Topic: Installing SME on latest motherboards?

[chris burnat]

Hitting a brick wall with latest release of motherboards with Intel H61 Express Chipset and i7 core processors, or similar. Tried 5 different boards to date, and all fail to load either version7, or Version 8, or CentOs 5.6.

Problems are:
- PS2 keyboard or for that matter USB keyboards are intermittent or inoperative after a while.  I manage to fix this in Bios, no longer an issue.

- System loads from CD then ask for drivers after setting keyboard.  There is a caption asking where to load the package from - list of drivers suggested, none works. There is also an option to select another location, offers /dev/sda (this is the HDD) or /dev/sdb (this should be the CD/DCV), if I choose the hard drive, I can see old installation on the drive, was a 7.6 WIP (and I can load this OK - the system boot fine after a few tweak in Bios again). 

If I choose /dev/sdb, it refuses to proceed.  Tried an older Sata CD/DVD to no avail. Tried a USB drive but it appears to be incompatible with USB3 provided by the MB, another issue to track down...

I am testing with a board from Gigabyte model GA-H61M-USB3, but had same results with other manufacturers using what appears to be Intel Chipsets.  Never had this problem before. 

I noticed that a few of these boards were showing a Sata drive as IDE in Bios.
There is a toggle in Bios allowing selection of SATA between IDE and AHCI

When googling for this board, I found a note under specification:
Gygabyte GA-H61M-USB3-B3
Due to different Linux support condition provided by chipset vendors, please download Linux driver from chipset vendors' website or 3rd party website.

Has anyone manage to get around these issues, I am not too familiar with board architecture.
Thanks
chris

[gregswallow]

Your signature has a good suggestion.....file a bug report  

I would make sure you have the latest bios for the motherboard, and just double check that you also have the same problems with CentOS 5.6.  5.7 should be out soon too, you could try that.

[chris burnat]

Your signature has a good suggestion.....file a bug report  

I would make sure you have the latest bios for the motherboard, and just double check that you also have the same problems with CentOS 5.6.  5.7 should be out soon too, you could try that.

Thanks Greg, tried Centos 5.6, no go.  Too early for a bug report, the Devs have enough on their plates at the moment without wasting time on this.  Maybe someone on the forum has hit this problem, lets see.  I will do some more testing also (get latest Bios), then as a last resort post in the Bugtracker....

[Jáder]

Hitting a brick wall with latest release of motherboards with Intel H61 Express Chipset and i7 core processors, or similar. Tried 5 different boards to date, and all fail to load either version7, or Version 8, or CentOs 5.6.

Problems are:
- PS2 keyboard or for that matter USB keyboards are intermittent or inoperative after a while.  I manage to fix this in Bios, no longer an issue.

Do you mind to post here what you discovered ?
Next time someone else search for this board/problem will find one possible solution.
Never say "I fixed that" in a forum without say how.

- System loads from CD then ask for drivers after setting keyboard.  There is a caption asking where to load the package from - list of drivers suggested, none works. There is also an option to select another location, offers /dev/sda (this is the HDD) or /dev/sdb (this should be the CD/DCV), if I choose the hard drive, I can see old installation on the drive, was a 7.6 WIP (and I can load this OK - the system boot fine after a few tweak in Bios again). 

So SME must be looking for NIC (network interface card) or HDDs.
I'm  not sure which one exactly but appears to be HDDs.

HDDs can b e a problem when misconfigurated in BIOS.
My advice: Try just with SME8b6 till you find out.
Put the BIOS in AHCI (no emulation) for HDDs and try it.
Change BIOS config to next option and try again till try all of them.
Even if other than AHCI works, they could be VERY SLOW... so be warned.

If I choose /dev/sdb, it refuses to proceed.  Tried an older Sata CD/DVD to no avail. Tried a USB drive but it appears to be incompatible with USB3 provided by the MB, another issue to track down...

In this point you appears to say your install cannot find a DVD drive (from where it just boot up!)... strange...

I noticed that a few of these boards were showing a Sata drive as IDE in Bios.
There is a toggle in Bios allowing selection of SATA between IDE and AHCI

Allways try AHCI first. IDE is an emulation mode.
Are you using SATA (or SATA2) HDDs, right ?

Regards

Jáder

[CharlieBrady]

Too early for a bug report, the Devs have enough on their plates at the moment without wasting time on this.

Please create a bug report. We will therefore have a good place to collect information about what works and what doesn't, and be able to resolve/close when the problem is fixed.

I agree with others that CentOS 5.7 might make a difference, and that you should be using AHCI.

Please send me one of those i7 boards and I'll get it working

[chris burnat]

Please create a bug report. We will therefore have a good place to collect information about what works and what doesn't, and be able to resolve/close when the problem is fixed.

I agree with others that CentOS 5.7 might make a difference, and that you should be using AHCI.

Please send me one of those i7 boards and I'll get it working

Thank you all.
Bug report created:
http://bugs.contribs.org/show_bug.cgi?id=6700

Please follow there, I will mark this resolved as applicable when done.

[chris burnat]

This issue has been resolved in Bugzilla, please refer http://bugs.contribs.org/show_bug.cgi?id=6700 for details.
To summarize:

a) SME7.xx is unlikely to install satisfactorily on this type of boards unless
someone find some magic...

b) A version 7.xx drive installed on an earlier version of motherboard will run
OK on one of this type of boards subject to SATA port1 Native mode being
disabled in Bios.

c) SME8.xx can be installed and will work fine on one of these boards subject
to SATA AHCI mode being set to AHCI instead of IDE in Bios.

[chris burnat]

The motherboard tested includes an  Atheros AR8151 chip which did not work for sme7 or sme8.
For workarounds, check:
http://bugs.contribs.org/show_bug.cgi?id=6593

Next is to test PCI-Express network interface...

[chris burnat]

Do you mind to post here what you discovered ?
Next time someone else search for this board/problem will find one possible solution.
Jáder

If time allows,you may wish to formally document this and other findings associated with this exercise punted in the documentation section of Bugzilla.
Thanks.

[Jáder]

I just started a new wiki page: http://wiki.contribs.org/InstallationTips