SCSI-only installation (last try)

From: Ioan Brinzas (io_bri.PLEASE_at_NO_SPAM.yahoo.com)
Date: 01/28/04

  • Next message: Dr. Richard E. Hawkins: "Re: argh . . . overcomplicating things" 
    Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2004 19:47:04 +0200

    Hi All,

    I've asked this question before, and I've searched the net for answers,
    but without succes; that would mean I fail somewhere so obviously that
    I'm the only one that have this problem - but I cannot figure where...
    <g>

    I'm trying to install FreeBSD 5.1 on a PC with 3 CD-ROM and 2 HDDs, all
    SCSI; there are no IDE HDDs on that machine (the SCSI controller is an
    Adaptec 1542CF). The PC is rather old (PI/133 MHz) and does not have the
    'Boot from CDROM' option in BIOS, nor does it have the 'Auto' setting
    for autodetecting an IDE CD-ROM - so I've booted from floppy.

    The problem is that even if the SCSI adapter is detected and the CD-ROMs
    are listed by the boot loader (the 'kernel' floppy image), when entering
    'sysinstall' I get a "/: write failed, filesystem is full!" followed by
    a "panic: Going nowhere without my init!"; then the procedure is
    offering only the reboot option. I tried to add a (temporary) IDE HDD -
    it is listed as a possible target, but no SCSI HDD listed; and I want to
    install the FreeBSD on the SCSI HDDs, not on the IDE one.

    I've tried with FreeBSD 4.8: now I get the sysinstall loaded, but when I
    try to see the CD (in 'Media' selection) it says that no CD/DVD is
    available - neither the SCSI ones nor an IDE CD-ROM (when I've tried
    with and IDE CD-ROM added). I wanted even to go for a FTP installation -
    now I could go on until I try to fdisk and label the HDDs - at which
    point sysinstall cannot see any of the SCSI HDDs and I'm stuck again.

    As a last resort I've tried the 5.2 floppies (intending to go again with
    a FTP installation) - now I don't get that "filesystem is full" and
    panic, the SCSI adapter is detected, but it gets to a point where it
    says "Waiting 15 seconds for SCSI devices to settle" and then it simply
    put messages like "(probeX:aha1:0:X:0): CCB 0xc674f508 - timed out"
    (with various values for X); there are two identical lines with such a
    message followed by a line with "aha1: No longer in timeout" - and this
    go on and on - until I power off the PC.

    What should I do, what do I did wrong? I'm kind of new to BSD, installed
    it only on three other PCs, all with 'regular' IDE drives; the one that
    I want to install now is in a Windows-only network, so I cannot try to
    boot or load the system from other BSD system. I want to install FreeBSD
    on this PC but I'm running out of time (and patience); if I cannot
    advance I'll try some console-only Linux; and if that fails too I'll
    have to disband that PC - but I would really like to have FreeBSD (it
    would be the first one in our network) running on this PC.

    Thanks for any suggestion,

    --Ioan Brinzas

  • Next message: Dr. Richard E. Hawkins: "Re: argh . . . overcomplicating things"

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