[linux-help] Re: [linux-help]

[Greg House <ghouse@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Wed, 07 Jun 2000, you wrote:

> I am trying to install RedHat 6.1 on a Hewlett-Packard Netserver running 8
> intell pentium processors.  This particular Netserver happens to be a
> prototype, and it is currently running Windows NT.  THE PROBLEM:  When the
> BIOS is done and the Redhat installation screen asks for me to hit enter and
> begin the boot process, I hit enter.  Once the system begins to uncompress
> linux, the monitor goes to power down, and the system halts.  Can anyone
> tell me why my system goes to complete shutdown?  Consequently, I've tried 5
> different linux versions, and they all do the same thing.

I had Red Hat 6.1 running on a couple of similar boxes from Intel (8x450Mhz PII 
Xeon). These were OEM boxes, and I have seen what appear to be the same
units sold by both HP and Dell. The ones I used were pre-production units.

A student intern that worked for us did the initial installs, and I reinstalled
on one of them later on, but I don't remember any trouble getting Linux 
installed or running, just took the defaults through the installation
procedure. We had a single 18GB Seagate SCSI drive in one of the (2) hot-swap
bays on the front.

One thing that I do remember was that there was a bios update that my contact
at Intel said we needed to install. I don't know what it fixed, but he was
pretty emphatic about getting it on there. You might check with HP and see if
they have a newer bios. Oh yeah, and doing the bios update on them is kind of
funky. You have to flip a switch in a switch bank that's buried down amidst the
PCI slots before it'll let you change the bios. It was a more extensive
procedure then I've ever seen for a bios before.

Now, NT, on the other hand, gave us major fits trying to find a driver that
would work with the onboard SCSI controller (the one that serviced the boot
device...). Also an NT install right after Linux was on there refused to wipe
the MBR, so when you booted after a supposedly successful NT installation and
you got "LI" (the boot loader half of LILO...) and it just sits there. I had to
boot a Slackware rescue disk and do a dd with zeros to wipe the thing out
before NT would install and actually boot. Joy. Needless to say, it's a test
lab and there are lots of installs and reinstalls.

Good luck. The things scream once you get 'em running. Even these beta boxes
seem real solid. But don't drop 'em on your toe. I did that (over a year
ago...) and my toe still hurts occasionally. [Shipping error removed 'em from
the pallats and stacked 'em, but the boxes they were in were designed to stay
on the pallats, not strong enough on the bottom to hold the heavy system in the
box. We picked up the box using the built in handles and the computer fell out
the bottom!]

Sorry about the long-winded story...

Greg

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