How to install Red Hat 9 on a ProSignia 300 server
First of all, you will need another SCSI controller. If you try to run setup with the onboard SCSI adapter of the ProSignia 300, it will halt while loading anaconda. It's also possible to try recompiling the kernel that Red Hat uses to install to include support for the old Symbios Logic 810 adapter, which uses another module, instead of the one that Red Hat supplies for setup on the adapter disk. Since I had a couple of adaptec's on my parts box, I decided to simplify the process using one.
Ok, first I booted with SmartStart and disabled my on-board SCSI.
Then, I plugged an old Adaptec 1542, and hooked up my CD-ROM and my hard disk to the adaptec.
Generate the bootdisk.img and the drvblock.img to floppies, in order to install from the CD-ROM. You'll need the drvnet.img floppy to include support for the AMD-PCnet adapter.
When booting with the first floppy, remember to map all your ProSignia's memory to avoid the 16MB catch. For an example, my ProSignia has 144 megs of ram, the command to map all memory would look like:
Linux text mem=exactmap mem=640K@0 mem=144M@1M
This should take care of all problems related to that old problem that all of us, Compaq server owners, have.
Well, past that, your install will work like a charm. It'll take a while loading the packages that can be installed, so be patient ;)
Install the kernel sources so we can make a new kernel for our ProSignia.
After everything is done, build another kernel with built-in support for the symc3c7xx,8 (older symbios 8xx module) rather than the module for newer 8xx boards, that is right under the older module.
If you don't want to build anything, here's my own kernel (or here). It supports all the components of the ProSignia 300 perfectly. It may not suit all your applications, so be careful ;)
If you build your own kernel on the ProSignia, it'll take a LONG while - it took me almost three hours. After it is finished building, installed and tested booting with the adaptec still plugged in, you can switch the CD-ROM and the HD to the on-board SCSI controller and remove the adaptec.
Ok, but how? Simple! Erase the ProSignia's NVRAM lifting the #6 DIP on it's mainboard. Run SmartStart and let it configure your hardware.
Boot, and it's done!
This tutorial was made by:
Tiago de Aviz
SoftSell
tiago@softsell.com.br
www.softsell.com.br
Notes:
There is a method for clearing nvram which is preferred over using the dip switch. See nvram.html
It is quite possible, once the sym53c7xx,8 driver for the kernel-BOOT kernel is located, that you should be able to install directly to the embedded SCSI controller. Places to look for this driver are: drvblock.img, pxeboot/initrd.img, kernel-BOOT-xyz.rpm
If a pre-compiled sym53c7xx,8 driver cannot be located, then one could compile the driver for the kernel-BOOT manually and use that during install.
An alternative, less appealing method, is to compile a new kernel-BOOT with sym53c7xx,8 support built in, and force that new kernel to match up with the previous boot kernel, but other methods should be investigated first.
We are investigating other installation methods to make the installation easier. Those results will be posted here.