RH9 on SATA HD

bshelton · 12-05-2003, 02:22 PM

Ok...so MS and Dell can both kiss my a$$. I just got a brand new set of lab machines (all Dell Optiplex w\ 120GB SATA HD's). Apparently, Linux kernals below the 2.4.22 build are not able to recognize this. I have successfully install Fedora (2.4.22.XXX) on one of the machines. This proved to me that it is possible to get Linux on them. But do to company reason, i NEED RH 9 on them. Does anyone have some suggestions on how i could do this?

Basically i need to know how i can update the kernal on RH 9 before install.

Caeda · 12-05-2003, 10:47 PM

Redhat 8 and 9 have broken SATA support.

So basically. You can buy a new, non SATA hard drive. And install redhat 9 on that. Then you can upgrade the kernel and it should be able to use the drives for storage.

Just plain install on them, probably not hapenning in this lifetime.

Oh, and as for "a company reason" for redhat 9? Maybe you better inform said company that redhat is going out of the personal linux business, so they get with it and switch distro's already.

bshelton · 12-06-2003, 10:00 AM

Caeda,

I dont know how much i agree with you on that. I know that it is possible to get RH9 installed on a SATA. I've read on other forums that ppl have been able to do it. I just don't know how they did it.

Besides isn't Linux open-source for this kind of reason? To figure out ways around MS and others bullshit moves like this?

I'm sure someone can help me figure something out.

Caeda · 12-06-2003, 12:35 PM

Well then. Here ya go. Here's a set of links in which people had serious problems, and which it is stated several times that SATA isnt actually supported yet but will be in kernel 2.6

Yes, I found a few people who got it working. Several, by installing a second, different type of hard drive to boot from.

Oh, and as a third point. None of the people who got it working have a dell. There's plenty of threads on those that all end the same way...

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...A+redhat+linux

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...A+redhat+linux

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...A+redhat+linux

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...A+redhat+linux

http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...A+redhat+linux

bshelton · 12-07-2003, 10:11 AM

would this be a possible solution (i haven't thought this one completly through and i'm kinda hesitant to even mention it but....)

Could i install RH9 on a PATA drive, update the kernal to 2.4.22, cp the entire partition in which RH9 resides (on the PATA) to the SATA partition where i want it, change the grub config file (and i'm sure there are some other config files i need to modify but i just haven't thought of them yet) and then pray it works?

or do i need to go shoot myself for even thinking that?

Caeda · 12-07-2003, 12:16 PM

Actually, that's in one of the posts that I linked for you

, if you'd read through them all. It will install fine on a PATA, and then you can update the kernel to accept SATA...

if ya go shoot yourself.. just shoot off a foot, you got a spare one of those anyway. :-D

bshelton · 12-07-2003, 02:01 PM

yeah i got a spare one of those around. and yes i do remember reading that in one of the links you provided. I just read a little bit more than the links you provided b/c i was trying to get more opinions and suggestions. sorry i didn't credit that to ya.

anyways, i'm gonna give it a shot and see how it turns out tom.

listman · 12-08-2003, 05:19 PM

I'm going to try an install with an ata drive, patch the kernel to include sata support, run mondoarchive and restore to sata using expert mode! I'll try to remember to post here if all goes well.
BTW if you use mondo you can restore the same image to each machine ;-)

Caeda · 12-08-2003, 06:29 PM

hmm. theoretically.. couldnt you.. install to the PATA... patch the kernel... do a dd if=/dev/PATAdrive of=/dev/SATAdrive...

cd to the SATA and update the lilo or grub settings..

shutdown, remove PATA, turn back on?

listman · 12-08-2003, 07:48 PM

yes you could do that. I have just had good luck with mondo. I have never tried swapping hd's with dd but I have read some people had problems and mondo has never let me down. I have never changed partition info using mondo though so this will be new for me, I'm going from an 80 to 120 gig drive.