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Problems installing Red Hat 5.1 from Hard Disk

Problems installing Red Hat 5.1 from Hard Disk

Post by John Allar » Mon, 06 Jul 1998 04:00:00



System Alpha Station 200 4/100.
2 Digital 1 Gigabyte HDs.
32 Meg Ram
Disk one (sda in Linuxeze) Partitioned and has Windows NT 4.0 installed.
Disk two (sdb in Linuxeze) is going to be set up paritioned and have Red Hat
5.1 installed.
I downloaded 5.1 via FTP and ported it to the Alpha on my network.  It is
currently residing in a partition (sdb1) that was created via Disk  Druid,
the partitioning software that came with the Red Hat distribution, as Dos

Quote:>=32 and formatted with Windows NT 4.0.

Tree structure is as follows:
sdb1-----RedHat-----RedHat------RMPS
                                                  |
                                                  |---base
                                                  |---alpha
                (alpha is an empty text file that appears to "point" the
software to the Alpha specific graphics files during installation.
I have been successful setting up the ARC console.  I have also had success
in booting with a MILO diskette, booting the kernel from floppy (oddly the
new ARC firmware detects the Linux kernel after invoking boot floppy without
a command string, echos back boot recognized Linux or something like that,
at the boot prompt just type in Linux).
Anyway the installation programs start, runs flawlessly through Disk Druid
(I create the various partitions root, swap, usr etc.  Commit them.
Then I get the prompt for the partition containing the Red Hat installation
files.  I select sdb1 from the list and with my directory tree and use the
default / (though I have tried invoking it through /RedHat and
/RedHat/RedHat but to no avail) and I keep getting an error message back
saying that the specified partition does not appear to have a RedHat
installation on it.
I can invoke the l list command from the MILO prompt (ls sbd1) and "see" the
RedHat directory.  So I am assuming that the correct drivers for the NCR
SCSI controllers have been loaded etc.
I should add that I do get an error at the very end of the MILO boot "bad
command" or words to that effect).  Since the relevant command is not echoed
to the screen, I don't know what this command should be.
I am using the Avanti.img file as provided with RedHat 5.1
Has anyone got an idea what the problem is here?
sda is formatted NTFS so I can't directly address that disk either.
John
 
 
 
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Problems installing Red Hat 5.1 from Hard Disk

Post by Peter Petraki » Mon, 06 Jul 1998 04:00:00


I had this same problem on a 164LX. Make sure the top directory is "RedHat" ,
The setup program is case sensitive. It the RedHat directory the two directorys
should look like this "Base" and "RPMS" , remember it's case  sensitive. Um wait
a minute, Are you trying to install off the fat partition that contains NT?
Funny the alpha bios will tell you it's FAT and you can put linload.exe and your
milo on it but once you get into the redhat setup it says that  it's HPFS, Which
the kernal doesn't support at that time. You need to create a FAT partion from
the alpha bios or use ARCINST.EXE to create the partition. You can't use NT's
disk administrator , Linux can't read the partitions it makes even if they're
supposedly FAT. Then move or copy the RedHat directory onto that partiton. Now
when you pick which partition the files are located on you shouldn't have a
problem.

Regards,
Peter Petrakis


> System Alpha Station 200 4/100.
> 2 Digital 1 Gigabyte HDs.
> 32 Meg Ram
> Disk one (sda in Linuxeze) Partitioned and has Windows NT 4.0 installed.
> Disk two (sdb in Linuxeze) is going to be set up paritioned and have Red Hat
> 5.1 installed.
> I downloaded 5.1 via FTP and ported it to the Alpha on my network.  It is
> currently residing in a partition (sdb1) that was created via Disk  Druid,
> the partitioning software that came with the Red Hat distribution, as Dos
> >=32 and formatted with Windows NT 4.0.
> Tree structure is as follows:
> sdb1-----RedHat-----RedHat------RMPS
>                                                   |
>                                                   |---base
>                                                   |---alpha
>                 (alpha is an empty text file that appears to "point" the
> software to the Alpha specific graphics files during installation.
> I have been successful setting up the ARC console.  I have also had success
> in booting with a MILO diskette, booting the kernel from floppy (oddly the
> new ARC firmware detects the Linux kernel after invoking boot floppy without
> a command string, echos back boot recognized Linux or something like that,
> at the boot prompt just type in Linux).
> Anyway the installation programs start, runs flawlessly through Disk Druid
> (I create the various partitions root, swap, usr etc.  Commit them.
> Then I get the prompt for the partition containing the Red Hat installation
> files.  I select sdb1 from the list and with my directory tree and use the
> default / (though I have tried invoking it through /RedHat and
> /RedHat/RedHat but to no avail) and I keep getting an error message back
> saying that the specified partition does not appear to have a RedHat
> installation on it.
> I can invoke the l list command from the MILO prompt (ls sbd1) and "see" the
> RedHat directory.  So I am assuming that the correct drivers for the NCR
> SCSI controllers have been loaded etc.
> I should add that I do get an error at the very end of the MILO boot "bad
> command" or words to that effect).  Since the relevant command is not echoed
> to the screen, I don't know what this command should be.
> I am using the Avanti.img file as provided with RedHat 5.1
> Has anyone got an idea what the problem is here?
> sda is formatted NTFS so I can't directly address that disk either.
> John


 
 
 
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Problems installing Red Hat 5.1 from Hard Disk

Post by John Allar » Tue, 07 Jul 1998 04:00:00


Thank you for responding.
Actually I have created the partition several ways.  Though I didn't
specifically use ARCINST (nor the Alpha BIOS, didn't know you could do it!).
I have used Windows NT (is it using ARCINST in it's Disk Administrator?)
and Linux both to create the partition.  I used NT to format it FAT.
I suspected that RedHat was case sensitive.  By looking at the FTP sites and
the README files it appeared that the directories should read:
RedHat (note caps)
RedHat
  RMPS
  base
I have tried various combinations and will try your suggestion specifically
today.  I have probably run the install routine 20 times now!
LOL.
This was a clean partition off of a clean disk (the system had VMS 6.0 on it
when it arrived.  I am a gearhead but not THAT much of a gearhead!)  NT is
on the other drive sda.
Thanks again!
John

"The only difference between Stupidity and Genius is that Genius has
it's limits."
Albert Einstein
----------------------------------------------------
You can respond to this e-mail online.
If you have ICQ my ICQ# is 2702015
If you don't have ICQ you can page me through:
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there and try it!)

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My Home Telephone Number is: 541/367-5660
John Allard

 
 
 
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Problems installing Red Hat 5.1 from Hard Disk

Post by John Allar » Tue, 07 Jul 1998 04:00:00


Thank you for responding.
Actually I have created the partition several ways.  Though I didn't
specifically use ARCINST (nor the Alpha BIOS, didn't know you could do it!).
I have used Windows NT (is it using ARCINST in it's Disk Administrator?)
and Linux both to create the partition.  I used NT to format it FAT.
I suspected that RedHat was case sensitive.  By looking at the FTP sites and
the README files it appeared that the directories should read:
RedHat (note caps)
RedHat
  RMPS
  base
I have tried various combinations and will try your suggestion specifically
today.  I have probably run the install routine 20 times now!
LOL.
This was a clean partition off of a clean disk (the system had VMS 6.0 on it
when it arrived.  I am a gearhead but not THAT much of a gearhead!)  NT is
on the other drive sda.
Thanks again!
John

"The only difference between Stupidity and Genius is that Genius has
it's limits."
Albert Einstein
----------------------------------------------------
You can respond to this e-mail online.
If you have ICQ my ICQ# is 2702015
If you don't have ICQ you can page me through:
* My Personal Communication Center: http://wwp.mirabilis.com/2702015 (go
there and try it!)

You can download ICQ at http://www.icq.com/
Include your ICQ details in YOUR e-mail signature:
http://www.icq.com/emailsig.html
My Work Telephone Number is: 541/367-5660
My Home Telephone Number is: 541/367-5660
John Allard

 
 
 
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1. Red Hat 5.1 hard disk install hangs

After several successful Red Hat installations, I guess I got cocky and
accepted the task of installing RH5.1 on a no-name 486 with a nasty
parallel port CD-ROM.  Since the (Goldstar GCD-R540) CD-ROM seems to be
unsupported and undetectable by the Red Hat install, I decided to try
a hard disk install.

I think I prepped correctly.  (step 1: use DOS fdisk and format from the
A: drive to create and format four partitions; step 2: install DOS 6 on
the C: partition; step 3: copy the appropriate files on the Red Hat CD-ROM
to /redhat/base and /redhat/rpms directories on the C: partition; step 4:
create the Red Hat supplimentary disk with rawrite...)

Things went well at first.  The RH5.1 install disk booted and I chose the
hard disk-install.  I inserted the supplimentary disk when asked; told the
system not to look for SCSI devices; then was given the choice of Disk
Druid or Linux fdisk to set up the filesystems...

Then I choose "fdisk" (or "Disk Druid") and the install hangs.  The
floppy drive grinds away and nothing happens, just a freeze.  No messages
on any of the install's virtual consoles.  Nothing.

Does anyone have a clue why this is happening?

Is a hard disk install of RH5.1 possible?

I'm stumped.  Any information would be welcome.

-- Joel

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13. Red Hat 5.0 vs. Red Hat 5.1


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