[Debian-ppc64-devel] Installation Report

["Nölle, Christian"]

Hi all!

After finally our OpenPower620 Machines arrived we were very happy to do some testing
on one of those machines. Here is a report:

Boot method: CD
Image version: debian-testing-powerpc-netinst-dailybuild-02012006.iso
Date: 02/10/06

Machine: IBM OpenPower 720; 9124-720
Processor: 2-way 1.65GHz POWER5 64-bit
Memory: 4 GB 

Base System Installation Checklist:
[O] = OK, [E] = Error (please elaborate below), [ ] = didn't try it

Initial boot worked:    [O]
Configure network HW:   [O]
Config network:         [O]
Detect CD:              [O]
Load installer modules: [O]
Detect hard drives:     [O]
Partition hard drives:  [E]
Create file systems:    [E]
Mount partitions:       [O]
Install base system:    [O]
Install boot loader:    [E]
Reboot:                 [O]

Comments/Problems:

We had problems with creating filesystems. The installer fails to create the prep-Partition
properly, so we had to exit to shell, chroot into the target and create in manually with cfdisk.
Furthermore the installer fails on installing yaboot, so we chrooted again into target and copied
it manually with dd and created yaboot.conf accordingly.

> partition=2
> timeout=100
> default=linux
> image=/boot/vmlinux
>   	label=linux
>	append="video=ofonly root=/dev/sda2"
>	initrd=/boot/initrd.img

After that we changed back into the menu and finished installation. As we have no video-card in that machine,
we used the ssh-Feature of the installer. As we finished the 1st stage, we were prompted with an error message
that network-console-config is not avaliable and we have to continue without ssh in the 2nd stage *sigh*.

Machine reboots and comes up nicely until it enters the 2nd stage installer. It enters the installer and 
provides us with the menu and an error message at the bottom of the screen saying:

fgconsole: VT_GETSTATE Invalid Argument

No input is possible, could not continue with the installation, as we only have the serial console and not the
ssh feature avaliable (see above). Any hints!?

Would love to hear some comments on this.

Take care!

--
Christian Nölle

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Christian Nölle        mailto:noelle at wiwi.uni-wuppertal.de
                                     Tel : +49(202)4392451
CIP im Web:          http://www.wiwi.uni-wuppertal.de/cip/
                      mailto:support at wiwi.uni-wuppertal.de
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