want to use as mail and web server.

So if you do have any more suggestions, i will be much ablised.
With kind regards

Rene Spruit

[Florian Heigl (new acc)]

Not really a suggestion, from a proliant 1500 I once had:
After some frustration I found Redhat (quite an old version, nowadays) would work out of the box :>

[Irineas]

I have made the server as told in my reaction before.
I did gain one important step.

The Suze Linux 6.4 is able to format the scsi drives in rate 1 inside the server.
All other scsi devices are turned of ore disconnected.
U used the smartstart while installing like a unix version.
So this mede me go one step further.

I made a small and large linux partition and a swap.
I did the installation manually til it suggested that it would run further on Yast1.
After that it can not write the programms to the disk !! claiming that the disk is full !!.

I chekked the needed space and i need for this install a good 4.5 Gyg, and have a good 8 Gyg availeble om disk.

So this is, i gess, the point all the other attemps are turned dead on to.

When i check the partition with partition magic version 7, i can see the partitions, but partition magic want to fix the disk to a ExtendedX partition.
Maybe this is the cause of all trouble, but i do not want to convert blindly as PM suggests.
Does annyone have a suggestion here founded on experiances ?
I would be much ablised.

With kind regards
Rene Spruit

[Irineas]

Another importand step found and for the first time an ongoing installation....!!

I ckecked the partition after Linux did its formatting, as i told you before.
The by Linux formatted scsi disks where not correctly formatted.
If this is deu to the drivers in the module disk or to the typically compaq hardware, i do not know.
What was the tric that made the installation go?
I deleted and rebuild the partitions on the scsi disks with Partition Magic 7. Then i reformatted the linux partitions again while installing in text and expert mode.
This made a install ossible for the first time.

If you like to know how i precisly did it, you can mail me on irineas@home.nl
I'll tell you all the steps in detail.
Thanks for mattering, thanks for the answers. You did point me a bit the way on wich i good find the answer.

With kind regards
Rene Spruit

[Irineas]

At the and the big tric was partition Magic linux partitioning as work around on the SCSI drives in raid 1.
.
I used the compaq smartstart 5.5 cd and started a straight out of the box installation. That went wrong.
So i tried several versions of Linux.

At last I downloaded and used the newest rompacks and eisa upgrades from internet and made the floppy's.
So after all those floppy's feeding in this hungrey Proliant 2500, I started with the install using the smartstart utils from scsi disks hat i just fed trough all those floppy's. ( And i meen a lot of floppy's ! )

I started the Linux version 6.4 Dutch version in text and expert mode from Floppy !! ( I used it before so i knew it as OS wich is a ref point when in trouble.)
No cd feeding yet !.
I loaded the delivered driver for the Smart 2 Compaq scsi card from the Modules disk.
I made the partitions to my whishes in linux and let it install. That whent wrong.!
The installer could not write to disk like all other install attempts i made before.

I checked then these partitions with Partition magic version 7 ( again, i knew this tool by heart wich is a good ref point when in trouble )and found out that the partitions where not properly formatted.
I deleted with PM 7 all these partitions and made them again with PM7 and formatted them with label for orientation.

Then I restarted the installation in text and expertmode, again, only from Flop.
I fed the info and mounted the CD, and reformatted all partitions ( YES again ) while in the proper txt menu for it.
After that an installation started that really made it to the end.
So now i have a working Linux 6.4 Dutch version, wich is not to my wishes, but works.
I'll figure the rest out in due time and will see if this is upgradeble to Suze 9.3.

At the and the big tric was partition Magic linux partitioning and the Linux reformatting, as work around on the SCSI drives in raid 1.

Why this happend and this big workaround was needed ??? i do not know.
I try Linux version 9.3 now and see what this will bring me.

It worked once, so it will work twice too.
Thanks for the support from all and i will be glaad to help others if needed and wanted.
Even if my english is not that good beceause my native tongue is Dutch.
By for now
Rene Spruit