Re: [SLUG] Booting problem with SCSI machine
My last message didn't seem to go through but the solution to the problem (for me at least) was to disable all the IDE channels in the bios. Even though I have a DVD+RW IDE drive it was the only option to get grub to boot. On Wed, 26 Jun 2002, Melinda Taylor wrote: :: ::Hah! I was about to email with the *exact* same problem! :: ::I did the install of 7.3 and can boot just fine with the floppy ::but when I try to boot off the hard disk I get the no operating system ::message as well. :: ::I have a TYAN K7X and dual athlon 2000+ and onboard adaptec U160 SCSI ::controller (AIC_7899) with a 36GB 15000rpm X15 U160 seagate cheetah. :: ::I have scoured the web for solutions and found that for the disk to boot ::the SCSI ID of the boot disk must be 0 or 1 which it was. A few other ::sites hinted that enabling or disabling INT 13 support in the SCSI bios ::may fix the problem, it didn't. :: ::I tried installing lilo instead of grub - the same error message so I ::returned to grub which I like better. I tried another install not putting ::the boot info on the MBR but on the first disk slice (/dev/sda1) with the ::same result. :: ::I made a grub boot disk and if I use it and type root (hd0) which it ::must be as there is only one disk it gives an error. SO I definately think ::there is a problem with the bios seeing the disk as a bootable drive. :: ::Any suggestions would be appreciated. :: ::Many Thanks, :: ::Melinda :: :: ::On Tue, 25 Jun 2002, Matt Hyne wrote: :: I have been having trouble getting a machine to boot lilo (or anything from HDD) after an install of RH7.3. Lilo is installed (and I ran it again for good measure) but the only way I can get linux to boot is to use the boot floppy I created at install time. The machine is a PII-400 with an Intel MB, NCR SCSI adaptor (sym53c8xx) and a 4.3Gb HDD. I also tried recreating the initrd (and it is in lilo) but still it tells me that there is no operating system found when it try to boot the disk. Any ideas ? Matt -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug :: :: -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
Re: [SLUG] Booting problem with SCSI machine
At Tuesday, 25-06-02 18:20 (+1000), Terry Collins wrote:
Matt Hyne wrote:
The machine is a PII-400 with an Intel MB, NCR SCSI adaptor (sym53c8xx) and
a 4.3Gb HDD.
Does the kernel specifically recognise the sym53c8xx ?
either it doesn't and/or this particular SCSI card is not bootable.
Well, the kernel does have the support - since it is also on the boot floppy.
I know the SCSI card is bootable as before linux it was running BSD and
booting this from the HDD.
(The SCSI controller is on board the Intel motherboard)
Matt
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Terry Collins {:-)}}} Ph(02) 4627 2186 Fax(02) 4628 7861
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] www: http://www.woa.com.au
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Re: [SLUG] Booting problem with SCSI machine
Hah! I was about to email with the *exact* same problem! I did the install of 7.3 and can boot just fine with the floppy but when I try to boot off the hard disk I get the no operating system message as well. I have a TYAN K7X and dual athlon 2000+ and onboard adaptec U160 SCSI controller (AIC_7899) with a 36GB 15000rpm X15 U160 seagate cheetah. I have scoured the web for solutions and found that for the disk to boot the SCSI ID of the boot disk must be 0 or 1 which it was. A few other sites hinted that enabling or disabling INT 13 support in the SCSI bios may fix the problem, it didn't. I tried installing lilo instead of grub - the same error message so I returned to grub which I like better. I tried another install not putting the boot info on the MBR but on the first disk slice (/dev/sda1) with the same result. I made a grub boot disk and if I use it and type root (hd0) which it must be as there is only one disk it gives an error. SO I definately think there is a problem with the bios seeing the disk as a bootable drive. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Many Thanks, Melinda On Tue, 25 Jun 2002, Matt Hyne wrote: :: ::I have been having trouble getting a machine to boot lilo (or anything ::from HDD) after an install of RH7.3. :: ::Lilo is installed (and I ran it again for good measure) but the only way I ::can get linux to boot is to use the boot floppy I created at install time. :: ::The machine is a PII-400 with an Intel MB, NCR SCSI adaptor (sym53c8xx) and ::a 4.3Gb HDD. :: ::I also tried recreating the initrd (and it is in lilo) but still it tells ::me that there is no operating system found when it try to boot the disk. :: ::Any ideas ? :: ::Matt :: ::-- ::SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ ::More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug :: -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
Re: [SLUG] Booting problem with SCSI machine
Matt Hyne wrote: I have been having trouble getting a machine to boot lilo (or anything from HDD) after an install of RH7.3. Lilo is installed (and I ran it again for good measure) but the only way I can get linux to boot is to use the boot floppy I created at install time. LILO is a 16-bit program which only uses BIOS services. So issues like Linux support for the SCSI driver don't enter into the picture at that stage of the boot process. Your SCSI card should contain a boot BIOS, this is detected by the motherboard's BIOS when the machine boots. The motherboard BIOS will call the SCSI card's BIOS to spin up the drive as the machine boots. You should see the disk lights flash. Later the motherboard BIOS will go looking for a bootable drive, it will start with the motherboard (IDE) drives and, if there is no bootable drive on that controller, try each of the controllers on the ISA/PCI bus. The SCSI controller's BIOS will provide the motherboard BIOS with facilities to di disk I/O -- in this case to read the partition table and the boot block. LILO should be loaded from that boot block. LILO will use calls to the motherboard BIOS to do disk I/O. If the LILO's I/O request refers to the SCSI drive then the motherboard BIOS will call the SCSI controller BIOS to satisfy that I/O request. LILO will load the Linux image, and then jump to a particular address in that image. Linux will then be running in 16-bit mode. It will move to 32-bit mode, at which stage the 16-bit BIOS calls are no longer accessible and Linux had better have a 32-bit device driver 'module' for your SCSI controler handy (usually in initrd, a initial RAM drive loaded by LILO along with the Linux image). --- Since when Linux boots from the floppy and can access the SCSI disk we can assume that the SCSI controllr device driver module exists and works. So the most likely cause of failures from your description are: - The SCSI controller's BIOS is not activated. You usually do this by pressing a magic key chord during the boot process, which enters a configuration dialogue. The option might be called boot BIOS or boot ROM. You want it on. You can only turn this on for one SCSI controller in your system. - Your controller actually has a DIP socket for a boot ROM, but no boot ROM is in the socket. This is only likely if your controller is old. - You have exceeded the BIOS limitations on searching for a bootable drive. You can only boot from the first two motherboard devices or the first two controller devices. So if you have a SCSI bus with 3 disks, the bootable disk had better not be the last SCSI disk discovered by the SCSI controller -- you influence the disk discover order by using the SCSI ID. All this assumes that you have no SCSI issues. Note the SCSI bus settings from the running Linux system. Configure the SCSI controller BIOS to have the same settings. Regards, Glen -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
Re: [SLUG] Booting problem with SCSI machine
Thanks Glen for the in-depth description. All make sense, but I am still at a loss. 1. The boot bios is enabled. 2. SCSI device is on ID0. 3. SCSI runs fine once linux is loaded from a floppy. So it is damb weird. The is detected ok, but the BIOS fails to see an OS. Matt At Wednesday, 26-06-02 15:18 (+0930), Glen Turner wrote: Matt Hyne wrote: I have been having trouble getting a machine to boot lilo (or anything from HDD) after an install of RH7.3. Lilo is installed (and I ran it again for good measure) but the only way I can get linux to boot is to use the boot floppy I created at install time. LILO is a 16-bit program which only uses BIOS services. So issues like Linux support for the SCSI driver don't enter into the picture at that stage of the boot process. Your SCSI card should contain a boot BIOS, this is detected by the motherboard's BIOS when the machine boots. The motherboard BIOS will call the SCSI card's BIOS to spin up the drive as the machine boots. You should see the disk lights flash. Later the motherboard BIOS will go looking for a bootable drive, it will start with the motherboard (IDE) drives and, if there is no bootable drive on that controller, try each of the controllers on the ISA/PCI bus. The SCSI controller's BIOS will provide the motherboard BIOS with facilities to di disk I/O -- in this case to read the partition table and the boot block. LILO should be loaded from that boot block. LILO will use calls to the motherboard BIOS to do disk I/O. If the LILO's I/O request refers to the SCSI drive then the motherboard BIOS will call the SCSI controller BIOS to satisfy that I/O request. LILO will load the Linux image, and then jump to a particular address in that image. Linux will then be running in 16-bit mode. It will move to 32-bit mode, at which stage the 16-bit BIOS calls are no longer accessible and Linux had better have a 32-bit device driver 'module' for your SCSI controler handy (usually in initrd, a initial RAM drive loaded by LILO along with the Linux image). --- Since when Linux boots from the floppy and can access the SCSI disk we can assume that the SCSI controllr device driver module exists and works. So the most likely cause of failures from your description are: - The SCSI controller's BIOS is not activated. You usually do this by pressing a magic key chord during the boot process, which enters a configuration dialogue. The option might be called boot BIOS or boot ROM. You want it on. You can only turn this on for one SCSI controller in your system. - Your controller actually has a DIP socket for a boot ROM, but no boot ROM is in the socket. This is only likely if your controller is old. - You have exceeded the BIOS limitations on searching for a bootable drive. You can only boot from the first two motherboard devices or the first two controller devices. So if you have a SCSI bus with 3 disks, the bootable disk had better not be the last SCSI disk discovered by the SCSI controller -- you influence the disk discover order by using the SCSI ID. All this assumes that you have no SCSI issues. Note the SCSI bus settings from the running Linux system. Configure the SCSI controller BIOS to have the same settings. Regards, Glen -- SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/ More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
Re: [SLUG] Booting problem with SCSI machine
Matt Hyne wrote:
The machine is a PII-400 with an Intel MB, NCR SCSI adaptor (sym53c8xx) and
a 4.3Gb HDD.
Does the kernel specifically recognise the sym53c8xx ?
either it doesn't and/or this particular SCSI card is not bootable.
--
Terry Collins {:-)}}} Ph(02) 4627 2186 Fax(02) 4628 7861
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] www: http://www.woa.com.au
Wombat Outdoor Adventures Bicycles, Books, Computers, GIS
People without trees are like fish without clean water
--
SLUG - Sydney Linux User's Group - http://slug.org.au/
More Info: http://lists.slug.org.au/listinfo/slug
