Bug#340358: installation-reports
Package: installation-reports
Debian-installer-version: 07-Jun-2005
(http://cdimage.debian.org/debian-cd/3.1_r0a/i386/iso-cd/debian-31r0a-i386-netinst.iso)
uname -a: Linux orac 2.6.8-2-386 #1 Thu May 19 17:40:50 JST 2005 i686 GNU/Linux
Date: 22nd November 2005 - evening
Method: Netboot CD. Install from UK proxies (debian.org, mirror.ac.uk, blueyonder.co.uk)
Machine: IBM Netvista circa 2001 (acquired cheap, being used as destructible test server)
Processor: 1 GHz Pentium 3
Memory: 512 MB SDRAM 133MHz
Root Device: IDE 20GB ATA Seagate thing
Root Size/partition table:
/: 1GB;
/var: 1.5GB;
/tmp: 1.5GB;
/home: 1GB;
/usr: 4GB;
swap: 1GB;
/boot: 64MB
/usr/local:10GB (software RAIDED against another 10GB drive on other channel)
Output of lspci and lspci -n:
0000:00:00.0 0600: 8086:1130 (rev 02)
0000:00:01.0 0604: 8086:1131 (rev 02)
0000:00:1e.0 0604: 8086:244e (rev 02)
0000:00:1f.0 0601: 8086:2440 (rev 02)
0000:00:1f.1 0101: 8086:244b (rev 02)
0000:00:1f.2 0c03: 8086:2442 (rev 02)
0000:00:1f.3 0c05: 8086:2443 (rev 02)
0000:00:1f.4 0c03: 8086:2444 (rev 02)
0000:00:1f.5 0401: 8086:2445 (rev 02)
0000:01:08.0 0200: 8086:2449 (rev 01)
0000:02:00.0 0300: 10de:002d (rev 15)
Base System Installation Checklist:
[O] = OK, [E] = Error (please elaborate below), [ ] = didn't try it
Initial boot worked: [O]
Configure network HW: [O]
Config network: [O]
Detect CD: [E] Failed at CD Mounting. FIX: Disable PIIX driver in expert set-up.
Load installer modules: [O] OK, once PIIX was ditched.
Detect hard drives: [O]
Partition hard drives: [O/E] Worked perfectly with 2.4 kernel. Major issue with 2.6. See comments.
Create file systems: [O/E] "
Mount partitions: [O/E] "
Install base system: [O]
Install boot loader: [O]
Reboot: [O]
Comments/Problems:
Boot started well, then froze as "Couldn't mount CD". A short period of Google
bashing and experimenting with DMA settings later, and the PIIX driver was
isolated as the problem. The fix was to boot in expert, jump straight to "Load
Installer Modules", remove PIIX, jump backwards and start again.
Once that was surmounted, everything was pretty flawless under the 2.4 kernel.
Under the 2.6 kernel, a strange problem started manifesting itself at the
partitioning stage. Everything went fine until going into The RAID
configuration dialogue, but after clicking on "Final", the system gradually
got slower and slower and slower over a period of time, to the point where
the install became protractedly painful to sit through. Tried ps-ing in the
F2 shell, but no top, so no detailed info. At this point I was labouring
under the silly misconception that the 2.6 kernel was required for a 2.6
system. Once I was disabused of that notion, I went through again and the
whole thing took only about 15 minutes.
I must confess to being a confirmed Gentoo fiend, but couldn't be bothered
with the source procedure for a cheap server which might expire at a given
instant, and wanted to try something new. I'd always meant to investigate
Debian as some friends swear by it. Apart from the strange slowing, I'm very
impressed. Really like Aptitude.
I've used SuSE, Red Hat, Mandrake (when it was), Knoppix, Gentoo and now
Debian and, while Gentoo is still my favourite (it was the one which originally
rescued me from arbitrary decision hell), Debian's jumped right up there into
second spot. Give it a few weeks and even that might change.
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