Red Hat 8.0 Installation Takes Way Too Long

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Author: Ernie L. Bérriz
Date:  
Subject: Red Hat 8.0 Installation Takes Way Too Long
Alna,

Thanks for the explanation: it all makes sense.

I will check out what I can on the IDE controller chip, and report back. I
have a feeling I will be replacing that CPU board, though!


Ernie

Ernie L. Bérriz
Mesa, Arizona
Fax: 509.752.6776



| -----Original Message-----
| From:
| [mailto:plug-discuss-admin@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us]On Behalf Of Alan
| Dayley
| Sent: Monday, June 02, 2003 6:38 PM
| To:
| Subject: RE: Red Hat 8.0 Installation Takes Way Too Long
|
|
| I have seen this sort of thing on a much older computer (166MHz
| Pentium) It had a PCI card for the hard drive interface. Ran
| Windows 98 just fine but RedHat, Slackware and an old version of
| SuSE were So slow it was pitiful.
|
| After one google search I found that the IDE controller chip was
| a known buggy thing that couldn't handle Linux. Pages of horror
| stories. So, I got a new controller at a used parts place and
| all was well. In your case with the controller on the mother
| board, you would have to change out the whole board.
|
| So, yes, Linux does handle it differently. The BIOS in the PC
| provides facilities for accessing the hardware devices, including
| the hard disk interface. Windows tends to use the BIOS
| facilities. Linux usually ignores or bypasses the BIOS
| facilities and talks directly to the controller chip. I figured
| this was why the chip worked under Windows but was garbage for
| Linux. (BTW, the Linux method of talking to the chip directly is
| why the Linux can get around the 8GB maximum limit of some older
| BIOS sets. Linux goes around the BIOS so the limit does not apply!)
|
| Find the number of the IDE controller chip, if you can, by
| reading the chip markings (if you know which chip it is) or by
| finding what driver loads. Then google it with "<chip
| number/name> linux" Your answer may be right there.
|
| Alan
|
| -------Original Message-------
| From: "Ernie L. B.rriz" <>
| Sent: 06/02/03 03:20 PM
| To:
| Subject: RE: Red Hat 8.0 Installation Takes Way Too Long
|
| >
| > Follow-up:
|
| I tried installing Red Hat 8.0 on two other systems (one a 450-MHz Pentium
| II, another a Pentium 4), and the installation went fine on both systems,
| or
| would have if I hadn't stopped it before actually copying the files.
|
| I then took the CD drive from one of those systems and swapped it with the
| one on the failing system, and the problem is still there (very slow). The
| IDE cable has been swapped as well.
|
| At this point, I am assuming there is some kind of incompatibility between
| the CPU board (an HP Pavilion model 8260) and Red Hat Linux 8.0. I was
| planning on upgrading/replacing this system, and this may be an excellent
| time to do it. I may also try some other distro, as a test if nothing
| else.
|
| If anybody has any different ideas, I would be very glad to hear them!
|
| Windows 98 provides the driver for the CD drive automatically (there are
| no
| drivers to download), and it runs fine in that OS. I can only assume that
| the Red Hat installation CD does not provide an adequate driver, at least
| for that CPU board. Which I guess leads me to ask: is there a difference
| in
| the way Linux and Windows (W98 in this case) access the hardware?
|
|
| As always, any help would be greatly appreciated. And thanks for all the
| suggestions to date as well!
|
|
|
| Ernie L. B.rriz
|  Mesa, Arizona
|   Fax:  509.752.6776
|

|
|
| | -----Original Message-----
| | From: 
| | [mailto:plug-discuss-admin@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us]On Behalf Of Ernie
| | L. B.rriz
| | Sent: Saturday, May 31, 2003 12:53 PM
| | To: 
| | Subject: RE: Red Hat 8.0 Installation Takes Way Too Long
| |
| |
| | I have yet to resolve my problem (I opened up an incident with
| | Red Hat), but
| | I wanted to report on what I have found out.
| |
| | I am attempting to install Red Hat 8.0 from a boxed-CD set, and
| | although the
| | installation seems to go fine, it is taking WAY too long. I was doing a
| CD
| | boot installation, in text mode, and got to the point where it started
| | actually installing the components. The installation was slow to
| | this point,
| | but, being interactive, it was manageable. At this point, I left it
| | installing the
| | components and went to bed. After six hours, the installation program
| said
| | it still had ten (10) more hours to go.
| |
| | The system has a Pentium-II processor running at 266-MHz with
| | 540-MB of RAM,
| | and I was installing to a secondary 13-GB IDE drive (hdb or D:,
| | depending on
| | the OS). Not state of the art, but capable of RH8, per the HCL. I
| verified
| | the first CD (the installation has never gotten past the first CD), and
| | passed, although it took 57 minutes to run mediacheck. The CD light
| blinks
| | very slowly, compared to when it runs under Windows 98, which is the OS
| | running on the first hard drive. I ran a test of the CD drive
| | using Easy CD
| | Creator, and it runs fine.
| |
| | I also tried making a disk driver diskette, and redid the
| | installation using
| | this diskette: no help. The install log doesn't show anything
| significant,
| | but the system log shows the following message several times:
| |
| |        <4> hdc cdrom_decode_status: status 0x51 {DriveReady
| | SeekComplete Error}
| |        <4> hdc cdrom_decode_status: error 0x30
| |
| | At this point, I am waiting for Red Hat's word on this, and I also want
| to
| | try installing to a different system (I have another system with a P4
| | processor, but I have to wrestle it away from my kids). I will report
| back
| | anything else I find, but in the meantime, if anyone has any ideas, they
| | would be GREATLY appreciated.
| |
| |
| | Ernie
| |
| | Ernie L. B.rriz
| |  Mesa, Arizona
| |   Fax:  509.752.6776
| |    
| |
| |
| | | -----Original Message-----
| | | From: 
| | | [mailto:plug-discuss-admin@lists.plug.phoenix.az.us]On Behalf Of
| Thomas
| | | Cameron
| | | Sent: Friday, May 30, 2003 10:18 AM
| | | To: 
| | | Subject: Re: Red Hat 8.0 Installation Takes Way Too Long
| | |
| | |
| | | That's highly unusual - did you verify disks first?  Sounds
| | like bad media
| | | or CD drive.
| | | --
| | | Thomas Cameron, RHCE, CNE, MCSE, MCT
| | | Cameron Technical Services, Inc.
| | | (512) 454-3200 Main
| | | http://www.camerontech.com
| | |
| | | ----- Original Message -----
| | | From: "Ernie L. B.rriz" <>
| | | To: <>
| | | Sent: Friday, May 30, 2003 12:08 PM
| | | Subject: Red Hat 8.0 Installation Takes Way Too Long
| | |
| | |
| | | > I am attempting to install my first Linux system, Red Hat 8.0, from
| a
| | | boxed
| | | > set. I was doing the text-based installation, taking my time to
| | | make sure
| | | I
| | | > understood as much as possible for future reference, and
| | | everything seemed
| | | > to be going fine, except for the fact that after 6 hours of
| | | installing the
| | | > RPMs, the installation counter showed it still had 10 hours to go.
| | | >
| | | > I have read all the documentation I could get my hands on,
| | searched the
| | | Red
| | | > Hat site, as wells as googled for more information, all to no
| | | avail. I am
| | | > assuming this is not normal :)
| | | >
| | | > My system is a Pentium-II running at 266-MHz with 640-MB of
| | RAM, a 13-GB
| | | IDE
| | | > hard drive for the Linux system, and a CD-RW drive, from which I am
| | | > installing. It's not state-of-the-art, but it's well within the
| specs
| | | listed
| | | > by Red Hat in their Hardware Compatibility List. It also has
| | | been running
| | | > Windows 98 with no problems.
| | | >
| | | > I was attempting to install it on the second drive (hdb or D:\,
| | | depending
| | | on
| | | > the OS), and using GRUB to choose the OS to boot. Drive C:\ still
| has
| | | > Windows 98 on it.
| | | >
| | | > This is all the information I can think of that may be
| | relevant to this
| | | > problem, but I will be glad to provide anything else that may help
| to
| | | > analyze this problem.
| | | >
| | | > I would be extremely grateful for any assistance.
| | | >
| | | >
| | | > Ernie L. B.rriz
| | | >  Mesa, Arizona
| | | >   Fax:  509.752.6776
| | | >    
| | | > ---
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| | | > Version: 6.0.484 / Virus Database: 282 - Release Date: 5/27/03
| | | >
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