Installation Problems on Dell PowerEdge 2600

General support questions including new installations
PCHome
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Re: Installation Problems on Dell PowerEdge 2600

Post by PCHome » 2015/01/30 20:54:20

I forgot to say that I installed a more modern DVD player as the one in it originally was CD only. Any other tips on what could possibly be causing the installation issues? Do I need to use a specific SCSI ID or do anything else special to the drive other than to prepare it through the SCSI setup facility?

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TrevorH
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Re: Installation Problems on Dell PowerEdge 2600

Post by TrevorH » 2015/01/30 23:31:37

The only requirement is that there be no duplicate SCSI ids.
The future appears to be RHEL or Debian. I think I'm going Debian.
Info for USB installs on http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/InstallFromUSBkey
CentOS 5 and 6 are deadest, do not use them.
Use the FAQ Luke

PCHome
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Re: Installation Problems on Dell PowerEdge 2600

Post by PCHome » 2015/01/30 23:48:13

TrevorH wrote:The only requirement is that there be no duplicate SCSI ids.
The IDs are assigned automatically so that cannot be the problem. There is a second SCSI adapter that I'll try removing but is also assigned separately so I doubt it will make a difference.

gerald_clark
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Re: Installation Problems on Dell PowerEdge 2600

Post by gerald_clark » 2015/01/31 01:32:21

The IDs are assigned automatically so that cannot be the problem.
Every SCSI drive I ever used had switches or jumpers to set the ID.

PCHome
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Re: Installation Problems on Dell PowerEdge 2600

Post by PCHome » 2015/01/31 01:41:02

It's been years since I worked on a SCSI system and thought I recalled some that had auto-select but I may have been thinking of IDE. In any event, this WAS a working system until I decided to reinstall CentOS so a conflict of that nature seems unlikely.

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AlanBartlett
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Re: Installation Problems on Dell PowerEdge 2600

Post by AlanBartlett » 2015/01/31 16:06:11

PCHome wrote:It's been years since I worked on a SCSI system and thought I recalled some that had auto-select but I may have been thinking of IDE. In any event, this WAS a working system until I decided to reinstall CentOS so a conflict of that nature seems unlikely.
Understood. But please now check and then report back with your findings.

Once that has been clarified -- one way or the other -- then perhaps further ideas to check may be forthcoming.
Image 100% Linux and, previously, Unix. Co-founder of the ELRepo Project.

PCHome
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Re: Installation Problems on Dell PowerEdge 2600

Post by PCHome » 2015/01/31 18:05:10

Will do. However, I already tried removing all drives except the one to which I am trying to install but it made no difference.

PCHome
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Re: Installation Problems on Dell PowerEdge 2600

Post by PCHome » 2015/02/11 23:03:35

I removed two other SCSI controllers (an LSI and an Adaptec), then connected the drive bay to the on-board controller with no drives installed other than the one on which I am trying to install the OS. That way there is no possibility of conflict but it made no difference. It boots to the DVD-ROM and gives the installation menu but no matter which choice I make it gives a blank screen with only the blinking underscore. It does not even make a difference which OS I am trying to install. It does the same with Windows, Ubuntu, CentOS, BeOS and others.

whack
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Re: Installation Problems on Dell PowerEdge 2600

Post by whack » 2015/08/05 22:46:57

I've fought this fight. Besides not realizing the old PE 2600 only had a CD drive and not a DVD drive, but that was another issue.

I too was faced with the mysterious blank screen with some color blobs on the top left.

If you boot into Minimum Graphics mode, then tab to view the command, delete everything after the end 'x86-amd64' and type "TEXT" it will give you the text install. At this point it will politely inform you that your system is only i386, and NOT x86-64 compatible.

Therefore, you'll have to download the i386 ISO and install from that. Happy CENTing'

PCHome
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Re: Installation Problems on Dell PowerEdge 2600

Post by PCHome » 2015/08/06 00:51:51

whack wrote:I've fought this fight. Besides not realizing the old PE 2600 only had a CD drive and not a DVD drive, but that was another issue.

I too was faced with the mysterious blank screen with some color blobs on the top left.

If you boot into Minimum Graphics mode, then tab to view the command, delete everything after the end 'x86-amd64' and type "TEXT" it will give you the text install. At this point it will politely inform you that your system is only i386, and NOT x86-64 compatible.

Therefore, you'll have to download the i386 ISO and install from that. Happy CENTing'
Yes, I'm installing from the i386 ISO and I tried minimum graphics and just about anything else. Then I tried other operating systems which also would not install so it must be some hardware issue, although what that might be has alluded me so far. I removed all extra SCSI controllers and all other drives, yet the problem persists.

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