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My LinHes boot doesn't come very far
http://forums.linhes.org/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=20740		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  cahlfors [ Mon Jan 04, 2010 8:12 am ]
Post subject:  My LinHes boot doesn't come very far
I've rehearsed the upgrade procedure under Virtualbox and felt ready to take the plunge, but when I came to the "production server" (like it has thousands of users...), the CD boot stalled. I've tried to recreate it on a similar box (IBM 342 server - both from 2001 or so) and it stalls in approximately the same place. Here is a screenshot of the boot:
Image
The screen flashes briefly every 5-10 seconds, as if it attempts to do something. The no-ACPI and no-SMP options don't make any perceivable difference. My production box actually had three more lines after the S3 statement about things with MySQL (adding users and stuff or something). The "B" at the bottom is the result of something I did when switching between consoles - disregard that. Oh, did I say that the install just hangs here forever?

I did a cat syslog (or was it dmesg?):
Image
The statements at the bottom keep repeating themselves for pages and pages. I note that there is something about the network on this screen.

Suggestions anyone?

Thanks,
/Chris
Author:  cahlfors [ Wed Jan 06, 2010 6:31 pm ]
Post subject: 
Quote:
The no-ACPI and no-SMP options don't make any perceivable difference.

Oops - that was another CD I was fiddling with. :oops:

I've now tried booting with a standard Arch live CD and it booted OK. I'm really out of clues here. :(

/Chris
Author:  Greg Frost [ Wed Jan 06, 2010 9:34 pm ]
Post subject: 
it looks like it has decided to use s3 graphics, but for some reason X didnt start. Are you able to look for the Xorg log file? That may give some clues? Can you install an nvidia card?
Author:  cahlfors [ Fri Jan 08, 2010 5:56 am ]
Post subject: 
Ah, is that what S3 is about! I thought it had something to do with suspension modes - rather odd for an installation program, I thought! :lol:

It turns out that you're so right. End of the xorg log says "no device found". The output device was using an openchrome driver, so I changed that to vesa and off it went!

Since this is a backend, I don't need any good graphics. I essentially just use the frontend to activate the babysit script. Besides, I've used all my slots for receivers and have nowhere to put an nVidia card.

I'll now try again on the production box! 8)

Thanks Greg!

/Chris, Stockholm (-15 C, brrr)
Author:  cahlfors [ Fri Jan 08, 2010 9:48 am ]
Post subject: 
Alas, it worked only partially on the production box. X starts when I change it to vesa, but only gets to the yellow LinHes background. The blue setup screen (with the full install, upgrade etc options) does not start. Is there a way to start it manually?

Thanks,
/Chris
Author:  Greg Frost [ Fri Jan 08, 2010 6:19 pm ]
Post subject: 
Try running mythinstall. That is the installer program. If it gives an error message, that may give a clue.
Author:  cahlfors [ Sun Jan 10, 2010 4:18 am ]
Post subject: 
Running mythinstall, it says:
Bus error

:(
/Chris
Author:  cahlfors [ Sun Apr 04, 2010 8:32 am ]
Post subject: 
For a while, I've been thinking that I suffer from this problem:
http://bugs.archlinux.org/task/16374
I get tons of "SQUASHFS error", leading me to think that something is wrong with the image. I have now verified the md5sum of the CD itself and it's OK. It also boots successfully on one of my servers, but not on the others. They are quite similar, but maybe not exactly?

This weekend I got the idea that maybe it's connected to the CD drives? :idea: So I took a brand new DVD writer and tried, but no luck. Maybe the old CD readers? Had one of those too, but no luck. But it did boot successfully on one of the servers, right? So, what if I move that reader to the production box and attempt a boot? SUCCESS!

Now, this is <insert your most powerful superlative here> incredible! Out of five (5) slimline CD readers and DVD writers, two of them new, one (and old CD reader) will boot the image successfully - the rest will hang in various stages!!! :shock: Some will hang already on "initializing kernel" and others after X is started (after changing xorg.conf to vesa).

I don't know what to believe or what conclusions to draw - have to go figure. :?

Cheers,
/Chris
Author:  tjc [ Sun Apr 04, 2010 9:32 am ]
Post subject: 
When you burrn your own CDs or DVDs this is an occasional but inevitable hazard. Even very experienced users will occasionally get seriously hung up on this problem. For example, in the testing run up to one of the KnoppMyth 5 releases, one of the guys had a problem like this with a re-writable CD that he "knew" was good. Sometimes it's just a combination of a particular drives oddities and a marginal CD, either due tot the media itself or the drive that burned it.

My take away has always been to double check everything. Downloading ISOs and blank CDs are relatively cheap versus hours of tearing your hair out. If one gives me problems I'll go back, re-verify the image (not just with MD5, occasionally I've re-downloaded and run other checksums against both images), re-burn the CD (often on a different brand of media or a different machine), and try again. The number of times that this has "magically" fixed a problem is significant.
Author:  snaproll [ Sun Apr 04, 2010 10:23 am ]
Post subject: 
I'll attest to the fact that getting a good CD is a real hair-tearer, even in this day & age.....

You don't know for certain you got a good one until it goes the whole install and things run properly.

The number of things that can go wrong when you 'know' they're 'good' are amazing. I have a repertoire of CD brands I run through to find one the drive 'likes'... :roll:

There's nothing more annoying than finding the burned disk 'fails to verify'.... :twisted:

I often limit the burn to 24x 'cuz 'automatic' speed seems to cause a lot of bad disks.
Author:  cahlfors [ Sun Apr 04, 2010 11:34 am ]
Post subject: 
I guess the "permanent" solution to that problem is USB sticks. :D

Too bad I'm stuck with old hardware. :(

I remember the final days of diskettes. Most went into the garbage.

Cheers,
/Chris
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