Netserver LH Pro - Boot issues

[Nathan Karras]

I have 7 4GB drives for my Netserver LH Pro (2xPentium Pro 200), and I can only boot from one of them.

I wanted to create a new configuration, but preserve the OS and basic configuration that I already had. As such, since the machine only holds 6 drives, and I have 7 for it, I simply swapped the boot drive with a newly initialized identical hard disk. The drives are operating via the integrated SCSI controllers.

I have tried just about everything I could think of to get it to start, but all I get is a halted system, right on the last POST screen, with the gray half screen box containing a brief system summary. I have spent a lot of time with this, and I cannot figure it out. I have tried all 6 drives other than the working boot drive, and I have the same problem with all of them. The drives ARE installed in the correct locations in the racks. The drives are Quantum Atlas II 4GB drives. The computer calls them A "80-LXY4", although that doesn't appear anywhere on the label.

Now, if I put the original first drive back in, it starts. The machine can start from a floppy or CD too, in any configuration.

Here's one thing I tried...
Boot from Floppy w/ Win98 DOS. I figured I should start simple.

Hard disks are visible.
No partitions exist yet on any drive.

So... I created a partition as active (Startable) on the first drive. I formatted the partition and made it bootable (format /s).

The computer still didn't start.

It also doesn't start under Linux, OS/2, or Windows NT (2000).

Any ideas?


I encountered something like this on a Mac once, and it was caused by an invalid or incorrect SCSI driver.

I don't know if it matters, but the drives were all zeroed by a Netraid card, about 3 years ago. All but the working boot drive. But then again, the drives all work. Just not to boot. I have also tried running them off of that card too.


NPK

[John Birkett]

Chick and see which driver you are formatting. I have an LD Pro, which is a scaled down version of the LH Pro with only 3 hard drives. By default the switch setting for the on-board SCSCI card sets the middle drive as the boot drive. I found that if there is a bootable system on any drive it will prabably boot, but for building a new system I have to use the middle drive. The switches by default are (1,0,2) with 0 being the default boot drive. If you use a boot diskette and format with Win98, make sure you are using the 0 lun to format your active, bootable drive. If you install RedHat Linux 8 or 9 from the CD it will find the correct drive for you automatically.

Hope this helps,
Regards,
John

[Nathan Karras]

Good idea, but... The drive racks are mapped as 1, 2, 3, and 4, 5, 6. I used to have it the way you described. It made no difference. It still didn't start from drives other than the one (Upper center, SCSI 0 at the time)

As I said, this is a strange problem. I can't even get DOS bootable from one of the drives. AND... I have ruled out a problem with my machine, as the drives are not bootable in another Netserver LH Pro I have access to.

[e4services]

Have you excluded that the drives are bad? tested like scan disk and search for bad sectors? Even though I do not like to do it, Low Level Format the drives the do not work?
Just some thoughts