boot strangeness - FC2 scsi - expanded.

[akonstam at trinity.edu]

On Thu, Jan 13, 2005 at 07:50:27PM -0600, akonstam at trinity.edu wrote:
> WE are attempting to configure a SCSI machine by loading a running
> system from a machine with only ide drives. Of course we have changed
> the grub to access SCSI drives. Also changed the fstab. The machine is
> a dual processor machine which is all SCSI.
> 
> Now the machine when booting displays the FC2 grub choice screen.
> After the choice is made the kernel is accessed but then the machine
> goes into what seems to be an indefinite hang. But actually, after a
> half hour or an hour (we have not measured this accurately since it
> took so long) the machine continues its boot. Now in looking at the
> system files on the machine we find the strange fact that the /initrd
> file still seems to contain the files of the ram disk. It is not
> emptied as it should have been.
> 
> The system logs shows nothing that indicates delay except the system
> keeps searching for ide drives that don't exist. 
> We have done this process copying the system in this way several times
> before with earlier versions of linux but not we can't make it work.
> 
> Can any one suggest anyplace we can look to identify the problem?
> -- 
Well I am moving slowly towards solving the slow boot problem. Let me
add some facts another queston. The boot takes over an hour. All that
is produced after choosing a kernel in the grub menu is a dispaly od
the kernel line chosen and the initrd file chosen. And then for a hour
the machine sits ther with no disk activity what so ever. 

No once booted the display of demsg seems normal until ther is an
APIC error (40) on CPU 1

Now this machine has two Pentium III processors. Are not Pentium III
ipricessors P5's. If so Local APIC is disabled on p5-s. Is this a problem
or am I spinning my wheels?
-- 

=======================================================================
Nowlan's Theory:
	He who hesitates is not only lost, but several miles from
	the next freeway exit.
-------------------------------------------
Aaron Konstam
Computer Science
Trinity University
One Trinity Place.
San Antonio, TX 78212-7200

telephone: (210)-999-7484
email:akonstam at trinity.edu