Very Computer

I am having difficulty installing Solaris 2.6 Intel Edition. My computer
already has three operating systems installed:

Partition 1 - Windows 98
Partition 2 - UnixWare
Partition 3 - Unused
Partition 4 - SCO Open Server

When I attempt to "Begin Installation" after configuring devices and
filesystem sizes, I get the following message:

Error. Partition 4 extends beyond the end of the disk.

Obviously this is not the case.  I can boot Open Server with no problem.
I even tried re-sizing my Solaris to be smaller.  It just keeps giving
me the same error message.  HELP!

Thanks,
Doug Amdur

I think Solaris maintains its own "partitions" separate from the
standard ones you're looking at.  Have a look at what the Solaris format
command says it's doing with your disk.

JMHO.

Quote:> Partition 1 - Windows 98
> Partition 2 - UnixWare
> Partition 3 - Unused
> Partition 4 - SCO Open Server

> When I attempt to "Begin Installation" after configuring devices and
> filesystem sizes, I get the following message:

> Error. Partition 4 extends beyond the end of the disk.

> Thanks,
> Doug Amdur

    I have had this same problem.  It seems that Solaris hates it when there
is another partition after it.  the way I fixed this was to tell it that the
partition after it was unused, and then installed solaris on the partition
that it should be on (in this case, partition3)  and then after the install
I did an fdisk and made the other partition back, making it the same size
and type.  this worked for me, but I suggest you back SCO Open Server up
before you try this (so that you don't scream at me.....just in case)

--
Eric Thern
x7571
http://zoid.potsdam.edu/

<*> I am having difficulty installing Solaris 2.6 Intel Edition. My computer
<*> already has three operating systems installed:

<*> Partition 1 - Windows 98
<*> Partition 2 - UnixWare
<*> Partition 3 - Unused
<*> Partition 4 - SCO Open Server

There is a really good FAQ that you should check out.  it's at
http://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/solaris/FAQS/Solaris_x86_FAQ
and answers a lot of the questions i'm having installing solaris right now.

to answer your question, a cut from the FAQ:

(5.7) Why does a Solaris install to a disk with valid, pre-existing
      fdisk partitions sometimes fail?

There is a well known bug that sometimes prevents Solaris from
installing into an existing partition.  Its cause has never been
identified, or its existence officially acknowledged by filling out a
bug report.  It is secretly well known only to Sun's Installation
Support team in Chelmsford, MA., who claim that the workaround is
apparent from the message "slice extends beyond end of disk".

I agree that the workaround is simple, but I think some kind of document
explaining the workaround should be returned by searches of sunsolve and
access1.  Better yet, the error message could actually describe the
error!  Or, how about identifying and fixing the bug so it never happens
to begin with?

For those of you too "stupid" :-) to read the error message, I'll decode it:
slice   = "disk"
extends = "is full of fdisk partitions"
beyond  = "before"
end     = "installation."
of      = "Please"
disk    = "delete at least one of 'em, and try again"

For example:  If a disk has three partitions with the following:
1) FAT,  2) no filesystem yet,  3) NTFS, the installation might fail
in some poorly understood cases, with the misleading error message.

The workaround is to delete the unused partition, leaving a "hole"
between the flanking partitions.  The install fdisk, Partition Magic, or
any other fdisk will now see only 2 partitions: 1) FAT and 2) NTFS.
There will obviously be lots of cylinders between the end of the first,
and the beginning of the second. The Solaris install will spot the hole,
and create a partition according to its own mysterious specifications.
Somehow, this new partition is acceptable, even though a seemingly
identical one created by a different fdisk isn't.  Perhaps the bug is in
*when* it was created: if previous, sometimes balk.  Perhaps NORMAL /
LBA is relevant at this point - - it did make a difference in at least
one case I tested.  Oddly, I have also had cases where the offending
procedure of creating the partitions before beginning to install Solaris
worked fine.

--
Do not reply to the above address.  It is a legal E-Mail address, but
any mail set to it is removed.  If you feel the need to contact me, tough.

Gosh that takes me back... or is it forward?  
That's the trouble with time travel, you never can tell."
-- Doctor Who "Androids of Tara"