Install failure: C240, 3.0r1, 2003.09.24 and 2003.10.22 net inst isos

Hello all,

I just got my new C240 set up and attempted to install. With either of

palinux-2.4.22-pa9-20030924-netinst.iso
palinux-2.4.22-pa13-20031022-netinst.iso

it boots into the debian installer and then promptly hangs at the 'select language' menu. I dug around the archives and found an email about this from several years ago, but no resolution was posted.

So I dug out my 3.0r1 cd to try but got an HPMC a little ways into the kernel boot. I know the 3.0r1 cd is good, since I successfully installed a C180 with it (besides checking the md5s, which I also did for the netinst isos).

HPUX 11.11 successfully boots on this machine, so I'm not leaning towards thinking there's a hardware fault.

Any ideas? Need more info?--just tell me what and how to get it.

Nick

Nicholas,
thanks for the bug report.
Please see http://www.parisc-linux.org/faq/kernelbug-howto.html

more questions/comments below.

See "Hung Kernels" section in the FAQ.

Did you try to install with serial console or graphics console? With serial console, it's easier to capture the output. And it's possible this bug only affects graphical console.

URL for mail you found?

"in io" output from the boot console handler would also be good.

thanks,
grant

Okay, I haven't spent the time yet to get any detailed info on these failures, but I thought I'd at least report the behavior I've observed so far. With graphical install on any of:

3.0r1
palinux-2.4.22-pa9-20030924-netinst.iso
palinux-2.4.22-pa13-20031022-netinst.iso

I get various, repeatable failures before getting to or past the first menu. However, I can complete a successful install from serial console with at least two of them. However, once installed and rebooted, if I attempt to install additional packages, after a while the machine will freeze solid while apt is trying to do it's thing.

With the latest:

palinux-2.4.22-pa17-20031119-netinst.iso

During graphical install, it successfully gets through the menus, but once it starts the package installation cp get's stuck in the D state. I can alt-f2 or whatever to another vc and use top to see-but the installer is thoroughly hung.

Just last weekend, I successfully installed hpux 10.20 from cd with no hiccups whatsoever, and it still runs like a peach. So, I'm leaning even further away from suspecting a hardware fault.

My machine is:
C240
1.5GB ram (edo)
4.5GB UW hdd (Seag. ST34572W)
CDROM (Tosh. XM5701-B)
fdd
A4450A (eg) video

Probably irrelevant details, but ya never know. Perhaps an issue with HIMEM since it's >1GB ?

Sorry, can't remember what it was now.

...

I'll dig into this a bit more when I get time. If any of these details help narrow it down any, let me know what details to go for first. Otherwise I'll see if I can grab some details from the serial console &etc. as requested before in the first reply.

Nick