Here's one I've never seen - maybe someone can help me. Client is a not-for-profit. Inherited a Proliant 2500 (SMP 200 MHz Pentium Pro CPU x 2, Smart-2/P RAID with 3x 4.3 GB and 2x 18 GB configured as 1 RAID 5 and 1 RAID 0). 196 MB of ECC SDRAM. I suggested Linux with Samba to save money. The 4.3 RAID Array is the boot partition. System had NT 4.0 which ran fine but we had no CD or license.

Anyways. Put RH 7.2 CD in drive. Boot to CD. Press Enter. BAM! This system does not have enough RAM to run Redhat Linux. HUH?! Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Tom Davidson

Is the RAM PC 100 or 133...or the good ol' fashioned DIMMs at 66MHz? What clock speed is the processor. Also, what multiplier setting. Also, try running a RAM diagnostic prog. I recommend:

www.simmtester.com - and snag RamDOC...or some crap like that

Plus 196 Mb of RAM sounds like either 64 MB of ram with 128 added or the other way around, try taking it/them out or switching the sticks. That's all I can suggest.

Only Linux does not recognize the RAM. I have tried all the standard troubleshooting steps. I was able to load a copy of 2000 Professional on it just to see if there were problems with the RAM. It runs like a dream. But RH pukes on initial install. Like I said, the system WAS running NT 4.0 for YEARS without a glitch. The company they inherited it from just upgraded to a different server and decided to give this one away.

RAM is good, and has been tested. It is 64 MB x three sticks (Pentium PRO 200 used regular ECC SDRAM with parity and I believe back in the day all they had was 66 MHz SDRAM for this PC. But like I said, it is not the RAM, it is RedHat.

Any other ideas?

Tom Davidson

Hmm, have you tried RH8.0? Or any other distros?

Also just another thought, it sounds like RH doesn't seems to like the ram, not necessarily not seeing it. Perhaps the way the IO chip on the Motherboard allocates it, check out some of the Red Hat installation switches. I'm shooting in the dark here with ya too!

Someone else had this prob yesterday...
At the install type selection screen, type...

text dd mem=exactmap mem=640k@0 mem=195M@1M

You will need to dd the drvbloc.img driver disk off the install CD to get the array controller going.

This page is pretty helpful too...

compaqserverinstallpage

Regards

Jim