Hello everybody, after many problems I finally could install Sarge on an HP NetServer LH4. This server has two SCSI hard disks.
The following info was gathered using a Gnome tool (maybe GST) from a previous RedHat installation. Hard disks: two MegaRAID LD0 and LD1 RAID1 17365R. SCSI devices: two 53c895 from LSI Logic/Symbios Logic with driver sym53c8xx; one MegaRAID T5, Integrated HP NetRAID from AMI with driver megaraid. CDROM: one CD-540E I couldn't install Sarge directly. I tried with 2.4 kernel but got an error while executing "modprobe -v sym53c8xx_2". As I didn't know what to do I tried also booting with acpi=off and pci=noacpi and also with a parameter which sounded something like sym53c88xx=safe:y. So I the installer couldn't see my HDs. I tried with 2.6 kernel but I got a Kernel panic message. So I installed Woody. I could only install booting with "vanilla". But after installation I found that it didn't see my CDROM anymore. So I couldn't upgrade to Sarge. What I did worked for me, but actually I don't know why. I installed devfs (I don't rememeber how I could do this and the exact sequence as I made so many tries...). I installed SCSI emulation for CDROM by adding "ide-scsi" to /etc/modules, adding "append="hda=ide-scsi max_scsi_luns=1"" to /etc/lilo.conf, creating a symlink: # rm -f /dev/cdrom # ln -s /dev/scd0 /dev/cdrom and modifying /etc/fstab accordingly. Then I upgraded from Woody to Sarge by following instructions on the Release Notes for Debian Sarge (Chapter 4). I tried to install a 2.6 kernel but I still got a Kernel panic message. But I can stay with a 2.4 kernel. I also wanted to install root on LVM. But from many tries and from many searches the internet I found that there is no way to do it with Debian (unless you compile your own kernel and I don't want to, at least not now). Essentially it seems to be a problem with lvmcreate_imagerd and cramfs (I got a "crams: wrong magic" message at boot). So I left / on an ext2 partition and moved only /var to an LVM volume. Although I couldn't do all the things I liked (ie. install Sarge directly, install root on LVM, install a 2.6 kernel) and this installation took me much time, I learned many things (well much more than I knew before:)) and I now have a working Sarge. Furthermore inserting the server on myy company LAN was so easy (thanks to Debian and Gnome tools!!!). But I still don't understand some things. So I have a few questions. May anyone please explain me why what I did worked? Why couldn't I install directly Sarge? What was the best way to do it? Why can't I install a 2.6 kernel? Finally I wish to thank to everybody on this list who helped me answering my questions. Best regards, Marco Ballini