Bug#249633: installation-reports i386 netinst expert26 problem with libata install
Some more information on this topic.
Today I used the cd I burned yesterday with i386 netinstall 110MB
image from 20040523 for some further testing on the hw I mention above.
I changed in the bios to enhanced mode for both SATA and PATA. The
boot with expert26 proceeded normally and I could perform the
installation to some point. But when probing some hardware the system
frooze. This behaviour is known to the kernel people, in particular J
Garzik, but it was interesting to see the actual state of the kernel
used on the d-i.
After turning enhanced mode off for PATA and keeping it on for SATA, I
continued with booting with expert26 and performing the install onto
the SATA disk identified after manually modprobing the ata_piix
module, which proceeded nicely until first reboot. Strangely enogh the
existing partition types were not recognized the d-i made new
filesystems wihtout a fuss. The 2.6.5-1-i386 kernel then panicked at
first reboot because it couldn't find the disk (I think). I guess the
module ata_piix didn't load correctly, as it didn't during the
cd-boot. And thus the install couldn't complete.
fter powering down and installing a new PATA disk and keeping the
SATA I did a standard install to /dev/hda1 with /dev/hda2 as
swap. Interestingly enough the installed kernel recognizes the SATA
disk by loading ata_piix at boot time. This was 2.6.5-1-i386. Same
thing with 2.6.5-1-686-smp, which I tested after installing it. So why
does these kernels not load the correct modules from the d-i cd?
Even grub on /dev/hda recognized the kernel on the not finished
installation at /dev/sda1 that remained after my unsuccesful
installation try. Grub was however unable to boot it and I came back
into grub.
I also tested the d-i 2.4 kernel, a 2.4.26 which doesn't have the
ata_piix module.
Some more installation details, in particular on net configuration.
Booting with expert26 for a 2.6 kernel:
During net configuration, the default question is dhcp
configuration. By selecting <go back> one finds the question on dhcp
or static, with dhcp as default.
Booting with expert for a 2.4 kernel:
During net configuration, one immediately is given the choice of dhcp
or static. Ok so far. But selecting static and entering a valid
ip-address the installer chokes and argues that the numbers are not
valid, and each group has to be 0-255. After this one is returned to
the same menu with the same values as one entered before. And this
time they are accepted!
I suggest that the behaviour for netconfiguration be independent of
whether one selects a 2.4 or 2.6 kernel. And preferably being able to
choose between dhcp or static as default, at least for expert mode. Of
course the dhcp choice could be preselected so that a normal
installation would only require one to press return.
And then there are some annoying questions on turning on pcmcia
support, which there is no hardware for.
Anders Lennartsson
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