Re: Installation on external USB harddisk? [and other issues]
On 27.V.2004 at 16:19 (-0300) Martin Michlmayr wrote: > * W. Borgert <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [2004-05-26 17:58]: > > > 1. If the installation failed at some point, one cannot do the > >"install base system" step again - it fails. Instead one has > >not only to redo the partition step again, but one has to > >remove(!) the partition and recreate them. Otherwise cruft > > Hmm, when you mark the partition as format and enter the partitioner > again, is it not formated? Partman remembers that the partition has already been formatted and doesn't format it for second time. Instead of rebooting one could change for example the file system from ext3 to reiserfs and then back to ext3. Alternatively one could also change temporary the method (from "format" to "don't use" and then back to "format"). This is indeed not intuitive. Probably at every start partman has to forget which partitions have been formated. Anton Zinoviev -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Installation on external USB harddisk? [and other issues]
On Fri, May 28, 2004 at 05:50:00PM +0200, W. Borgert wrote: > Quoting "W. Borgert" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > > Quoting Martin Michlmayr <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > > > * W. Borgert <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [2004-05-27 19:33]: > > > > Well, the installer runs from the CD, while the installed > > > > kernel runs from the USB hard-disk and has to work with the > > > > initrd... I don't know, but maybe there's the problem. > > > > > > So what does the kernel print before it dies? > > pivot_root: No such file or directory > /sbin/init: 418: cannot open /dev/console: No such file > Kernel panic: Attempted to kill init! > > The workaround described in > http://lists.debian.org/debian-boot/2004/05/msg03728.html > did not work :-( I'm interested why it did not work. Does kernel complain about being unable to load those modules? Also, I am using Grub. (Sorry for not mentioning it earlier). With LILO, the boot loader has to be reinstalled before exiting from chroot. Przemek. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Installation on external USB harddisk? [and other issues]
Quoting "W. Borgert" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > Quoting Martin Michlmayr <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > > * W. Borgert <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [2004-05-27 19:33]: > > > Well, the installer runs from the CD, while the installed > > > kernel runs from the USB hard-disk and has to work with the > > > initrd... I don't know, but maybe there's the problem. > > > > So what does the kernel print before it dies? pivot_root: No such file or directory /sbin/init: 418: cannot open /dev/console: No such file Kernel panic: Attempted to kill init! The workaround described in http://lists.debian.org/debian-boot/2004/05/msg03728.html did not work :-( Cheers, WB -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Installation on external USB harddisk? [and other issues]
Quoting Martin Michlmayr <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > * W. Borgert <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [2004-05-27 19:33]: > > Well, the installer runs from the CD, while the installed > > kernel runs from the USB hard-disk and has to work with the > > initrd... I don't know, but maybe there's the problem. > > So what does the kernel print before it dies? IIRC, it was sth. like (at least similar): pivot_root: file not found. kernel panic: attempted to kill init! This is what has been reported and worked around today for a similar case: http://lists.debian.org/debian-boot/2004/05/msg03728.html It would be nice, if the "simple, dirty fix" would not be necessary in future versions :-) Nevertheless, I'll ask my colleague to try it out ASAP. Cheers, WB -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Installation on external USB harddisk? [and other issues]
* W. Borgert <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [2004-05-27 19:33]: > Well, the installer runs from the CD, while the installed > kernel runs from the USB hard-disk and has to work with the > initrd... I don't know, but maybe there's the problem. So what does the kernel print before it dies? -- Martin Michlmayr [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Installation on external USB harddisk? [and other issues]
On Thu, May 27, 2004 at 04:19:59PM -0300, Martin Michlmayr wrote: > * W. Borgert <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [2004-05-26 17:58]: > > - installation with either beta4 or current of 2004-05-24 works, > > GRUB and/or LILO can be installed on the MBR of /dev/sda, as > > my collegue did not want to overwrite his /dev/hda-MBR > > - kernel 2.4 and 2.6 start booting, but are panicking during boot > > (I can ask, at which point exactly, if this helps) > > So the debian-installer kernel boots but then the system doesn't boot? Well, the installer runs from the CD, while the installed kernel runs from the USB hard-disk and has to work with the initrd... I don't know, but maybe there's the problem. > That's strange since both use the Debian kernel from the archive. Did > you pass special parameters to d-i? (like "noapic" or so). No special parameters have been used. I can ask my colleague to try out some parameters. > > 1. If the installation failed at some point, one cannot do the > >"install base system" step again - it fails. Instead one has > >not only to redo the partition step again, but one has to > >remove(!) the partition and recreate them. Otherwise cruft > > Hmm, when you mark the partition as format and enter the partitioner > again, is it not formated? Yes, exactly. At least, it seems so. > > 2. It would be nice, if the installer gives a friendly warning, > >if one forgets to create a swap partition :-) > > Maybe, although I'm not sure. Many modern machines have enough RAM > that they don't really need swap. Maybe partman could warn if the > machine has less than a gig of ram or so. That would be helpful esp. for new users. Cheers, WB -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Installation on external USB harddisk? [and other issues]
* W. Borgert <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> [2004-05-26 17:58]: > - installation with either beta4 or current of 2004-05-24 works, > GRUB and/or LILO can be installed on the MBR of /dev/sda, as > my collegue did not want to overwrite his /dev/hda-MBR > - kernel 2.4 and 2.6 start booting, but are panicking during boot > (I can ask, at which point exactly, if this helps) So the debian-installer kernel boots but then the system doesn't boot? That's strange since both use the Debian kernel from the archive. Did you pass special parameters to d-i? (like "noapic" or so). > 1. If the installation failed at some point, one cannot do the >"install base system" step again - it fails. Instead one has >not only to redo the partition step again, but one has to >remove(!) the partition and recreate them. Otherwise cruft Hmm, when you mark the partition as format and enter the partitioner again, is it not formated? > 2. It would be nice, if the installer gives a friendly warning, >if one forgets to create a swap partition :-) Maybe, although I'm not sure. Many modern machines have enough RAM that they don't really need swap. Maybe partman could warn if the machine has less than a gig of ram or so. > 3. There are still display problems with kernel 2.6 (not only >in beta4!) when switching consoles sometimes. > > 4. New users do not know what "Debconf priority" means. This >is Debian newspeak :-) -- Martin Michlmayr [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Installation on external USB harddisk? [and other issues]
A colleague tried this and failed, so I better ask first. Environment: - some relatively new Dell Latitude D800 notebook (i386) - Windows XP occupies 100% of the internal disk (/dev/hda) (and is recognised by the current installer) - external USB 160GB Maxtor harddisk (/dev/sda) 100% for Debian - installation medium: netinst CD (~115 MB) - installation with either beta4 or current of 2004-05-24 works, GRUB and/or LILO can be installed on the MBR of /dev/sda, as my collegue did not want to overwrite his /dev/hda-MBR - kernel 2.4 and 2.6 start booting, but are panicking during boot (I can ask, at which point exactly, if this helps) No formal installation report, as no second stage installation was possible. Other issues, my colleague complainded about: 1. If the installation failed at some point, one cannot do the "install base system" step again - it fails. Instead one has not only to redo the partition step again, but one has to remove(!) the partition and recreate them. Otherwise cruft on the partition stops the base system installation. 2. It would be nice, if the installer gives a friendly warning, if one forgets to create a swap partition :-) 3. There are still display problems with kernel 2.6 (not only in beta4!) when switching consoles sometimes. 4. New users do not know what "Debconf priority" means. This is Debian newspeak :-) Cheers, WB -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
