Fedora Installation Conflict with sym53c8xx SCSI Driver

[Chris Adams]

Once upon a time, Matthew Walburn <matt at math.mit.edu> said:
> I'm trying to install Fedora Core 1.0 on an older VA Linux 501 server. 
> It uses a SCSI controller built on the NCR/LSI 53c810 chip.
> My problem is that I am unable to load the SCSI driver successfully. I 
> get stuck in an endless loop of the following messages:

See bugzilla.redhat.com bug #89593; I've had this problem with the
installer since RHL 9 as well (it also affects RHEL 3).  So far I
haven't had any response from anyone.

I tried sym53c8xx, sym53c8xx_2, and ncr53c8xx, and all three failed.  I
wrote a script that rebuilds the boot floppy with a different kernel
version, and if I build with the RHL 8.0 kernel-BOOT, it works (although
that makes a lot of things harder and really only works for kickstart
installs).  Once the system is installed, it runs fine (i.e. the problem
is something just with the -BOOT kernel).

What is your hardware setup (i.e. mboard, CPU, RAM, hard drives)?  I
wonder if we have anything in common.  My systems that have this problem
are Intel N440BX mboards (which have integrated dual sym53c875 adapters)
with dual PII-500 CPUs and 1G RAM, dual Tekram U2B390 adapters with two
IBM DMVS18D drives on each.  The installer kernel will scan the bus on
the two integrated 875 channels (there's only a CD-ROM drive) with no
problems, but then hang when it hits the first Tekram.

> 2) somehow get the kernel to load the ncr53c8xx driver instead... 
> apparently it's more stable.
> 	
> 	Is there a way for me to force a particular driver at the linux 
> install boot: prompt?

IIRC, you can boot with "prompt" to be asked for which drivers to load,
but I don't know if the old ncr53c8xx driver is on there.

-- 
Chris Adams <cmadams at hiwaay.net>
Systems and Network Administrator - HiWAAY Internet Services
I don't speak for anybody but myself - that's enough trouble.