Bug#202684: INSTALL REPORT: Fails for RAM <= 32MB
Package: installation-reports
Version: sarge-i386-businesscard.iso_23-Jul-2003
Severity: normal
INSTALL REPORT
Debian-installer-version: sarge-i386-businesscard.iso (23-Jul-2003 16:15)
uname -a: Linux (none) 2.4.20-1-386 #3 Sat Mar 22 12:11:40 EST 2003 i686 unknown
Date: Thu Jul 24 12:32:23 CEST 2003
Method: Booted from CD
Machine: Bochs 2.0.2+20030525-1
Processor: Bochs i586 Emulation
Memory: 32MB/64MB (see below)
Root Device: Bochs IDE Emulation /dev/hda
Root Size/partition table: /dev/hda1 (150mb,ext2) /; /dev/hda2 (50mb) swap
Output of lspci: Bochs has no PCI support
Base System Installation Checklist:
Initial boot worked: [O]
Configure network HW: [O]
Config network: [O]
Detect CD: [O]
Load installer modules: [E/O] (32MB/64MB)
Detect hard drives: [O]
Partition hard drives: [O]
Create file systems: [O]
Mount partitions: [O]
Install base system: [ ]
Install boot loader: [ ]
Reboot: [ ]
[O] = OK, [E] = Error (please elaborate below), [ ] = didn't try it
Comments/Problems:
Debconf priority set to 'medium'
Issue0:
-------
The keyboard layout doesnt actually change if I select de-latin1-nodeadkeys
in kbd-chooser.
Issue1:
-------
I find the prompt for "Load Installer Modules" somewhat ambiguous. It
offers 'end' (q) and 'begin' (b). Its unclear that 'begin' is about
the list shown, not the actual context of the question: udeb installation.
I somehow expected 'begin' to start the installation and 'end' to abort it..
Maybe rename 'end' to 'finish' and 'begin' to eg. 'list begin'?
Issue2:
-------
Hardware detection didnt find Bochs' ne2000 NIC. Well, its ISA - so no
surprise here. Manual configuration works, but the installer will only offer
manual configuration after automatic configuration failed once and I choose
"Detect network hardware and load kernel drivers for it" the second time.
Issue3:
-------
With only 32MB RAM available (and less I suppose) the installation bails
out at the "Load Installer Modules" stage because of exhausted storage.
I didnt select any extra udebs for installation.
The error mssages:
Installing Debian installer modules
tar: Short writeing nic-modules-2.4.20-1-386-udeb
corrupted status flag!!
tar: Short writeing parport-modules-2.4.20-1-386-udeb
corrupted status flag!!
tar: Short writeing kbd-chooser
Cannot copy /var/lib/dpkg/tmp.ci/kbd-chooser/postrm to /var/lib/dpkg/info/kbd-chooser.postrm: No space left on device
Debian Installer Menu
Failed to install module
Installing the module kbd-chooser failed for unknown reasons. Aborting.
[Press enter to continue]
<<PRESSING ENTER>>
anna's postinst exited with status 2048
Debian Installer Menu
Choose the next step:
Here is the main menu of the Debian installer
fclose: No space left on device
fclose: No space left on device
fclose: No space left on device
info: Trying to enable linux framebuffer
modprobe: Can't locate module vesafb
modprobe: Can't locate module vga16fb
-ne
-ne
Segmentation fault
-ne
Segmentation fault
It then loops infinitly, repeating the lines starting from "info: Trying to
enable linux framebuffer". Here is whats available just after boot (I chose
shell from the first prompt):
~# free
total used free shared buffers
Mem: 30392 17208 13814 0 452
Swap: 0 0 0
Total: 30392 17208 13814
~# df
Filesystem 1k-blocks Used Available Use% Mounted on
rootfs 15196 6184 9012 41% /
shm 15196 6184 9012 41% /
Installation went fine once I configured Bochs to provide 64MB of RAM. If
this is feasable at all I think we should try to get debian-installer
working on systems with less RAM though..
Are eg. irda-modules, parport-modules really needed at this stage? Couldnt
those be installed later in the process when we have the final mountpoints
set up?
I also noticed that kbd-chooser was being installed although all keyboard
related configuration had already taken place.
...
Bochs is so slow its a PITA and tuntap networking didnt work for me, so
I couldnt do the base install with -businesscard.iso. I'll try again soon
with some real hardware :-)
Besides all that, very cool stuff!
Max
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