Can't format for slackware install!

duerra · 12-17-2003, 03:31 PM

I just had my new server come in, and I'm attempting to install slackware 9.1 on it. However, I can't get past the fdisk phase of formatting my hard disk.... because it can't find the drive. I have tried fdisk /dev/hba, /dev/sda, etc, but all I ever get is the "Unable to Open" error message. I cannot seem to use cfdisk because of this, either.

Help!!

Tinkster · 12-17-2003, 03:33 PM

A bit more info on the hardware involved?

What type of interface?

Cheers,
Tink

duerra · 12-17-2003, 03:51 PM

:-s

Pardon me, I'm new.

It's a 36 GB SCSI HDD.

2, 2.4 GHz Xeon processors, no software/OS installed when shipped.

Tinkster · 12-17-2003, 04:11 PM

Know the SCSI controller by any chance?

Cheers,
Tink

duerra · 12-17-2003, 04:30 PM

LSI 53C1030

Apparently this is a new controller that Dell uses =/

Tinkster · 12-17-2003, 04:41 PM

Should be supported in the kernel since 2.4.7 or something.

Cheers,
Tink

duerra · 12-17-2003, 04:45 PM

really bud... this isn't helping me. I need to do fdisk, and it can't find my drive to format.... I haven't a clue what I'm doing with fdisk, I'm just starting Linux... if you have anything more to help with, I'd highly appreciate anything you can offer... just be sure not to talk over my head

duerra · 12-17-2003, 04:54 PM

Ok.... I think I might have found it under cfdisk /dev/hdc

However, it says that the opened disk is read-only, and that I won't be able to write. Not only that, but it says that it is only 649MB large.

=/ Sorry to be such a nuissance

Peacedog · 12-17-2003, 05:06 PM

thats probably a cdrom or dvd drive. try fdisk /dev/sda

duerra · 12-17-2003, 05:24 PM

Thanks, Peacedog, but no. My drive isn't under /dev/sda :-/

These are what I have tried. Don't laugh if they make no sense to you, remember, I have no clue what I'm doing when looking for this drive

/dev/sda
/dev/sdb
/dev/sdc
/dev/sdd
/dev/hda
/dev/hdb
/dev/hdc <---- The CD Drive
/dev/hdd

Now, I'm sure I've tried other weird names, too. With numbers, even. I've tried everything I can think of with "hd" and "sc", because I figure that stands for something like "hard drive" and "SCSI drive", but I wouldn't know.

Peacedog · 12-17-2003, 05:33 PM

i'm going to look around and see what i can find on the controller. /dev/sdX (x represents a drive letter) should have worked. i just used that a few days ago. what kernel did you load at boot?

duerra · 12-17-2003, 05:36 PM

Whatever kernel the slackware downloaded install disk uses. This is a virgin install on a virgin HDD.

I would appreciate any help you can dig up... I'm stumped =/

Peacedog · 12-17-2003, 05:45 PM

you have probably booted to the bare.i kernel which is for ide support. try restarting the install and when asked which kernel to boot to try scsi.s or one of the other scsi support kernels. take a look here

http://www.slackware.com/install/bootdisk.php

keep in mind that you do not have to make a bootdisk. you can boot from the cd and you should have an option of which kernel to boot to. hope that helps.
post any success or failure.
good luck.

duerra · 12-17-2003, 06:12 PM

Yes, I was using bare.i

I tried using scsi.s, and it did not work with /dev/sd(x) or /dev/hd(x)

I tried loading scsinet.s too, but it says it could not find that kernel image.

Peacedog · 12-17-2003, 06:33 PM

trying /dev/hd(x) is not going to work regardless, if it is infact a scsi hard drive. with that in mind you could try some of the other scsi support kernels from the list i linked to above. i'll take a look at the list and see what i can find.
good luck.