RedHat Linux 7.2 on Server Dell PowerEdge 2500

[Tarek_1]

Hi hallo,
recently i have installed RedHat 7.2 on a Server Dell PowerEdge 2500. I installed lilo as default boot loader and at the end of installation i created the boot disk. While I rebooted the system, i wasn't able to boot "normally" (i mean from harddisk). If i boot from floppy everything's work. Why?
I have 3 disks, each of which 8 GB. I partitioned as follows:
/dev/sda1 /boot
/dev/sda2 swap
/dev/sda3 /
/dev/sdb1 /Oracle
/dev/sdc1 /Data
I haven't installed oracle yet. I'm planning to install Oracle 9i. However now the problem is the boot.
Thanks in advance for your help.

[Tarek_1]

The Dell is PowerEdge 2400/600 and not 2500.
It has 2 processors 600MHZ
During boot i see this message: Dell PowerEdge Expandible RAID Controller 2/51
Waiting for Array Controller #0 to start..
Array controller started
Container #0 - Volume 8,47 GB OK
Container #1 - Volume 8,47 GB OK
Container #2 - Volume 8,47 GB OK
3 Container found
Bios Installed Successfully
Adaptec AIC-7880 SCSI Bios
Press CTRL/A for SCSI select
SCSI ID:5 NEC Cdrom Drive

At this point, if i don't insert the floppy, it reboots automatically.

[Kodjo Agbenu]

Hello,

As far as I understand, you created 3 LUNs of 8.5 GB on your RAID controller, and you used the first one (/dev/sda) as the bootable disk.

It seems that your Master Boot Record is not well configured.

How can I say that ?

In fact, you are able to boot from your floppy disk, so I guess the operating system is correctly installed.
However, trying to boot from the hard disk, it just keeps rebooting. The reason may be no operating system was found on the hard disk. The Master Boot Record is the way the BIOS detects whether Operating System is installed or not.

Therefore, I can suggest you try this :

1. Boot from your floppy, then type /sbin/lilo to rebuild your Master Boot Record from LILO configuration. After that, reboot your system on the hard disk. If it works, skip the next point.

2. Look at your BIOS settings, and make sure that the boot device is correctly configured (it should be pointing to your RAID controller).
Then, go to the RAID controller configuration tool, look for a boot LUN configuration menu, and make sure that it points to the first LUN (the one being named /dev/sda by Linux).

If none of these give results, please post your /etc/lilo.conf file and "ls -al /boot".

Good luck.

Kodjo

[Tarek_1]

I will attach my lilo.conf.
I tried to run lilo, but i have this error
Syntax error near line 4 in file /etc/lilo.conf
Do i have to do something under linux to point to RAID controller?

[Tarek_1]

This is the output of ls -la /boot

[Kodjo Agbenu · Accepted solution]

Hello,

In /etc/lilo.conf :

Replace
default=RedHat LX
by
default="RedHat LX"

Replace
label=RedHat LX-up
by
label="RedHat LX-up"


Good luck.

Kodjo

[Tarek_1]

That's it!! Well done!
A very silly error. But i have never modified it. That label i gave it during installation. However now's ok, and this is the most important thing.
Thanks all for your help.