Topic: SME with no video card help?

[wetumka_ok]

I recently, purchased some equipment at school auction, one such item was an iprism, firewall I opened the bow it's a celeron 1.2 with a intel pro network card with 2 interfaces, I removed the 128mb chip that fit's in the ide channel and put an 80gb harddrive, it had 384mb ram, I installed a video card, then installed sme 7.0rc binded the ports together, everything works great until I remove the video card, is there a setting to turn off video I obvlisy can't see what the error may be has anyone had a simular problem, or know a workaround?

[cactus]

everything works great until I remove the video card, is there a setting to turn off video I obvlisy can't see what the error may be has anyone had a simular problem, or know a workaround?

Why do you need to remove the videocard? As far as I know every computer at boot time (during BIOS checks) checks for a videocard, if none is present the system will not boot (most of them will send a sequence of beeps). Some systems might have an option to override this, but IMHO this is a feature of the BIOS and not of the OS.

[wetumka_ok]

I'm sorry let me clarify this device is 1u and does not have an integrated video card there is one backplane that lay's a single pci slot horizintal where the network card is seated with the cover removed and an agp card installed vertical i was able to install and configure, however i need to remove the video card so i can close this device up and mount it in the rack, so I need to find a way to disable the video, this device was setup with linux embedded, for iprism stbenard software for a internet filter / firewall, it worked with no video. I'm just trying to do the same with sme thanks in advance for any help!

[wetumka_ok]

also the computer, seems to be booting past the bios, as ther is plenty of harddisk activity, I just can't see it on the network, and I don't know if there is a problem!

[bpivk]

Your best bet would be to plug your agp card back in and torubleshoot your problem. If it works remove the card and if it stops working.... well there's your problem.

But you need to check if this is a graphic card issue or some other problem first.

[wetumka_ok]

The system works perfectly, with the video card installed, i can access the server-manager, add ibays, transfer data etc.. when i remove the card, it all seems like it's working fine however i can't ping the box, and have no server-manager, or shares etc.. I just thought i'd find a linux command, or something about, forcing the video to tty or some user level etc.. that may solve the problem. I don't have as much experience with linux as some of our friends here in the forum!

[cactus]

The system works perfectly, with the video card installed, i can access the server-manager, add ibays, transfer data etc.. when i remove the card, it all seems like it's working fine however i can't ping the box, and have no server-manager, or shares etc..

Some computers halt on errors at boot time, most systems can be forced to move on by pressing F1. Try this... if that works you need to put in your video card again and check your computer BIOS for a setting like halt on all errors/keyboard error/no error like settings. You should probably set this to no error for it to boot without the need to press F1.

[cactus]

Some computers halt on errors at boot time, most systems can be forced to move on by pressing F1.

If that is not the case you might be able to do like you suggested earlier:

I just thought i'd find a linux command, or something about, forcing the video to tty or some user level etc.. that may solve the problem. I don't have as much experience with linux as some of our friends here in the forum!

See this link for details: http://tldp.org/HOWTO/Remote-Serial-Console-HOWTO/configure-kernel.html
SME Server uses GRUB as boot loader.

[wetumka_ok]

Thank's for the info, at least this way i can plug a terminal in and maby see what the problem is, i plan on documenting the installation, with pictures etc.. posting it in a blog once i'm done in case someone else has a simular situation.

[duncan]

Well - given that it did what it did in a previous life without the need for a graphics card - it`s obviously not a bios problem.

This is a real "Chicken or the Egg" type problem. Good luck.

[cactus]

posting it in a blog once i'm done in case someone else has a simular situation.

Please post it in the SME Server Manual WIKI.

[william_syd]

How to direct the boot output to COM1 at 9600 baud AND allow login.

Edit /boot/grub/gub.conf

Add serial --unit=0

Add terminal --timeout=15 serial console

Comment out #splashimage=(hd0,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz

Comment out #hiddenmenu

Add console=tty1 console=ttyS0,9600n8 to end of each kernel line

Example...

Code: [Select]

# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE:  You have a /boot partition.  This means that
#          all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
#          root (hd0,0)
#          kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/main/root
#          initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/hda
serial --unit=0
terminal --timeout=15 serial console
default=1
timeout=15
#splashimage=(hd0,0)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
#hiddenmenu
title SME Server (2.6.9-42.0.3.plus.c4smp)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.9-42.0.3.plus.c4smp ro root=/dev/main/root console=tty1 console=ttyS0,9600n8
initrd /initrd-2.6.9-42.0.3.plus.c4smp.img
title CentOS (2.6.9-42.0.3.ELsmp)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.9-42.0.3.ELsmp ro root=/dev/main/root console=tty1 console=ttyS0,9600n8
initrd /initrd-2.6.9-42.0.3.ELsmp.img
title CentOS (2.6.9-42.0.2.ELsmp)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.9-42.0.2.ELsmp ro root=/dev/main/root console=tty1 console=ttyS0,9600n8
initrd /initrd-2.6.9-42.0.2.ELsmp.img
title CentOS (2.6.9-42.0.2.EL)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.9-42.0.2.EL ro root=/dev/main/root console=tty1 console=ttyS0,9600n8
initrd /initrd-2.6.9-42.0.2.EL.img
title CentOS (2.6.9-34.0.2.EL)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.9-34.0.2.EL ro root=/dev/main/root console=tty1 console=ttyS0,9600n8
initrd /initrd-2.6.9-34.0.2.EL.img
title CentOS (2.6.9-34.0.2.ELsmp)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.9-34.0.2.ELsmp ro root=/dev/main/root console=tty1 console=ttyS0,9600n8
initrd /initrd-2.6.9-34.0.2.ELsmp.img
title SME Server (2.6.9-34.ELsmp)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.9-34.ELsmp ro root=/dev/main/root console=tty1 console=ttyS0,9600n8
initrd /initrd-2.6.9-34.ELsmp.img
title SME Server-up (2.6.9-34.EL)
root (hd0,0)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.9-34.EL ro root=/dev/main/root console=tty1 console=ttyS0,9600n8
initrd /initrd-2.6.9-34.EL.img


Make following configuration changes....

Code: [Select]

db configuration setprop BaudRate 9600 Device ttyS0 status enabled

Code: [Select]

expand-template /etc/securetty

Code: [Select]

signal-event halt

Connect proper null modem cable to COM1 and to 'other' machine. Configure terminal program(minicom) on 'other' machine for 9600n1.

Power up SME machine.

The above has been working for me for some time now.

SME still contains a video card.

[wetumka_ok]

Awesome, I really appreciate the information, openfiler will install headless, but really lacks alot when compared to sme.

Thanks, Again I'll let you know how it works!

[william_syd]

Awesome, I really appreciate the information, openfiler will install headless, but really lacks alot when compared to sme.

Thanks, Again I'll let you know how it works!

The above wont help with installing headless.

I'm assuming you already have a working install that with the video card removed at least gets into linux prior to coming to a halt.

[wetumka_ok]

That is correct, I have a fully working sme server, I just need to configure it to work without, video so I can remove the card.

Thanks for all the help!

[bmoore]

HI all.  this looks like a good start.  HOwever, I would like to do a completely headless install onto a empty machine.  with older versions, I could memorize the sequence of the screens and do it from memory.  However, the 7.1 installer has a bunch of extra options and I would like the ability to install without a monitor connected.  Actually,I could connect a monitor but it won't help.  Being totally blind, can't see it anyway.  I think there is an fc4 option to install over telnet but I can't work out what parameters to pass at the boot prompt.  I have a dhcp server which I think is a requirement although it would be nice to pass a specific ip so I don't have to go and look at the dhcp server table to figure out which address it got.  A serial console would be okay too but over the lan would be much easier.  I think I can memorize the bit after reboot for setting admin pw, configuring network parameters etc although it would be nice if I could either script that or have access to it over the lan.  Once the machine is on the network, there is no issue and it is actually far more usable for those using screen readers than 2003 server in any form.  any thoughts would be appreciated.  thanks.
Brian.

[bpivk]

Well just get someone to install the software for you.

[bmoore]

HI.  that wouldwork but I break my test machine regularly.  could do something like mondorescue but I tend to change hardware fairly often and it doesn't restore nicely onto different hardware.  Even to restore from a desktop backup or usb backup, requires that I get the machine reachable on the lan.
I have several of these boxes I have set up for friends as home gateway devices.  Besides, I think it is possible and I'm just enough of a nerd to spend however long it takes to make this happen.  I think I'm pretty close.

Brian.[/quote]