Proliant 800 boot

[Paul O'Rorke]

I've just installed CentOS 3.5 on a Proliant 800. (I know it's not supported but I'm hoping it's close enough to RHEL to work for a simple FTP server). Problem is I can't get the unit to boot to the new OS. I downloaded the Configuration Utility floppy disk, which alowed me to select Linux to boot from, but it deleted the partitions on my array disks. I thought I'd just install again but now it won't boot to the install CD.

[Brian_Murdoch]

Hi Paul,

It sounds like you may have inadvertently changed the standard boot order so that it boots from disk first and doesn't try the floppy or CD. If you have the System Configuration Utility (SCU) and can access the BIOS then you need to do the following from the main menu.

System Configuration
Power-On Defaults
Set Standard Boot Order
Choose A: CD: C: (Normally at the top)

Once changed you should be able to boot from CD or floppy as normal.

I hope this helps.

Brian

[Paul O'Rorke]

Thanks Brian,

It looks like I have misled you. I didn't use the SCU - I downloaded it, made the floppy as per the instructions but couldn't get it to work. I used the "System Erase Utility".

In the help section it suggests that one can choose to erase only certain things, like the EISA NVRAM without deleting the partitions but I'm only given the 'Erase Everything' option. This I did so loosing my install.

I tried the Smart Start 7.30 CD, which the support matrix saiys is appropriate for a Proliant 800 yet on booting to that (before my troubles with CDROM booting) it said that this server will not work with the Smart Start CD..

So I can't access the BIOS at all.

Now I'm really confused.

[Brian_Murdoch]

Hi Paul,

Yes - The Erase Utility "does exactly what it says on the tin" I'm afraid. Anyone wishing to keep their disk configiration would normally pull the disks out before running Erase. The disk configuration (membership of raidsets etc.) is held on the disks and checked by the Smart Array controller at POST which then picks it up again.

The Proliant 800 is also a Generation 1 system and cannot run the later Smartstart CD's. The last valid version of Smartstart for G1's is V5.50. The V5.50 ISO image is downloadable from here.
http://h18023.www1.hp.com/support/files/server/us/download/22678.html

If you want to run the SCU from floppy, the diskette images can be loaded and built (4 disks required) from here (see instructions on this page)
http://h18023.www1.hp.com/support/files/server/us/download/13227.html

This will allow you to configure the BIOS, set the time, boot order and select the O/S etc. The Smartstart CD can also do all of this and can then run the Array Configuration Utility (ACU) to set up your disks again for Raid1, Raid 5 or whatever.

I hope this helps,

Brian