Hang on HP Netserver LH II - Framebuffer?

headlessbob

This might also be relavent to the hardware forum, but I've only seen the problem in install so I'm posting here.

I'm trying to install gentoo 1.4 on a HP Netserver LH II (see this link for technical info).
Has 128 mb edo ram, 1 pII 266 (see the link for all the other gory details).

Install media: 1.4 rc-4 on livecd.

Problem: After the kernel loads various display troubles are found. This is what I've tried, and the results of each:
(default): after loading initrd, screen blanks.
nofb: after loading initrd, screen is VERY distorted... you can read parts if you try hard though.
800 and 1024: 4-6 rectangles with lines everywhere, unless vga=n options are set, in which case it looks like nofb with vga=n.
acpi: no luck either

nofb with vga=x options help...
vga=1,2,3,0x305, is readable (small font), but half the screen is missing and the leftmost text appears on the right. When scrolled to the top the text turns to a few various non-alphanumeric ascii chars. Sortof like the screen is being processed and sent translocated up by 1/2 a screen, and over by ~3 chars (only the side wraps).

Note: RedHat 9 and OpenBSD 3.3 both install fine and run fine on this system, so its something with the gentoo livecd kernels. In addition, I've tried a secondary PCI video card and a seperate monitor. In addition, the pretty splash screen loads perfectly fine. I've also successfully installed gentoo on many a 'puter, and this is the only problem I've been unable to solve on my own

.

Anyway, I was unable to find any info about anybody installing gentoo on a netserver lh II, so I thought I'd post this. I'm not all out of ideas, but if anybody has any suggestions that would be great. The problem seems similar to this discussion but, of course, with a realllllly crappy video card.

I figure its perhaps something memory related? Its independant of the video card, apparently. Meh. Bah. And so on...
-Brian

bazik · Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2003 7:02 am Post subject:

Did you try to install from Knoppix? Its hardware support is still the best around (on LiveCDs)

headlessbob · Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2003 8:12 am Post subject:

It doesn't seem to have a problem with the HW detection... I've switched to the nofb kernel and everything works fine EXCEPT the excessively crappy display. RedHat starts with the same crappy display but fixes itself in a second or two... SO I've come to the conclusion that its something the gentoo install doesn't/isn't doing.
I'm currently playing around with different consolefont settings, although to no avail thus far...

bazik · Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2003 8:22 am Post subject:

What I did want to tell you is that you should try booting with a Knoppix CD and check if it looks ok. If yes, just install Gentoo from there.

headlessbob · Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2003 9:59 pm Post subject:

Ah, I see.
I ended up doing essentially that, but with RedHat instead in a fairly complicated process that worked, but could have been done easier I'm quite certain (partitioned drive with fdisk on OpenBSD boot floppy, installed redhat on a partition near the end of the drive. Then mounted a partition for installing gentoo upon, continuing on with the install instructions like normal, and eventually I'll wipe out the redhat install).

So now that I have a gentoo-sources kernel compiled, there is no problem with the display output. I haven't had time to test much, or play around with kernel options trying to break it again, but it works now. I haven't changed many options in the kernel other than scsi support, so the default seems to work.

Which suggests (to me, at least) that the way the gentoo install cd currently works does something with the console that isn't compatible with something.
Perhaps if I actually have more time I'll try to fill in those "somethings" with actual nouns that can describe the problem.

On a completely unrelated note, I really need to find a second VRM (voltage regulator module) for the second processor on this thing (netserver lh ii). If anybody just happens to have one or knows where to get one, you could make me a very happy man...

Cr0t · l33t Joined: 27 Apr 2002 Posts: 944 Location: USA

I used to have Gentoo running on two of those HP NetServers. Works just fine. They make nice FileServers.
_________________
cya

©®0t

guitou · Guru Joined: 02 Oct 2003 Posts: 534 Location: France

Hey, if you know how to run gentoo on a NetServer, I'm quite interested as I ran through problems while trying myself...
Can you tell me what is the onboard Tulip chip for ?
Is there a HP10/100 lan adapter in your machine, and if so, were you able to run it in 100M mode ?
Do you have hints for the install on this particular hardware ?
Please tell me, and I may try to re-install gentoo in place of this f***ing MNF, which duplicates my NICs at each boot.

Cr0t · l33t Joined: 27 Apr 2002 Posts: 944 Location: USA

I do not really know what your Problem is with the NetServer LH II. Let me just post what I have...

guitou · Guru Joined: 02 Oct 2003 Posts: 534 Location: France

Well, excuse me, I was talking about a NetServer too, but not at all the same machine.
Mine seems to come from early ages : NetServer LD Pro PPro180, 64MB Ram, this strange Tulip onboard chip and an old HP10/100 that only works at 10MB (and unable to communicate with my ADSL modem). But nethermind, I'll keep MNF and play with space left...