[Solved] Problem Installing 2.5.1 via Serial Console

[Guest]

[gmurz]

Hi All,
i am trying to install efwc 2.5.1 on a endian mercury pro (outdatet maintenance) via the serial console.
for this i created a bootable usb-stick and editet the syslinux.cfg to get the kernel output on the seriall console:

APPEND initrd=instroot.gz root=/dev/ram0 rw console=ttyS0,38400n81

at first the boot looks fine, but then it kepps hanging in a loop:


[    0.000000] Linux version 2.6.32.43-57.e43.i586 (root@andrew) (gcc version 4.
1.2 20070626 (Endian 4.1.2-14)) #1 SMP Wed Aug 10 05:05:15 EDT 2011
[    0.000000] KERNEL supported cpus:
[    0.000000]   Intel GenuineIntel
[    0.000000]   AMD AuthenticAMD
[    0.000000]   NSC Geode by NSC
[    0.000000]   Cyrix CyrixInstead
.
.
.
.
.
[    4.719698] RAMDISK: gzip image found at block 0
[    5.263794] EXT2-fs warning: checktime reached, running e2fsck is recommended

[    5.265357] VFS: Mounted root (ext2 filesystem) on device 1:0.
[    5.266009] Freeing unused kernel memory: 416k freed
starting pid 1065, tty '': '/etc/rc'
Mounting proc
Starting syslogd
/etc/rc: line 10: syslogd: command not found
Silencing kernel
Disabling screen blanking
process '/bin/iowrap /dev/tty1 /bin/sh --login -c "/bin/installer /dev/tty2"' (p
id 1088) exited. Scheduling for restart.
process '/bin/iowrap /dev/tty1 /bin/sh --login -c "/bin/installer /dev/tty2"' (p
id 1275) exited. Scheduling for restart.
process '/bin/iowrap /dev/tty1 /bin/sh --login -c "/bin/installer /dev/tty2"' (p
id 1360) exited. Scheduling for restart.
process '/bin/iowrap /dev/tty1 /bin/sh --login -c "/bin/installer /dev/tty2"' (p
id 1445) exited. Scheduling for restart.
process '/bin/iowrap /dev/tty1 /bin/sh --login -c "/bin/installer /dev/tty2"' (p
id 1530) exited. Scheduling for restart.
process '/bin/iowrap /dev/tty1 /bin/sh --login -c "/bin/installer /dev/tty2"' (p
id 1624) exited. Scheduling for restart.


does anyone have an idea how i can get further ?

[robert]

I don't know how much expertise you have, so forgive me if this is too basic to you, I'm not trying to be insulting. :-)

The problem is that it is trying to launch the installer on the "PC" display adapter and you want it to use the serial port.  
The installer is launched by init and the command line is in inittab in the initial ramfs.  Here is a step by step set of instructions.

• Mount the USB stick, you've already done that, so we'll call whatever directory you mount it on /usbstick.
• The installation ramfs is in a compressed fs image in the file /boot/isolinux/instroot.gz.  Decompress it to someplace like /var/tmp.
  

gzip -cd /usbstick/boot/isolinux/instroot.gz >/var/tmp/instroot.img

• Mount the instroot fs, I'll use /mnt in this example

mount -o loop /var/tmp/instroot.img /mnt

• Edit the inittab appropriately, I would remove the lines for tty3 and tty5 and change /dev/tty1 to /dev/ttyS0, change /dev/tty2 to /tmp/installer.log.
• Unmount the image

umount /mnt

• Compress it and copy it back to the USB stick

gzip -9c /var/tmp/instroot.img > /usbstick/boot/isolinux/instroot.gz

[gmurz]

Thank You for your detailed instructions....

That was exactly what i am searching for.
I will try that over the weekend  and report back

[gmurz]

OK, next try...

with the suggested solution i still get an error loop after booting.
so i played arround with the inittab and found a way to get just a login.


inittab:
::sysinit:/etc/rc
ttyS0::respawn:/sbin/agetty -L 38400 ttyS0 vt100

after boot and login i started the installer with:

-ash-3.00# /bin/sh
sh-3.00# /bin/installer /dev/ttyS0



Install program started.


Probe hardware...
                 Running command: /bin/hwdetect.sh
                                                  Detecting Hardware
                                                                    Loading 8139
too
   Loading ata_piix
                   Loading e100
                               Loading ehci_hcd
                                               Loading i2c_i801
                                                               Loading intel_rng

FATAL: Error inserting intel_rng (/lib/modules/2.6.32.43-57.e43.i586/kernel/driv
ers/char/hw_random/intel-rng.ko.gz): No such device
                                                   Loading uhci_hcd
                                                                   Running comma
nd: /bin/sendstatus.sh init
                           Initializing PCMCIA controllers.
                                                           Running command: modp
robe i82365
           FATAL: Module i82365 not found.
                                          Detected No PCMCIA Controller (will re
-try later for floppy boot).
                            Initializing USB controllers.
                                                         Running command: /sbin/
modprobe sd_mod
               Running command: /sbin/modprobe sr_mod
                                                     Running command: /sbin/modp
robe usb-storage
                Running command: /sbin/modprobe ehci-hcd
                                                        Running command: /sbin/m
odprobe ohci-hcd
                Running command: /sbin/modprobe uhci-hcd
                                                        Running command: /sbin/m
odprobe usbhid
              FATAL: Module usbhid not found.
                                             Running command: /bin/mount -t usbf
s none /proc/bus/usb
                    Running command: /bin/mountsource.sh
                                                        Scanning source media
                                                                             Seg
mentation fault





hmmmm... looks like the installer cant find the source media....

sh-3.00# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/hda: 40.0 GB, 40007761920 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4864 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks  Id System
/dev/hda1   *           1           2       16064+ fd Linux raid autodetect
/dev/hda2               3         260     2072385  82 Linux swap
/dev/hda3             261        1796    12337920  fd Linux raid autodetect
/dev/hda4            1797        4864    24643710  fd Linux raid autodetect

Disk /dev/hdc: 40.0 GB, 40007761920 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4864 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks  Id System
/dev/hdc1   *           1           2       16064+ fd Linux raid autodetect
/dev/hdc2               3         260     2072385  82 Linux swap
/dev/hdc3             261        1796    12337920  fd Linux raid autodetect
/dev/hdc4            1797        4864    24643710  fd Linux raid autodetect

Disk /dev/sda: 1992 MB, 1992294400 bytes
6 heads, 5 sectors/track, 129706 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 30 * 512 = 15360 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks  Id System
/dev/sda1   *          18      129707     1945344   c Win95 FAT32 (LBA)
sh-3.00#


lets mount the usb....

sh-3.00# mount /dev/sda1 -t vfat /cdrom
sh-3.00#


give the installler another try...

-ash-3.00# /bin/sh
sh-3.00# /bin/installer /dev/ttyS0



yeahhh... the normal installtion screen comes up...
just follow the instruction and reboot

done...