Package: installation-reports Hi, Debian!
I tried installing Sarge a couple of days ago. I had two problems: (i) After grub, the boot loader, was installed on my hard drive, nothing worked: Not even grub; (ii) The supplied kernel I installed didn't boot up. First question: Have you got this form (debian-report-template) available in a plain text format? Stripping out HTML tags is tedious and unproductive. I cannot bring myself to send HTML mail, since I don't and can't know whether you'll be using a mail client with an HTML renderer. Debian-installer-version: Double DVD, 3.1r0a "Sarge" June 2005 uname -a: Linux acm 2.4.17 #3 Sun Nov 9 13:51:03 CET 2003 i686 GNU/Linux [N.B.: This kernel was custom built on Woody. I've attached it's configuration file (i.e. the one that specifies the options to compile into the kernel). The Sarge kernel that I tried (vmlinuz-2.6.8-2-386) didn't boot. (See below). Date: Friday 2005-07-01, late evening Central European Time Method: From Sarge DVD. I booted my PC from this DVD Machine: Custom built on mainboard Epox EP-8K7A Processor: AMD Athlon 1.2 GHz Memory: 256 Mb DDRAM Root Device: IDE: an IBM UDMA100, 60Gb, 7200 rpm (from summer 2001) on /dev/hdg Root Size/partition table: Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System /dev/hdg1 1 4 32098+ 83 Linux /dev/hdg2 * 5 8 32130 83 Linux /dev/hdg3 9 139 1052257+ 6 FAT16 /dev/hdg4 1025 5972 39744810 5 Extended /dev/hdg5 1025 1286 2104483+ 83 Linux /dev/hdg6 1287 2592 10490413+ 83 Linux /dev/hdg7 2593 2723 1052226 82 Linux swap / Solaris /dev/hdg8 3116 3246 1052257+ 83 Linux <=== EXISTING Debian Woody root partition /dev/hdg9 3247 3377 1052226 83 Linux /dev/hdg10 3378 4683 10490413+ 83 Linux /dev/hdg11 4684 5336 5245191 83 Linux /dev/hdg12 5337 5467 1052226 83 Linux /dev/hdg13 5468 5729 2104483+ 83 Linux <=== SuSE 8.0 /dev/hdg14 5730 5972 1951866 83 Linux <=== NEW Debian Sarge Output of lspci and lspci -n: 0000:00:00.0 Host bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] AMD-760 [IGD4-1P] System Controller (rev 13) 0000:00:01.0 PCI bridge: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD] AMD-760 [IGD4-1P] AGP Bridge 0000:00:07.0 ISA bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C686 [Apollo Super South] (rev 40) 0000:00:07.1 IDE interface: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C586A/B/VT82C686/A/B/VT823x/A/C PIPC Bus Master IDE (rev 06) 0000:00:07.2 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev 16) 0000:00:07.3 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev 16) 0000:00:07.4 SMBus: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C686 [Apollo Super ACPI] (rev 40) 0000:00:07.5 Multimedia audio controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C686 AC97 Audio Controller (rev 50) 0000:00:0b.0 Communication controller: Lucent Microelectronics Venus Modem (V90, 56KFlex) 0000:00:0e.0 Unknown mass storage controller: Triones Technologies, Inc. HPT366/368/370/370A/372 (rev 04) 0000:01:05.0 VGA compatible controller: Matrox Graphics, Inc. MGA G400 AGP (rev 04) 0000:00:00.0 0600: 1022:700e (rev 13) 0000:00:01.0 0604: 1022:700f 0000:00:07.0 0601: 1106:0686 (rev 40) 0000:00:07.1 0101: 1106:0571 (rev 06) 0000:00:07.2 0c03: 1106:3038 (rev 16) 0000:00:07.3 0c03: 1106:3038 (rev 16) 0000:00:07.4 0c05: 1106:3057 (rev 40) 0000:00:07.5 0401: 1106:3058 (rev 50) 0000:00:0b.0 0780: 11c1:0480 0000:00:0e.0 0180: 1103:0004 (rev 04) 0000:01:05.0 0300: 102b:0525 (rev 04) Base System Installation Checklist: [O] = OK, [E] = Error (please elaborate below), [ ] = didn't try it Initial boot worked: [O] Configure network HW: [ ] Config network: [ ] Detect CD: [O] Load installer modules: [O] Detect hard drives: [O] Partition hard drives: [O] Create file systems: [O] Mount partitions: [O] Install base system: [E] The kernel failed. The other software seems OK. Install boot loader: [E] Reboot: [E] Comments/Problems: <Gripe #1:> The installation documentation was only available in "4-colour glossy" HTML format. More to to the point, it was _FRAGMENTED_ into many files. That meant (a) I had to fire up X-Windows and a browser to read it; (b) I couldn't scroll through the documentation, at least not very far; (c) To search through it for "kernel", I had to use: grep -A3 -B3 "[Kk]ernel" *.html followed by cutting and pasting filenames into the browser, rather than simply typing "/" in the program "less". YUCK! I really don't think I should have to fire up my PPP connection and download debian-install.txt from the Debian site, just to get usable (for me, that is) installation documentation. PLEASE PUT THIS IMPORTANT FILE BACK INTO THE DVD IMAGE!!! <\Gripe #1:> I attempted a trial installation of Sarge in a small (2 Gb) partition /dev/hdg14. /dev/hdg is the only hard drive in the machine. Already installed on the PC were Debian Woody (never brought up to full working state), and SuSE 8.0 (works, sort of, but "could be better"), plus one or two fragmentary experiments. The boot loader on the machine was LILO, installed from the Debian Woody system a long time ago. <Please note #1> My system's sole hard drive is at /dev/hdg on a secondary IDE controller. This is because the secondary controller runs at ATA 100, whilst the primary controller on the mainboard doesn't. This gave me problems whilst installing Woody 3 years ago. When I asked for help on <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Barney Wrightson directed me to use the "bf24" boot image. This worked. This might have some relevance for my current problems. The email discussion was at Subject: Woody installation: can't find my /dev/hdg to install to. Date: Fri, 4 Oct 2002 04:00:14 +0200 Message-Id: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> <\Please note #1> The installation appeared to be going OK, up until when I was required to select a kernel from a list. <Gripe #2:> I didn't know how to chose a kernel. The documentation is too vague here. I know I've got an Athlon chip (1.2 GHz) in my PC, but whether it counts as a "k6" or a "k7" I really don't know. The documentation gives a recipe for extracting more info from somewhere (I can't find the place right now), but this seems more hassle than is warranted. <\Gripe #2:> I chose a kernel more or less at random, the most vanilla looking 2.6 one: vmlinuz-2.6.8-2-386. Should this work on my hardware? Then the boot loader: The prompt said something like "I've detected your other installed systems. It's probably OK to install grub. OK?". I clicked "Yes". Big mistake! On attempting to reboot my PC, grub wouldn't load: The PC repeatedly attempted to reboot, each time crashing. I didn't have a working backup copy of my LILO on a floppy. :-( <Gripe #3:> There doesn't seem to be a "rescue" system on the Sarge DVD. <\Gripe #3:> <Suggestion #1:> The installation program should check for the presence of an already installed boot loader, and should, by default, NOT overwrite it. Instead it should recommend reinstalling the existing boot loader with an extra entry for Sarge. It could also suggest (to idiots like me ;-) that it's a good idea first to make a working copy of the existing bootloader on a floppy disk. <\Suggestion #1:> Eventually, I managed to get my boot loader back by booting the rescue system on the Woody CD1. I then added an entry for Sarge with vmlinuz-2.6.8-2-386 into my existing lilo.conf, and tried booting into it. It displayed a line of dots, then the screen went blank and stayed blank, and I had to press the reset button. Here is my lilo.conf entry for this: # 2005/7/3, Debian 3.1 (Sarge with "native" kernel) image=/mnt/hdg14/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.8-2-386 label = S:2.6.8-2-386 read-only append = "root=/dev/hdg14" # "video=matrox:vesa:791" root = /dev/hdg14 # append = "video=matrox:vesa:791" vga = 0x0301 # append = "video=matrox:vesa:791" # vga = 788 # vga = 0x30A I have attached my complete lilo.conf file. Phew!! In summary, my problems are: (i) Which kernel should I install on my new Sarge installation, and do I need to give it any special parameters; (ii) Why doesn't grub work on my machine? Thanks for reading this far, and thanks in advance for the the help you'll be givng me. Have a great Sunday! -- Alan Mackenzie (Munich, Germany) [EMAIL PROTECTED]
config.dot
Description: .config from my custom 2.4.17 kernel
# /etc/lilo.conf - See: `lilo(8)' and `lilo.conf(5)', # --------------- `install-mbr(8)', `/usr/share/doc/lilo/', # and `/usr/share/doc/mbr/'. # +---------------------------------------------------------------+ # | !! Reminder !! | # | | # | Don't forget to run `lilo' after you make changes to this | # | conffile, `/boot/bootmess.txt', or install a new kernel. The | # | computer will most likely fail to boot if a kernel-image | # | post-install script or you don't remember to run `lilo'. | # | | # +---------------------------------------------------------------+ # Support LBA for large hard disks. # lba32 # Overrides the default mapping between harddisk names and the BIOS' # harddisk order. Use with caution. disk=/dev/hdg bios=0x80 # Specifies the boot device. This is where Lilo installs its boot # block. It can be either a partition, or the raw device, in which # case it installs in the MBR, and will overwrite the current MBR. # boot=/dev/hdg # Specifies the device that should be mounted as root. (`/') # root=/dev/hdg8 # Enable map compaction: # Tries to merge read requests for adjacent sectors into a single # read request. This drastically reduces load time and keeps the # map smaller. Using `compact' is especially recommended when # booting from a floppy disk. It is disabled here by default # because it doesn't always work. # # compact # Installs the specified file as the new boot sector # You have the choice between: bmp, compat, menu and text # Look in /boot/ and in lilo.conf(5) manpage for details # install=/boot/boot-menu.b # Specifies the location of the map file # map=/boot/map # You can set a password here, and uncomment the `restricted' lines # in the image definitions below to make it so that a password must # be typed to boot anything but a default configuration. If a # command line is given, other than one specified by an `append' # statement in `lilo.conf', the password will be required, but a # standard default boot will not require one. # # This will, for instance, prevent anyone with access to the # console from booting with something like `Linux init=/bin/sh', # and thus becoming `root' without proper authorization. # # Note that if you really need this type of security, you will # likely also want to use `install-mbr' to reconfigure the MBR # program, as well as set up your BIOS to disallow booting from # removable disk or CD-ROM, then put a password on getting into the # BIOS configuration as well. Please RTFM `install-mbr(8)'. # # password=tatercounter2000 # Specifies the number of deciseconds (0.1 seconds) LILO should # wait before booting the first image. # # delay=20 # You can put a customized boot message up if you like. If you use # `prompt', and this computer may need to reboot unattended, you # must specify a `timeout', or it will sit there forever waiting # for a keypress. `single-key' goes with the `alias' lines in the # `image' configurations below. eg: You can press `1' to boot # `Linux', `2' to boot `LinuxOLD', if you uncomment the `alias'. # # message=/boot/bootmess.txt # prompt # single-key # delay=100 # timeout=100 prompt delay=150 # Specifies the VGA text mode at boot time. (normal, extended, ask, <mode>) # # vga=ask # vga=9 # vga=ask # Kernel command line options that apply to all installed images go # here. See: The `boot-prompt-HOWO' and `kernel-parameters.txt' in # the Linux kernel `Documentation' directory. # # append="" # Boot up Linux by default. # default=Debian-acm image=/vmlinuz label=Debian read-only # restricted # alias=1 image=/vmlinuz.old label=LinuxOLD read-only optional # restricted # alias=2 image= /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.17 label=Debian-acm read-only root = /dev/hdg8 append = "video=matrox:vesa:791" vga = 0x030A # If you have another OS on this machine to boot, you can uncomment the # following lines, changing the device name on the `other' line to # where your other OS' partition is. # # other=/dev/hda4 # label=HURD # restricted # alias=3 image=/mnt/hdg13/boot/vmlinuz label = SuSE-8.0 root = /dev/hde13 vga = 788 initrd = /mnt/hdg13/boot/initrd append = " ide=nodma apm=off acpi=off splash=0" # "splash=0" appended 2004/6/9 # 2005/7/1, Debian 3.1 (Sarge) image=/boot/vmlinuz-2.4.17 # /mnt/hdg14/vmlinuz label = Sarge;2.4.17 read-only append = "root=/dev/hdg14 video=matrox:vesa:791" root = /dev/hdg14 # append = "video=matrox:vesa:791" vga = 0x0301 # append = "video=matrox:vesa:791" # vga = 788 # vga = 0x30A # 2005/7/3, Debian 3.1 (Sarge with "native" kernel) image=/mnt/hdg14/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.8-2-386 label = S:2.6.8-2-386 read-only append = "root=/dev/hdg14" # "video=matrox:vesa:791" root = /dev/hdg14 # append = "video=matrox:vesa:791" vga = 0x0301 # append = "video=matrox:vesa:791" # vga = 788 # vga = 0x30A