newbie install/docs questions

[Geo. Anderson]

Hello,

newbie-and-possible-convert to Linux here.

Trying to install Red Hat 7.1 on an LC3 Netserver that we have.

Problem 1: The netserver cdrom includes a nice article "Red Hat Linux 6.2 and 7.0 Installation Guide for HP Netservers" that admonishes me to get something called the "NOS Update Disc" "available from the HP web site"

Anybody know where this animal hides? The URL in the article is a general link and is useless. Various searches of the site have availed nothing. ???

Finding this disc may help with #2:

#2 When I do the install, the program defaults to selection of a "Cirrus Logic GD544X" video card (while happily displaying what looks like a VGA screen).

Selecting this card or selecting "generic card" and selecting from several monitor options all produce the same result: When I click "Test" I get darkness for several seconds, a split-second flash of a screen with the "X" cursor in the middle, then more darkness before the setup screen returns.

Ignoring this problem and waiting through the hour or so of cdRom loading time produces a login screen that also flashes for a split second and then goes black. (The OS appears to boot ok in character mode, but the switch to GUI kills the display.)

This has to be a simple, frequently-encountered problems as we see the same thing on two different LC3s that we have tried.

Thanks in advance,
Geo. Anderson

[Jeffrey S. Sims]

The NOS update disk that it is referring to is probably HP drivers for the hardware on your system.

The reason you are getting the flashing screen then nothing is because your video drivers are incorrect. You need to use the video drivers for your correct card to fix this. By ignoring it you chose graphical login and that is why the gui didn't display correctly for you. If you would have chosen "text login" then you would at least be able to login and mess around with the command line.

I don't know where to find the NOS update disc yet but I will look around and see if I can find it for you. As you are now learning the biggest weakness of linux is drivers, but after that it is usually pretty smooth sailing.

Hope I can help more later

[Jeffrey S. Sims]

I couldn't find out what video card was in the LC3 but here is a link to linux drivers for various video cards. Look and see if yours is listed here.

http://lhd.zdnet.com/db/searchproduct.cgi?_catid=8

Sorry I couldn't help more.

[Eugen Cocalea]

Hi,

Check the refresh rate of your monitor. Try first with the lowest values for resolution and refresh. Increase them until the max possible (ie until the next generates the 'black screen' :) ).

Xconfigurator may help.

E.

[Eugen Cocalea]

Hi again,

additional:

If you don't want GUI login (even temporarily, until you solve the 'black screen' problem), use ntsysv or manually remove the X server from the running level you want (3 I suppose) (ntsysv --level 3) or find the file in /etc/rc3.d/ and remove it.

Or in Xconfigurator, answer 'no' on the 'do you want to start X at next reboot'.

After reboot, with a failing GUI, you can go in text mode with ALT-Fxx - it will take you to the xx console.

E.