Bug#234768: Installation Report (Failed horribly)
Package: installation-reports
Debian-installer-version: Beta2
uname -a: Linux debian 2.4.22-1-386 #9 Sat Oct 4 14:30:39 EST 2003 i686 GNU/Linux
** Disclaimer: The installer failed horribly and did not install any kernel
image at all. The kernel was install manually afterwards.
** Second Disclaimer: date is not current date.
Date: Feb 23 - Midday
Method: boot floppy image
The network install was done from http.us.debian.org
Through a transparent proxy.
Machine: MotherBoard Syntax 8601a
Processor: Via C3 1200 Pro
Memory: 128 Mb
Root Device: IDE
Root Size/partition table:
Disk /dev/hda: 40.0 GB, 40020664320 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4865 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 * 1 2417 19414521 c W95 FAT32
(LBA)
/dev/hda2 2418 4865 19663560 5 Extended
/dev/hda5 2418 4834 19414521 83 Linux
/dev/hda6 4835 4865 248976 82 Linux swap
Output of lspci:
00:00.0 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8601 [Apollo ProMedia] (rev 05)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8601 [Apollo ProMedia AGP]
00:07.0 ISA bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C686 [Apollo Super South] (rev 40)
00:07.1 IDE interface: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C586A/B/VT82C686/A/B/VT8233/A/C/VT8235 PIPC Bus Master IDE (rev 06)
00:07.2 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. USB (rev 1a)
00:07.4 Bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C686 [Apollo Super ACPI] (rev 40)
00:07.5 Multimedia audio controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C686 AC97 Audio Controller (rev 50)
00:07.6 Communication controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. Intel 537 [AC97 Modem] (rev 30)
00:0e.0 Ethernet controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. RTL-8139/8139C/8139C+ (rev 10)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: Trident Microsystems CyberBlade/i1 (rev 6a)
Base System Installation Checklist:
Initial boot worked: [C]
Configure network HW: [O]
Config network: [E]
Detect CD: [-]
Load installer modules: [C]
Detect hard drives: [O]
Partition hard drives: [C]
Create file systems: [C]
Mount partitions: [O]
Install base system: [E]
Install boot loader: [-]
Reboot: [-]
[O] = OK, [E] = Error, [-] = didn't try it, [C] = Comments
Comments/Problems:
* Initial boot:
The prompting for the following floppy is not friendly. A polite
and verbose message can be added quite easily.
* Config network:
The host's name was not configured (known problem)
* Load installer modules:
There's no option to manually edit the repository sites (like the
"edit sources.list" option you get in apt-setup).
* Partition hard drives:
When prompting for "Which disk do you want to partition" it does not
make sense that AFTER partitioning the disk, it prompts AGAIN and the same
disk is selected. The next one should be selected, or the "Next" option in
the case where there's only one.
* Create file systems:
After the partitions were created, the first one (hda1) was
selected. Thi partition held the FAT32 file system. It's not wise to
prompt for the user to DO things on Fat32 partitions. Fat32 partitions
should never be selected by default.
For partitions bigger than 1Gb the default FS type should be ext3
(personal opinion).
For partitions of type "Linux Swap", the default format method
should be "swap" (and the other types might need not to be there at all).
* Install base system:
** DIDN'T WORK **
After downloading all the packages and extracting and setting up
most of them, there was a misterious error, reported to have been at
"/var/log/debootstrap.log", but was not there, there were other errors
(like "sleep" missing from /bin) but not the error that had made the
installation stop.
When retrying, after uncompressing all the packages again,
it reported that the file /target/usr/bin/awk already existed, and then
installation was cancelled once again.
After deleting that file from the second console, and then retrying
again, it failed just like the first time.
After that, we chrooted to the /target directory and continued the
installation manually. The package that seemed to be having problems
was "lilo", since it depended on libdevmapper1.00. We had to edit the
sources.list to have the repositories inside the chroot, and then
installed the missing package and lilo. BTW, lilo was the one that was
causing the problem, and I didn't even want to use lilo, I was planning
on using Grub.
After that, the whole installation was continued manually (kernel,
fstab configuration, ssh, etc).
I hope you find this report useful.
Love,
Margarita Manterola
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