Redhat installation problems

[Andrew Cowie]

On Mon, 2004-05-31 at 10:24, hui xu wrote:
> 2. After installation, I booted the computer. I got the following
> information and the computer stopped there.

> Initializing RT netlink socket
> Apm: BIOS Version1.2 Flags 0X0b (Driver version 1.6)

Where the kernel stops in a boot sequence is, regretfully, not always
informative.

You have a few options:

1) assume that the message is significant, and that APM is somehow to
blame. Add "apm=off" to your kernel's boot line. [If you are using grub
you can do this at boot time; otherwise, you'll need to boot a rescue
disk or installation disk so as to be able to re-run lilo with different
parameters]

2) assume that the message is a red herring and that its something else.
Unfortunately that opens you up to a pretty wide range of possibilities.
The most likely is that you did something wrong when you (installed /
built) the systems' kernel.

Of course, the fact that you were able to book from your RedHat 9
installation disk in the first place means that whatever kernel is on
that disk is likely good-to-go. You could just simply use that kernel,
rather than (as I assume you did) building your own.

Personally, I would try a different kernel, at least, and possibly a
different distribution. Linux 2.6 kernels have, by in large, better
hardware detection and drivers (such is the nature of progress).

Since your system is a bit unsteady, to test this theory out you'll
probably need to grab a copy of the boot/installation CD-ROM from Fedora
(Fedora Core 2, which is like RedHat 10 or 11, if you will), or
something like Gentoo (say, universal disc version 2004.1) both of which
have really cutting edge kernels on them and good hardware detection
suites.

One of the nice things about Linux is that you don't have to be running
the latest and greatest to get a useful system, but when you're faced
with hardware troubles, getting newer versions of software is a place to
start.

Best of luck,

AfC
Toronto

-- 
Andrew Frederick Cowie
Operational Dynamics Consulting Pty Ltd

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