SCSI CD-ROM support on an HP NetServer LH II?

green_boy · 07-24-2009, 07:40 PM

Hello all, I have a bit of a problem with installing all flavours of linux on an HP NetServer LH II. This particular machine exhibits a wide range of symptoms when introduced to each flavour. For example, with Gentoo I boot from the install disk and load the default kernel: gentoo. It loads the kernel package into memory, then reboots. Same happens if i load the gentoo-nofb kernel, which I have no idea how it's different from the standard kernel. Anyway, neither works but I can boot into Memtest86 on that same cd. Move to Dyne:Bolic Live CD. The system boots to kernel but fails to make it all the way to the GUI and halts at a shell wherein I can not log into. Finally, trying a version of Mandrake I've had for a while (version 10.0, yes I know, I'll upgrade the kernel after install) I am yielded a less cryptic response. The system boots from the CD then begins it's process of detecting all the devices on the system. However, when I get to the point where it detects the CD-ROM drive that it just booted from it doesn't find the device and I can proceed no further. I've tried specifying the AIC-78xx driver so that it can use the SCSI interface the CD-ROM is hooked into but it fails each time. It's a Toshiba SCSI CD-ROM if that makes a bit of difference. Please help!

onebuck · 07-28-2009, 05:00 PM

Hi,

Welcome to LQ!

You did not state the versions for the distribution that you have tried. I suggest that you try 'Slackware 12.2'. Be sure to check the md5sum for the download.

You can read the text files on the cd1/dvd to get some useful information.

The above link and others available from 'Slackware-Links'. More than just Slackware® links!

BTW, Slackware is noted for it's server use.

green_boy · 07-29-2009, 12:32 AM

First off, thanks for pointing out the glaring obvious. I have already run a forum search using a few dozen keywords. If you have a forum thread to link to that I couldn't find, that'd be great. Anyway, here are the versions as I have them written on the CDs:

Mandrake 10.0 (known stable release)

Gentoo 2005

I have also tried out Slackware, the version you suggested. The system crashed when it tried to load up the interface and halted.

More info:
I ran a memory stress test and CPU stress test on this machine to check to see if it was failing hardware, and benched both components for 48 hours apiece. Both checked out.

onebuck · 07-29-2009, 09:42 AM

Hi,

What errors did you receive when you tried Slackware 12.2?
Which kernel, huge.s or huge-smp?

Try passing 'noapic' to the kernel at boot and try the smp kernel first.

cgtueno · 08-06-2009, 10:13 AM

Hi

May I suggest that you remove the (optional) plug-in RAID controller, connect one HDD cage RAID cable directly to the single channel SCSI controller integrated into the planar board (so you have HDDs on which to install an OS), and try installing Red Hat 9 or 8.

It will be interesting to see if the install is successful with the RAID controller removed.

If successful, then reinstall the plug-in RAID controller with only one HDD cage cable isntalled (ie HDDs on a single channel), and repeat the test.

Chris

green_boy · 08-07-2009, 12:19 AM

Onebuck, I wish I could tell you what that error was, but there is no error. Everything just stops dead. It will sit on "loading vmlinuz" for a couple hours.

It seems to be a non-issue now, because the server is dead. The CPUs sorta died . . . no, they literally died. The thermal compound burned if that gives you an idea. It's now not an issue of this server not booting from linux, it's a matter of not booting at all. What a shame.