Operating System - Linux
1828490 Members
2617 Online
109978 Solutions
New Discussion

RedHat Linux 9 Installation problems

 
SOLVED
Go to solution
al_59
New Member

Re: RedHat Linux 9 Installation problems

I have the same problem with our HP Proliant ML370 G3.

My workaround and very simple is to attached an external CD. I didnot used the internal CD drive at all.

I used Sony CD-R/CR-RW/CD-ROM 48x/12x/48x w/ usb connection and the installation went thru smoothly.

I think you can use any external CDrom and it will work fine.

You don't have to buy RH AS 2.1 for this installation to work......


al
Chris Price_2
New Member

Re: RedHat Linux 9 Installation problems

The solution dell provided was a simple floppy disk download. Once I booted off the floppy, i was then able to install from the Redhat 9 cdrom and everything went smoothly from there.

I also was using the FREE version of Redhat 9 ie, the download, not the expensive AS 2.1.

Free server OS, free floppy disk download, no extra hardware to buy ie, an external cdrom... problem fixed.

Less than 15 seconds for download, 1 minute to write the floppy, one minute to boot the floppy. Problem solved.

This fix should work for ANY server. Its not a Dell specific fix.

I dont have an external cdrom and if i did i wouldnt want to use the server's usb1.1 connection... what a horrendously slow prospect that would be. usb 2.0 would be nice but why bother when i have a perfectly good cdrom built in to the server already.

Bottom line, if you have a new server, you shouldnt have to buy / use additonal hardware to make the d*mn thing work.
Victor Pendlebury
Valued Contributor

Re: RedHat Linux 9 Installation problems

Chuck Kirk
New Member

Re: RedHat Linux 9 Installation problems

I have a HP Prolient ML370. I hooked up an external USB CD drive and it finally started the install.
Greg Long_2
Occasional Contributor

Re: RedHat Linux 9 Installation problems

I was able to getb redhat 9 working by booting with either the CD or boot floppy then using http to connect to a server where i had dumped all 3 cd's to.
Bryan McTeer
New Member

Re: RedHat Linux 9 Installation problems

If you have not solved this by now this fix worked for me. It was sent to me by a great tech who knew what he was doing.

Problem Description

A CD-ROM based install of Red Hat Linux 9 Professional fails on certain ProLiant servers. The install fails to find the CD-ROM drive and prompts the user to select the type of install to perform. If CD-ROM is selected the install will again fail to find the drive and the user will end up in an endless loop until another choice is made.



Symptoms

The RH9 installation boots but prompts for the location of the installation files and cannot locate them on the CD media.


Cause

This is a bug in the ide driver that affects CD-ROM access in the installation kernel only.
After the installation is complete, the
installed kernel does not contain the bug and functions correctly.

IMPORTANT NOTE: even if Hp has provided
the fix, RH 9 is not certified (by Hp) with ProLiants server: check at http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/servers/linux/hpLinuxcert.html

RedHat has been given the fix to insure that AS 3.0 (based on RH9) won't have
this issue.


Resolution/Workaround

The fix is in the form of a boot floppy that is used in conjunction
with the installation CD.

The readme and floppy images are available externally here:

ftp://ftp.compaq.com:21/pub/products/servers/supportsoftware/linux/RedHa
t/bootdisk.rhl9.readme
ftp://ftp.compaq.com:21/pub/products/servers/supportsoftware/linux/RedHa
t/bootdisk.rhl9dl.img
ftp://ftp.compaq.com:21/pub/products/servers/supportsoftware/linux/RedHa
t/bootdisk.rhl9us.img


An updated boot floppy has been created and can be downloaded from: ftp.compaq.com The floppy is created by using either dd or rawrite.

dd can be used as follows:

dd if=bootdisk.img of=/dev/fd0 bs=1440k

rawrite can be used as follows:

rawrite
Specify the name of the image file when prompted
Specify the "A:" drive when prompted for destination drive.

Once you have created the updated boot floppy, boot the above mentioned ProLiant server on the floppy. You may insert the CD-ROM at any time after the server begins booting on the updated floppy. If prompted, select "install from CD-ROM" and insert the Red Hat Linux 9 Professional CD when prompted.

Installation should continue as normal.

Note: There are two versions of this updated boot disk.

* bootdisk.rhl9us.img is only for retail boxed Red Hat Linux 9 purchased in the US where the md5sum for CD #1 is: "cd8872f2e2e3a42f548ed1bf947709f0".

* bootdisk.rhl9dl.img is for the supported/retail boxed Red Hat Linux 9 purchased outside the US where the md5sum for CD #1 is: "50f414a2135d093a02704b4b513f92ba" or the unsupported version downloaded from sites such as linuxiso.org where the md5sum for CD #1 is: "400c7fb292c73b793fb722532abd09ad".


The md5sum of the updated floppies are as follows:

c2d235cf7c05030e8ae7d849421d4f01 bootdisk.rhl9dl.img 51fd0ef3d8d6c654d17b61e6f7b12fa4 bootdisk.rhl9us.img
Juanjo_8
New Member

Re: RedHat Linux 9 Installation problems

Ok, now with de fix bug disk allows me pass the message error for the CD installation, but now the CD starts to load and doesnt stop. It never begins to install RH 9. What's the problem now? Any suggestion?
Juanjo_8
New Member

Re: RedHat Linux 9 Installation problems

Ok, I found the solution, copy the 3 ISO images in a HD (IDE) plug this HD in your HP Proliant, boot the Proliant with your RH9 CD, and select the Hard Disk installation. You will be asked to choose the folder when are stored the ISOs. The IDE hard disk is formated ext2.
That's it!!
Sean Crosby_1
Occasional Advisor

Re: RedHat Linux 9 Installation problems

Do you, or anyone know how to install the compaq tools to a Red Hat 9.0 on a proliant ml370?
The fan noise is killing me.

Thanks
Paul_504
Frequent Advisor

Re: RedHat Linux 9 Installation problems

HI

I don't know much of Linux , at least, not as indepth as many of the entries above as I'm new to it. However, I've noticed it said that when an external drive or second CD-ROM is used, the installation works. I also picked up that /dev/hda seems to be a problem.

Isn't it possible that a bug lies with the device driver used by RH 9 in which the CD-ROM is reverenced by /dev/hda. Is there no way to change this to /dev/hdc during boot-up, or sending it this as a parameter.

The reasoning behind this is that once the system is installed successfully, /dev/cdrom is anyhow a soft link to /dev/hdc. Maybe I've got it all wrong, but from what was mentioned, i.e. when a second CD-ROM is used (/dev/hdb), the installation runs without problems.

This is not as a solution, but just to help get my thinking patern right, thus helping my knowledge of Linux grow.
TEY HAN CHERK
New Member

Re: RedHat Linux 9 Installation problems

i went to download bootable img file from:
ftp://ftp.compaq.com/pub/products/servers/supportsoftware/linux/bootdisk.rhl9dl.img

but it can't fit in to 1.44MB floppy disk.
that img file size 1.40MB, but max available
for a blank floppy disk only 1.38MB.

please help.
thank you.
bonoman
New Member

Re: RedHat Linux 9 Installation problems

Hello,
try to use these boot ISO images i made and put to this website http://www.luckyweb.info/linux/
Wish you more luck.
Bonoman.