Unable to install Grub (IBM eServer 326)

[mhumm2]

Hi;

I just picked up an old IBM 326 with a 73Gb SCSI drive. I'm trying to install Karmic 9.10 (32bit) in order to compare the performance to my other desktop. The install via liveCD goes normally until the very end when GRUB tries to install. This is the error I get:

Unable to install GRUB
Executing 'grub-install (hd0)' failed
This is a fatal error

I'm fairly sure it's not the hard drive and has more to do with the fact that I'm not familiar with IBM servers. Please advise.

mhumm2

[Qqmike]

Re: Unable to install Grub (IBM eServer 326)

Hard to tell what causes that error; it's a frustrating one. Maybe boot.img went ok but core.img wouldn't go. Who knows for sure.

Might try to use a Kubuntu 9.10 Live CD to re-install GRUB, may have to use the --recheck uption:
sudo grub-install --recheck /dev/sda

(I think you want it to go into the MBR of drive sda, right?
sudo fdisk -lu
shows your hard drives (whcih you can run from Live CD).)


SECTION 3, Fixing Things, here:
GRUB 2 A Guide for Users
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3106368.0


Wouldn't hurt to make sure the partitioning is solid and clean on that hard drive, starting with the MBR.
GParted Live CD:
GParted (Live CD, USB, HD)
http://gparted.sourceforge.net/livecd.php
New Manual. New man page. See Documentation:
http://gparted.sourceforge.net/documentation.php

If there's nothing valuable on the disk, I'd start with a new MSDOS partition table in GParted Live CD:
Device > New Partition table
will do that (and make your old data inaccessible without having to use TestDisk or some recovery software).


Partitioning—how to, Rog131:
http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...opic=3090704.0


Final comment: I have no experience with GRUB and servers.

[mhumm2]

Re: Unable to install Grub (IBM eServer 326)

Qqmike;

Thanks for the quick response. I'm reading the GRUB 2 documentation now. I think I'll print it out so I have it accessible while I'm working on the server.

I'll also make a Gparted live CD. There is nothing on the HDD and Kubuntu sees it as HD0. It's an IBM 320U SCSI drive with an SCA connector at the rear so it's hot-swappable. I'm not familiar with SCSI protocols or IBM servers which is why I wanted to pick this one up and learn from it.

mhumm2