Bug#344328: installation-reports: Debian "Sarge" installation on Alpha (PWS 433au)
Package: installation-reports
Severity: normal
INSTALL REPORT
Debian-installer-version: http://cdimage.debian.org/debian-cd/3.1_r0a/alpha/bt-cd/ downloaded in Sept. 2005.
uname -a: Linux smirkin 2.4.27-2-generic #1 Tue Nov 22 17:12:59 UTC 2005 alpha GNU/Linux
Date: 18 Dec 2005, 18:00 CST
Method: booted and installed from CD set
Machine: DEC Personal Workstation 433au
Processor: Alpha EV56, var. 7, rev. 0
Memory: 576 MB (six slots: 2x64, 4x128)
Root Device: SCSI - Model: RZ1CC-BA (C) DEC Rev: 883F at ID 0
Root Size/partition table:
Disk /dev/sda: 4290 MB, 4290600960 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 521 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
8 partitions:
# start end size fstype [fsize bsize cpg]
a: 1* 1* 0* ext2
b: 1* 10* 9* ext2 /boot
c: 10* 41* 30* ext2 /
d: 41* 72* 31* swap
e: 72* 193* 121* ext2 /tmp
f: 193* 376* 182* ext2 /var
g: 376* 522* 146* ext2 /home
Disk /dev/sdb: 18.2 GB, 18210037760 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 2213 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
3 partitions:
# start end size fstype [fsize bsize cpg]
a: 1* 1241* 1240* ext2 /usr
b: 1241* 2214* 973* ext2 /opt
Output of lspci and lspci -n:
0000:00:03.0 Ethernet controller: Digital Equipment Corporation DECchip 21142/43 (rev 30)
0000:00:04.0 IDE interface: Silicon Image, Inc. (formerly CMD Technology Inc) PCI0646 (rev 01)
0000:00:07.0 Non-VGA unclassified device: Intel Corp. 82378ZB/IB, 82379AB (SIO, SIO.A) PCI to ISA Bridge (rev 43)
0000:00:0c.0 VGA compatible controller: Digital Equipment Corporation PBXGB [TGA2] (rev 22)
0000:00:14.0 PCI bridge: Digital Equipment Corporation DECchip 21152 (rev 02)
0000:01:09.0 SCSI storage controller: QLogic Corp. ISP1020 Fast-wide SCSI (rev 05)
0000:00:03.0 0200: 1011:0019 (rev 30)
0000:00:04.0 0101: 1095:0646 (rev 01)
0000:00:07.0 0000: 8086:0484 (rev 43)
0000:00:0c.0 0300: 1011:000d (rev 22)
0000:00:14.0 0604: 1011:0024 (rev 02)
0000:01:09.0 0100: 1077:1020 (rev 05)
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: [O]
Load installer modules: [O]
Detect hard drives: [O]
Partition hard drives: [O]
Create file systems: [O]
Mount partitions: [O]
Install base system: [O]
Install boot loader: [O]
Reboot: [E]
Comments/Problems:
First reboot following base system install failed because SRM attempted to
boot from previous boot device by default (the CD-ROM drive). Was able to
interrupt SRM boot (cntl-C) and perform default boot from first hard disk,
after which everything went smoothly.
Partitioning process was OK, but cumbersome. Although the needed information
is probably in the release notes and/or installation manual, it would have
been useful to have the partitioning application provide minimum and suggested
partition sizes based on configured mount points. Since this was my first
Debian installation, I assumed Debian couldn't possibly be any more bloated
than RedHat/Fedora and/or Mandriva, and everything worked out fine :-). With
the benefit of hindsight, I would have made my "/" partition slightly bigger
so as to support additional kernel module directories and such in "/lib".
Installation process should "suggest" far more strongly that people use the
task-based package selection process. Aptitude's interface is hardly
intuitive, and there should be a way to back up and correct the mistake of
thinking selecting individual packages is the way to go. Having made that
mistake, hitting <ctl><alt><del> was the closest thing to a soft recovery I
could have hoped for: the machine rebooted and the installation continued at
the appropriate point.
Instructions at bottom of template on how to submit installation report
resulted in report going to Debian's "junk" in-box. Now trying "reportbug."
-- System Information:
Debian Release: 3.1
Architecture: alpha
Kernel: Linux 2.4.27-2-generic
Locale: LANG=en_US, LC_CTYPE=en_US (charmap=ISO-8859-1)
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