F8 install failure at xinit

[Gene Heskett]

On Saturday 15 December 2007, David Boles wrote:
>Gene Heskett wrote:
>> On Saturday 15 December 2007, David Boles wrote:
>>> Gene Heskett wrote:
>>>> On Saturday 15 December 2007, David Boles wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Regarding that, no.  I checked the boxes, gave it good network settings
>>>> all pointing at my DD-WRT router, and that all Just Worked(TM).
>>>
>>> Gene, this is on the screen where it says something like Desktop Install
>>> (default) with a check box for Development, and a check box for Web
>>> Server(?) not sure exactly what it says there. At the bottom is the
>>> option to 'customize now or later'. In the middle is a section with a
>>> check box that offers you to add repos. As many as you would like. Here
>>> is where you would do that. But you need to first get the site name
>>> <ftp://somename.com> along with the path to the proper place for the
>>> files in the 'everything' folder data for Anaconda to find them.
>>>
>>> This is what I was referring to when I said that I doubted that most
>>> would be prepared to do this.
>>>
>>> Good luck.
>>> --
>>>
>>>
>>>  David
>>
>> I think that is a pretty good description David.  I didn't fill in for any
>> extra's because I wasn't prepared with a list of url's and without a lot
>> of prep, I doubt too many would be.
>>
>> Now, update in F8 install #2 now that I've had a cuppa or 2.
>>
>> As above I gave it network params all pointed at my dd-wrt box and it did
>> quite a bit of traffic over it getting ready for the install, which at
>> 1537 packages, was error free.  However, on the reboot, the sata drive I
>> had just installed it all on was invisible, so it rebooted back to FC6 on
>> the ide drives.  At this point I'm inclined to 'mount -t ext3 /dev/sda1
>> /mnt/bootf8' and see whats there, moving the kernel and initrd back to
>> /dev/hda1 (/boot), and copy the new grub.conf's contents to another stanza
>> in the one on /dev/hda1 and see if that will work.
>>
>> Mounted, and an ls shows:
>> [root at coyote drivers]# ls /mnt/bootf8
>> config-2.6.23.1-42.fc8  grub  initrd-2.6.23.1-42.fc8.img  lost+found
>> System.map-2.6.23.1-42.fc8  vmlinuz-2.6.23.1-42.fc8
>>
>> and a cat of /mnt/bootf8/grub/grub.conf:
>> -------------
>> default=0
>> timeout=5
>> splashimage=(hd0,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
>> hiddenmenu
>> title Fedora (2.6.23.1-42.fc8)
>>         root (hd0,0)
>>         kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.23.1-42.fc8 ro root=/dev/VolGroup01/LogVol00
>> rhgb quiet
>>         initrd /initrd-2.6.23.1-42.fc8.img
>> title Other
>>         rootnoverify (hd1,1)
>>         chainloader +1
>>
>> Is this a feasable plan of attack?  What do I do with the 'root (hd0,0)'
>> or does that count since this is grub, and the kernel & initrd have yet to
>> be loaded, screwing with the device.map in /boot/grub?
>>
>> Or, do I edit my current /boot/grub/device.map to place hd0 as /dev/sda &
>> hd1 as sdb as shown in the new device.map written during the install? 
>> Inquiring minds want to know. :)
>>
>> Thanks.
>
>I am not exactly clear as to what you are doing.

As Fc6 see's my drives:
[root at coyote boot]# df
Filesystem           1K-blocks      Used Available Use% Mounted on
/dev/mapper/VolGroup00-LogVol00
                     149186740  82140792  59345468  59% /
/dev/hda1               101086     70468     25399  74% /boot
tmpfs                   518016         0    518016   0% /dev/shm
/dev/hdd3            297068936 212585856  69392824  76% /amandatapes

There is also an hdb, an old FC2 install, but it isn't mounted, just spinning.

>Two questions. I gather that this new drive is in the boot list of the
>BIOS?

No, it is not discovered by the bios even when you tell it to scan for drives.

>Is it before the drive with FC-6?  The one that boots? 

First only in /dev/sda1's/boot/grub/device.map

>Floppy, CD, HD, ??

400GB Hitachi deathstar sata hard drive, attached to this (whatever the hell 
it is) controller.

I ordered a card with what was said to be an ALI chipset on it, the boxes 
picture shows it as a Silicon Image, and the card itself has:

01:0a.0 RAID bus controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT6421 IDE RAID Controller 
(rev 50)
        Subsystem: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT6421 IDE RAID Controller
        Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- 
Stepping- SERR- FastB2B-
        Status: Cap+ 66MHz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- 
<TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR-
        Latency: 32
        Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 19
        Region 0: I/O ports at 9400 [size=16]
        Region 1: I/O ports at 9800 [size=16]
        Region 2: I/O ports at 9c00 [size=16]
        Region 3: I/O ports at a000 [size=16]
        Region 4: I/O ports at a400 [size=32]
        Region 5: I/O ports at a800 [size=256]
        [virtual] Expansion ROM at e5000000 [disabled] [size=64K]
        Capabilities: [e0] Power Management version 2
                Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1- D2- AuxCurrent=0mA 
PME(D0-,D1-,D2-,D3hot-,D3cold-)
                Status: D0 PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-

a VIA chip actually on it.  So much for getting what one buys on the net these 
days, even from TigerDirect...

>And where did you tell Anaconda to but the Grub starter code?

s/but/put I assume?

I told it not to touch any of my older drives, and it put all the bootfiles 
on /dev/sda1, with the f8 install on /dev/sda2 as VolGroup01.  Unforch, udev 
does not generate the /dev/VolGroup01 tree when FC6 starts it, so I'm not 
sure how to go about mounting it on /mnt/f8-slash to dig around in 
it.  /dev/sda1 mounted on /mnt/bootf8 looks boringly normal.

Maybe editing udev's rules is in order?

>Which 
>might be your problem. The Grub that is in the MBR on the first bootablr
>device is pointed at the file on  the HD. The menu.lst is just that a
>menu that points to various drives/sectors.
>
>Is this your first multi-boot install? That is what you are trying to do
>correct?

No, I have a chainloader setup on my lappy to boot a small xp partition.  And 
I'm fairly familiar with editing grub.conf as I do this everytime I install a 
new kernel, about weekkly, and am currently booted to 2.6.24-rc5.  Locally 
built of course.

And yes, a multiboot, with FC6 on IDE0/master, and F8 on sata0.  IDE stuff is 
on mainboard. sata is on this new card.

>It is not difficult but hmm..  different.  ;-)

Only cuz the bios doesn't see any of this.  Therein defines the connundrum.

Thanks David.

-- 
Cheers, Gene
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
 soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
If you didn't get caught, did you really do it?