Package: installation-reports
Debian-installer-version: daily sep26 alpha
uname -a: Linux tull 2.4.27-1-generic #1 Sat Sep 4 01:15:04 CEST 2004 alpha unknown
Date: Mon Sep 27 20:53:16 EDT 2004
Method: netboot from tftp server
Machine: Alphastation 255
Processor: ~233MHz
Memory: 64M
Root Device: SCSI
Root Size/partition table: sdb(2G)=/ sda(1G)=aboot,/boot,swap,other
Output of lspci and lspci -n:
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: [ ]
Load installer modules: [O]
Detect hard drives: [O]
Partition hard drives: [E]
Create file systems: [O]
Mount partitions: [O]
Install base system: [O]
Install boot loader: [O]
Reboot: [O]
Comments/Problems:
* this ignores the problems dealt with separately in Bug#273437
First time through:
Booted, tried to change debconf priority but no menu option for it.
Went in to configure anna source
Downloaded and installed default module components
Now debconf priority available so selected low
Went in to configure anna source, selected "unstable"
Went back into install module components to get kernel modules
Shelled out and did some data backups of old drive using nc
Played around a bit with stuff, including loading "search for isos",
which was able to recognize filesystems just fine.
Started parted. Here is where the problems began.
Two drives in the machine. sdb was old system drive, one partition
was second half of a failed raid1, probably disklabel partitioned.
sda had one small parition, not disklabel, done under i386 with ext2,
and the rest free space. Filesystem detection failed, partitions
showed no filesystem type even the ext2 on sda.
Deleted partitions on sdb, created one large primary as /
Redefinined 32M ext2 partition on sda as /boot.
Added other partitions to sda.
During finish, got aboot warning.
Went back in to try to change 32M partition to aboot
Installer would no longer offer aboot as an option, even when
creating a new partition with /boot already defined on that disk.
Backed out of installer and reentered.
aboot option reappeared. Went to finish, but at this point /boot
was not a separate partition and was thus on sdb, so got a different
warning
Went back into partitioner to get things right (/boot and aboot on
same disk).
Could not get aboot option again.
(my recollection gets a little fuzzier here)
Eventually got things looking right, but got warning about no disklabel
Started getting messages about VM killing process choice
Often by this point could not get ext2 option
Before I could get a shell open to check ps, all new processes were dying
Second run:
Escaped out after language selection.
This time instead of trying choose mirror, went directly to install components
-- was presented with the choice of distro, despite not having done anything
with debconf priority. Chose unstable.
Install proceeded normally.
This time, partition filesystems were detected and showed in parted
Couldn't find any options to create disklabel, and no fdisk
Eventually figured out that deleting all partitions on sda would
create disklabel if aboot added first as top partition -- a rather
obfuscated and undocumented way to do things IMO
Completed partitioning successfuly
Install completed successfully
partman log attached, see Bug#273437 for hw-summary,
other logs available by request.
Upon reboot, minor note, read-edid had no installation candidate
Attachment:
partman.bz2
Description: partman from second run