Anyone running a DL590/64?

[Phil.Howell]

I have a Compaq DL590/64 (itanium1)
It is running debian, but I have been unable to get X to run (graphics card/driver issue?)
I have tried to install redhat and centos, but recent IA64 versions failed to boot, with
"kernel panic - not syncing: fatal exception"
(it seems that these are built for itanium2, and will never work with an itanium1)
I have also tried suse, but this also fails to install, but also does a hardware reset, so I don't know the error message.
There were rumours of a "White Box" version that worked, but they don't seem to do IA64 any more.
My options seem to be:
1 Be content with a very fast debian text machine
2 Stick another graphics card in, and try to configure X with debian
3 Find a debian driver disk for the video card, then try to load it
4 Find an old version of redhat or suse that is known to work with itanium1
Phil

[rick jones · Accepted solution]

As much as I want to see people doing interesting things with Itanium systems, Itanium 1 really isn't the place to be these days. So, unless you are into machines of historical interest, I'd probably add

5 Find a newer Itanium2-based system and use that.

I suspect you will find it is very much faster than your Itanium1-based system. Systems that come to mind which you might find on the "previously owned" market (assuming $ is an issue) would include the rx1600 and rx2600, and perhaps an older rx4640 or an even older rx5670. Definitely avoid (again unless you have historical interest) an rx4610 rx9610 or i2000 as all three are also "Merced" (Itanium1) based systems.

New boxes would include newer rx4640's, rx1620's rx2620's and of course the cell-based systems, but I'm assuming those are bigger than you want.

[Alan_152]

6. Install a 32 bit OS instead...

[Jag_2]

Hello

Can you please check what run level is the system running.
#who -r
run-level 5 Aug 15 11:45 last=S

to get X running the system should be in run level 5.

we are running RedHat AS4 64 bit on Proliant DL580, we have't come across any issues.

# uname -a
Linux generic 2.6.9-34.0.2.ELsmp #1 SMP Fri Jun 30 10:32:04 EDT 2006 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Hope this helps,

Jag

[rick jones]

FWIW a DL580 is a very different box from a DL590 - the first is an x86 system, the second is an Itanium system.

While my dimm memory seems to recall that one could boot a 32-bit x86 OS on the Merced CPUs it wasn't really a happy place to be. All native Itanium kernels are 64-bit.

[Phil.Howell]

Rick
This is not a "work" project, so I don't have the means to get an I2 yet.
I know that these boxes were supported for both redhat and suse when they were released, I just can't find the IA64 build of the right vintage.
Alan
I didn't know this was possible, I have never seen .EFI files for 32 bit booting
Jag
Different chip - DL580 are Xeon x86_64, DL590 are IA64

I will try with debian testing...
Phil

[Alan_152]

You can modify some of these instructions -- http://www-1.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=psg1MIGR-4Z2R6R -- to install almost any OS you want. heck, I had a need for a FreeDOS box here, and all I had for spare equipment was an ancient zx6000. It works just fine.

I've also had the "fun" experience of upgrading ia64 boxes that somebody went to all the trouble of installing 32-bit windows versions on (shakes head).

[rick jones]

WRT running 32-bit x86 OSes - if it hasn't happened already, I believe that RSN there will no longer be any x86 emulation _HW_ in the Itanium CPUs. The EL32 (?) stuff is used to provide support for running x86 _applications_ and so booting an x86 _OS_ would no longer be possible.

IIRC it was an RHEL 2.1 (?) that was "supported" on the Merced systems.

[Phil.Howell]

Alan
Thanks for that link, but I still don't understand, does the windows AS IA64 loader allow you to format a partition and then install another 32 bit os?
How did you install FreeDOS?
Rick
I have found a document on installing redhat 7.2 for IA64 on this box, and this was the version originally released by compaq, but this version is no longer obtainable from redhad, centos, whitebox, or anywhere.
Maybe someone at HP has a copy?
PHIL

[rick jones]

Someone at HP might have a copy. I have to say that I do not have a copy - I wasn't "doing Linux" until after that point, I was then "doing HP-UX" if anything.