Bug#275481: Sarg Installation problem report
Package: installation-reports
Debian-installer-version:
http://people.debian.org/~joeyh/d-i/images/pre-rc2/hd-media/boot.img.gz
http://cdimage.debian.org/pub/cdimage-testing/daily/i386/current/sarge-i386-netinst.iso
md5sum boot.img sarge-i386-netinst.iso
f070f1ccd76a5b0fd9d630b6d2acb87b boot.img
89f92484a517c82cc2a60f877b886df6 sarge-i386-netinst.iso
uname -a: Linux talla 2.6.8-1-386 #1 Mon Sept 13 23:29:55 EDT 2004 i686
GNU/Linux
Date: 05 october 2004 about midnight
Method: Boot with USB Flash with boot.img and sarge-i386-netinst.iso on
it. Use SPB-Linux (http://www.8ung.at/spblinux/) boot sector and
syslinux (2.10-1) unstable.
Machine: MSI K7N2 Motherboard
Processor: AMD Athlon XP 3200+
Memory: 1G 400MHz
Root Device: /dev/md0
Root Size/partition table:
(note: Swap is first to increse the speed)
/dev/hda1 1G
/dev/hda2 14.4G bootable
/dev/hdc1 1G
/dev/hdc2 14.4G bootable
/dev/md0 RAID1 of /dev/hda2 + /dev/hdc2
/dev/md1 RAID1 of /dev/hda1 + /dev/hdc1
/ ext3 on /dev/md0
/swap on /dev/md1
Output of lspci and lspci -n: Irrelevant, all cards work fine.
Base System Installation Checklist:
[O] = OK, [E] = Error (please elaborate below), [ ] = didn't try it
Initial boot worked: [E]
Configure network HW: [0]
Config network: [0]
Detect CD: [0]
Load installer modules: [0]
Detect hard drives: [0]
Partition hard drives: [0]
Create file systems: [0]
Mount partitions: [0]
Install base system: [0]
Install boot loader: [0]
Reboot: [E]
Comments/Problems:
You can see the screenshot of the insall process on
http://www.eclis.ch/~jcdr/sarge/index.php . The install is in French,
but this don't hurt as the problem is in the boot process. This also
explain why this report is certainly full of english error. Sorry for that.
There is in fact 3 problems:
1) The boot.img.gz supplied don't boot, just hang the machine. The BIOS
correctly detect the bootsector on the first partition of the flash and
read it (the led blinks a half second) and then nothing. I zeroed the
first patition boot sector then write the SPB-Linux as the main boot
sector and I get a syslinux error while booting. Then I reformat the
partition, use the current syslinux from testing and add the other files
from boot.img.gz and the sarge-i386-netinst.iso. So it boot and startup
wonderfully. Conclusion: the USB boot image don't boot, but a modified
one boot.
2) I choose to put the swap partion first on the disks because this
greatly increase the speed of the access time and the bandwidth (see all
hard disk review, the speed decrease as the data is near the end). So
the main partition is the second one and I add the boot flag on the
second partition of each disk of the RAID1. The installation go
wonderfully, including the GRUB install, but when I reboot I got a
"error 17: cannot mount selected partition". See
http://www.eclis.ch/~jcdr/sarge/index.php?boot/grub/PA040075.JPG I have
to correct the (hd0,0) to (hd0,1) to be able to boot. Of course I change
the values into the /boot/grub/menu.lst and make a grub-install.
Conclusion: the install process don't understand that the boot
partitions are the second one of each disk of the RAID1.
3) Since I make a RAID1 installation, I try to disconnect each disk to
test if I can still boot without one of the disk. All go well if I boot
only with the first disk (/dev/hda in the install process), but boot
failed with error "GRUB Hard Disk Error" if I boot only with the second
disk (/dev/hdc in the install process). See
http://www.eclis.ch/~jcdr/sarge/index.php?grub/PA040116.JPG
I tryed several things based on finding on google, but almost all of
them failed too. Many people claim that setup (hd0,1) + setup (hd1,1)
work, but not for me. Finally I found this message
http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-grub/2002-03/msg00047.html and
this is the solution that work for me. Now I can boot with only one of
the disks (and with to two of course). Conclusion: the GRUB
configuration don't allow safe RAID1 operation. This problem involve
maybe more that the installer to be resolved. GRUB obviously lack
documentation about the RAID1 support.
There also is many success:
1) The support for Swiss French is excellent (this is a rare keyboard).
2) The RAID1 partitionning work well and allow very precise setup. I
like it since it allway show clearely the state of the process. It's
only annoying that it require 58 screens to make a basic RAID1 setup!
But I agree that it's not easy to find a quicker way.
3) The package search and installation is a wonder dream. really I make
absolute nothing but wait a few minutes. Impressive good job!
4) This is my first GRUB install and I did't know it before as I used
LILO. I realise that GRUB is a good choice since it allow to adjust the
boot parameters when it fail. If I have the same problem with LILO I
will have to reboot the installer, but with GRUB I just edited a
parameter. GRUB just need RAID1 support as LILO have with it
raid-extra-boot option.
I am open to make a new set of test if someone notify me of a new
version with fix on it. I use two old disk to test the install on what
is normaly a NFS worksation so it can't trash my datas. I know many
people interresting about installing a basic Debian Sarge web server
with the same RAID1 setup. I think it make sense to solve the problemes
I describs here.
Have a good day,
--
Jean-Christian de Rivaz
mailto:jc@eclis.ch
tel:+41-78-657-7442
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