Hi Digby, I've moved your comments around to intersperse them for easier reading.
On Sun, Oct 28, 2007 at 01:09:32AM +0000, Digby Tarvin wrote: > On Sat, Oct 27, 2007 at 07:40:27PM -0400, Douglas A. Tutty wrote: > > On Sat, Oct 27, 2007 at 05:30:49PM +0100, Digby Tarvin wrote: > > > I hope there are some experts out there that can offer some suggestions > > > regarding a problem I am having installing Debian Etch (40r1-386-netinst > > > downloaded on 23/10/07) on a Dell Precision 410 MT... > > > > > > Everything goes fine through the initial install, up to the point > > > where I have to reboot using the freshly installed kernel on the > > > hard drive. > > > Either the package transfer fails after a few minutes with messages like > > > E: Method http has died unexpectedly! > > > segmentation fault > > > or dpkg falls over during the installation of the package, eg > > > /bin/sh: line 1: 2284 Segmentation fault /usr/bin/dpkg_preconfigure... > > > It seems that the kernel used during the initial install was stable, > > > but the kernel it installed on the hard disk is not. > > > Model: Dell Precision Workstation 410 MT > > > BIOS revision A08 > > > CPU: 2xPIII 450MHz > > > Video card: 3DLabs Oxygen GVX1 > > > Ram: 1024MB > > > Adaptec AIC-7890 BIOS DELL-V2.01.05 > > > SCSI ID 0 COMPAQ DDRS-34560W ULTRA2-SE > > > SCSI ID 1 SEAGATE ST173404LW ULTRA2-SE > > > Adaptec AIC-7880 BIOS DELL-V2.01.05 > > > SCSI ID 1 MATSHITA DVD-RAM LF-200 > > > Primary IDE1 ZIP drive > > > Uname -a returns: > Linux precision 2.6.18-5-686 #1 SMP Fri Jun 1 00:47:00 UTC 2007 i686 > GNU/Linux looks OK. > and /etc/apt/sources.list contains: > # > # deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 r1 _Etch_ - Official i386 NETINST Binary-1 > 20070820-20:21]/ etch contrib main > > deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 r1 _Etch_ - Official i386 NETINST Binary-1 > 20070820-20:21]/ etch contrib main > > deb http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ etch main > deb-src http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ etch main > > deb http://security.debian.org/ etch/updates main contrib > deb-src http://security.debian.org/ etch/updates main contrib > looks OK. > > > > You could use the install CD as a rescue system, choose "run a command > > on the rootfs" (or whatever it says); it runs your command chrooted to > > the system. Try aptitude there (thus with the installer's kernel). If > > that works, do a uname -a there and notice any difference. > > > > Needless to say, what you're experiencing shouldn't happen under any > > circumstances with Etch (stable). > > The initial install seems to require the 'aic7xxx.aic7xxx=no_probe' to > complete properly. If I omit that then I get no error but the install > completes much sooner and I assume was truncated by an unreported error, > as much less software ends up being installed. > /usr/share/doc/linux-doc-2.6.18/Documentation/scsi/aic7xxx.txt.gz says that probing is disabled by default. Perhaps somehow your's is being probed. The question is, is it happening in the initrd or on a module insertion. If its happing in the regular filesystem boot (after initrd) then you can add in /etc/modprobe.conf a line: options aic7xxx aic7xxx=no_probe if its happening in the initrd, then you have to get the module parameters set there. I've never tinkered with initramfs, so the first thing to do is to copy your initrd to something like initrd-works. Then, since /etc/initramfs-tools/initramfs.conf likely has a line: MODULES=most which means that all hard drive modules will be loaded, including presumabley the aic7xxx, try adding the module to /etc/initramfs-tools/modules with the parameter aic7xxx no_probe Then you'll need to re-run update-initramfs (possibly from a rescue CD). > After rebooting the system comes up with initd.rc aborting at some > random place with a 'segmentation fault'. But I usually end up with > a login prompt and can log in and execute commands. Errors are sporadic > and unpredictable, and usually involve a command failing with a > segmentation fault. But eventually I get a system lockup that requires > a hard reset to recover from (CTL-ALT-DEL ignored, no key echo etc). > I have also tried adding the aic7xxx.aic7xxx=no_probe kernel option > to /boot/grub/menu.lst as follows: > title Debian GNU/Linux, kernel 2.6.18-5-686 > root (hd1,0) > kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.18-5-686 root=/dev/sdb1 ro > aic7xxx.aic7xxx=no_probe > initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.18-5-686 > savedefault > > But that produced no appreciable change. Is there anything wrong with the > way I am doing it? kernel options would only work if the module was actually built into the kernel. Its not, its a separate module inserted by the initrd. > > I should also add that the Windows 2000 which was already installed when I > got he system seems to run reliably, as does the obsolete Ubuntu 5.04. > Newer versions of Ubuntu wont install - some giving me a blank screen > after trying to boot the install media, others (including the latest 7.10 > release) freeze if the adaptec AIC-7890 is not disabled in the BIOS (which > prevents the install getting very far. In case its not obvious, I had loadable kernel modules for the reasons you're experiencing. If you ever give up on Etch, try OpenBSD. Doug. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
