Hard time install SL6 in Proliant DL120 G6

[H Herry]

Hi Guys,

I have a hard time trying to install Scientific Linux 6 (RHEL-6 based) on Proliant DL120 G6. Actually, the installation was going smoothly with no error. The HP Smart Array P212 was successfully detected by the installer. "dmesg" log showed that the HPSA driver was loaded and the disk in map as "/dev/sda". Also, all packages were installed without error.

But the problem came up after I rebooted the machine after the installation finished. The kernel could not be loaded and the machine only displayed "Boot Failed" message.

I have tried to fix the bootloader (Grub) by running the machine through rescue disc and invoking command:
$ chroot /mnt/sysimage
$ grub-install /dev/sda
But "Boot Failed" was still on the screen.

FYI, I also tried to install another distribution i.e. Fedora 14. But after a successful installation, the machine also displayed "Boot Failed" message.

Could anyone give a clue what I have to do next?

It has caused me a headache since I must ensure the machine to work this week.

Many thanks,

Herry

[Matti_Kurkela]

Boot from the rescue disk as before, but before running grub-install, read the files named /boot/grub/device.map and /boot/grub/grub.conf (or /boot/grub/menu.lst).

If they don't make sense with your configuration, fix them. It's very likely the installer has mis-detected something when creating these files, and unless you fix that error, running grub-install alone may not solve your problem.

My first guess would be the problem is with /boot/grub/device.map. It should associate the GRUB disk identifier (hd0) with /dev/sda.
If you change the device.map file, run grub-install afterwards to make the changes take effect, then reboot.

MK

[H Herry]

Thanks Matti,

I have checked /etc/grub/device.map and it contains exactly the right device of the disk, i.e. "/dev/sda". And the machine still cannot load the kernel although I have run "grub-install /dev/sda" command to reinstall the Grub.

FYI, I tried to install Ubuntu 10.4 on the machine. When I rebooted after a successful installation process, the machine again cannot load the kernel and displayed "Boot Failed". But when I rebooted from the Installer-DVD and chose option "Boot from the hard disk" from the menu, the kernel in the disk can be loaded successfully by the DVD's Grub. Later, I reinstalled the Grub by running "grub-install /dev/sda" but still the machine cannot load the kernel if it was booted from the harddisk. But when I rebooted from DVD and again choose "Boot from the hard disk", then the kernel could be loaded.

The facts are:
1) I think the Grub has been installed in the correct location of harddisk, if it is not then the DVD's Grub won't be able to load the kernel.
2) I think there is a problem with my Smart Array P212. The problem is that it cannot load the Grub installed in MBR of the harddisk properly. It's a scary move for me to try upgrading/downgrading the firmware.

I hope anyone from this forum, especially HP guys can give me solution to this problem.

Many thanks,

Herry