Install on PC164, was: CentOS 4.2 for alpha

[Robert Williams <bob@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Installing CentOS 4.2 on a PC164 where SRM "show dev" sees
only dqa0 (hda) and the floppy:

I've copied the cdrom.img, generic.img,  ramdisk.img, and vmlinux.gz
files to the /boot partition of my RH7.2 system and I can
use SRM and aboot to run the new kernel and load the images,
but:

1.  After loading cdrom.img, my BusLogic BT958 is initialized but
then I see an "Illegal CCD #...." error reported on console 4
that continues to retry until I stop it.  This device works fine
using the 2.4 kernel in RH7.2.

2.  After loading generic.img, and ramdisk.img, the boot panics
with a request to set the "root=" option.   Of course when I set
"root=/dev/hda4" where my current system is rooted, the system
does not boot to an install, but rather to that file system.

When I try "root=ramdisk.img"  (I'm just guessing now about
what SRM and aboot flags may work.  I can't find a complete list
of flags.) the system again initializes the BusLogic BT958 and
goes into the infinite error loop.

Short of disconnecting my BT958, is there a flag to inhibit
the loading of the scsi driver,  or are there any other options
available to me?

Best wishes,
Bob
Michal Jaegermann wrote:
> On Fri, Oct 21, 2005 at 10:48:17PM +0300, Pasi Pirhonen wrote:
>  
> > On Fri, Oct 21, 2005 at 02:30:11PM -0400, Robert Williams wrote:
> >    
> > > Now I'm looking at the floppy boot images, generic.img
> > > etc...they are too big.   My boxes only see the floppy
> > > device and one hard disk.  Can anyone give some advice
> > > about whether I should try this install and how to get
> > > started?
> > >      
> > From the methods you seem to be able to so, i'd say putting the 
> >
> > /kernels/vmlinux.gz
> > /images/cdrom.img
> >
> > on running system /boot dir and making suitable aboot entry for it,
> > should get one going. It would be one wat trip tho when installed over,
> >    
>
> If you have enough space on /boot to add your "run-kernel" to the mix
> then you do not have to reformat that partition and then you can try
> multiple times if some extra kernel options turn out to be handy.
> I would refrain from converting that partition to ext3 in any case.
> What you will reformat during an installation is indeed "one-way".
>
> If you do not have a suitable small partition to mount on /boot you
> should be able to carve one using resize2fs.  I do not know if it is
> available in an installation image but once you booted into a "rescue"
> mode you can bring a network up and pull in various extra tools
> (assuming, of course, that you have a network and something to put there
> as a server - at least some of ftp, http, ssh, rsync will be available).
>
>  
> > When there actually is no CD-ROM and the rest of the installer, it
> > failsafes and ask you from where you want to fetch the sencond stage
> > installer (ftp,http,nfs) and walk you thru from there.
> >    
>
> A network install should be actually faster than swapping CDs in
> a slow drive, even if one available.  You need a disk space, even
> if only for a time beeing, for a content of installation CDs.
> In a pinch you should be able to install from a partition of your
> own drive.  Whatever will later become /home likely should be big
> enough.  You can always reformat that one later.  I did not ever
> try something of that sort to that extent but it should work.
>
> If you can attach that disk to some other Linux machine then
> a "screwdriver solution" for preparing an initial disk layout is
> also possible; aboot surely fits on a floppy.  Check first that
> you indeed can boot using installation images.
>
>   Michal
>
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--
Dr. Robert Williams
Department of Biomedical Informatics
Uniformed Services University
301-295-3568