I've got an old server, that I'm *trying* to rebuild from C6. Our regular key, with the kickstarts, etc, simply won't boot. Just a blank screen, and it never goes anywhere.
So I'm trying to build it from a year-old regular installer.
100% of the time, the graphical screen is screwed. Resolution's so big that I cannot see the right-hand 10% or 15% of the screen. There doesn't seem to be any way that I've found yet to make it higher res, so I can read it.
It's *not* the monitor's fault. It is an ancient Matrox video card... but I would have thought the VESA driver could handle it.
Any suggestions?
mark
On Feb 14, 2019, at 1:47 PM, mark m.roth@5-cent.us wrote:
Any suggestions?
Do a text install: https://unix.stackexchange.com/a/361935/138
On Thu, Feb 14, 2019 at 06:30:40PM -0700, Warren Young wrote:
Do a text install: https://unix.stackexchange.com/a/361935/138
If you think he's frustrated now... The text installer is garbage and has been since EL5 days, the only reason it even exists is because it's part of the kickstart framework.
I would suggest a vnc-based install.
John
On Thu, 14 Feb 2019 at 15:48, mark m.roth@5-cent.us wrote:
I've got an old server, that I'm *trying* to rebuild from C6. Our regular key, with the kickstarts, etc, simply won't boot. Just a blank screen, and it never goes anywhere.
So I'm trying to build it from a year-old regular installer.
100% of the time, the graphical screen is screwed. Resolution's so big that I cannot see the right-hand 10% or 15% of the screen. There doesn't seem to be any way that I've found yet to make it higher res, so I can read it.
It's *not* the monitor's fault. It is an ancient Matrox video card... but I would have thought the VESA driver could handle it.
Easiest would be put $20.00 into an old video card to replace the Matrox. Matrox support seems to have degraded in X11 after 2010 or so.
The next solution would be to try the text mode and stick to that. The third is to find kernel vesa modes on the bootline which may help
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=466318
vga=0x318
looks like an option?
Any suggestions?
mark
CentOS mailing list CentOS@centos.org https://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos
-- Stephen J Smoogen.
Stephen John Smoogen wrote:
On Thu, 14 Feb 2019 at 15:48, mark m.roth@5-cent.us wrote:
I've got an old server, that I'm *trying* to rebuild from C6. Our regular key, with the kickstarts, etc, simply won't boot. Just a blank screen, and it never goes anywhere.
So I'm trying to build it from a year-old regular installer.
100% of the time, the graphical screen is screwed. Resolution's so big that I cannot see the right-hand 10% or 15% of the screen. There doesn't seem to be any way that I've found yet to make it higher res, so I can read it.
It's *not* the monitor's fault. It is an ancient Matrox video card... but I would have thought the VESA driver could handle it.
Easiest would be put $20.00 into an old video card to replace the Matrox. Matrox support seems to have degraded in X11 after 2010 or so.
To me, this is a non-sequitur. I'm at work, and was fighting for far too long yesterday - hours - to get this system built and up. I got it up - that *also* required another USB key with an archived kmod-forcedeth rpm, but it wasn't ready to do backups LAST NIGHT. I've gotten it to that point this morning.
To say "spend $20..." does not relate to "have to find a workaround to do it *today*", nor to "this is a work system, I'm not driving out to Microcenter to buy one".
The next solution would be to try the text mode and stick to that.
Oh, right, I tried that. Text mode does NOT allow you to encrypt your drive. Missing option.
When I did the second? rebuild, I chose a basic server, after, when I tried to install kmod-forcedeth, and realized it needed kernel-devel and kernel-headers... and when I tried to install them, it told me there was no perl.
Trying to think of what "minimal system" would be used for - a hacked Roomba (tm)?
The third is to find kernel vesa modes on the bootline which may help
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=466318
vga=0x318
looks like an option?
Found that I could put resolution=640x480, or vga=(same). 100% of the time, on boot, it came up telling me it didn't recognize anything, but gave me about 20 options. I tried several, and it seemed to get a good resolution... but after it switched root, it went back to the original resolution, and *nothing* - trust me on this, I rebooted at least 4 times *nothing* changed the resolution on the GUI installer; it *always* came up with the right hand side chopped.
At least the system's doing backups again, now. But I thought I'd be done the rebuild before lunch *yesterday*, not fighting it until I left last night.
mark
On Feb 15, 2019, at 11:08 AM, mark m.roth@5-cent.us wrote:
To say "spend $20..." does not relate to "have to find a workaround to do it *today*", nor to "this is a work system, I'm not driving out to Microcenter to buy one”.
What’s your hourly rate? How much did *not* driving out to Microcenter cost your employer?
If you’re salaried, there’s the opportunity costs: what work did you *not* do while trying to save that $20 and hour round trip?
RHEL drops old hardware constantly, roughly aligning with its ~10 year support window. It doesn’t surprise me that the early Matrox cards have fallen out of support by now.
The last such deprecation to bite me was the 3ware 8000 series cards, last supported on EL5 or 6. When resuscitating such systems, we either have to stick with the old OS or upgrade them to 9000 series cards — which won’t attach 8000 series RAID sets — or switch array technologies entirely.
Doubtless you can throw heroic efforts at getting old X drivers to build with current software, but is that a good use of your time, given the alternatives?
On 15/02/2019 18:36, Warren Young wrote:
On Feb 15, 2019, at 11:08 AM, mark m.roth@5-cent.us wrote:
To say "spend $20..." does not relate to "have to find a workaround to do it *today*", nor to "this is a work system, I'm not driving out to Microcenter to buy one”.
What’s your hourly rate? How much did *not* driving out to Microcenter cost your employer?
If you’re salaried, there’s the opportunity costs: what work did you *not* do while trying to save that $20 and hour round trip?
RHEL drops old hardware constantly, roughly aligning with its ~10 year support window. It doesn’t surprise me that the early Matrox cards have fallen out of support by now.
The last such deprecation to bite me was the 3ware 8000 series cards, last supported on EL5 or 6. When resuscitating such systems, we either have to stick with the old OS or upgrade them to 9000 series cards — which won’t attach 8000 series RAID sets — or switch array technologies entirely.
Doubtless you can throw heroic efforts at getting old X drivers to build with current software, but is that a good use of your time, given the alternatives? _______________________________________________ CentOS mailing list CentOS@centos.org https://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos
Not an uncommon situation though. "Driving" - that's hugely expensive requiring a hire car (never let ordinary grunts use their own vehicles, it might cost more). "out" - 'elf'n'safety, have they signed off the appropriate bit of paper, and who is checking up on the time? "Microcenter" - do we have a preferred supplier agreement with them. Are they even on the SAP system? Far better to use corporate's method since then no-one can be blamed for wastage. "Employer" - Ahh, do you mean the shareholders, the local business manager, or the local team manager. If the latter, can he shift the cost elsewhere and wring his hands effectively?
I would add an "</cynic>", but it wouldn't be appropriate here.
On Fri, 15 Feb 2019 at 13:09, mark m.roth@5-cent.us wrote:
Stephen John Smoogen wrote:
On Thu, 14 Feb 2019 at 15:48, mark m.roth@5-cent.us wrote:
I've got an old server, that I'm *trying* to rebuild from C6. Our regular key, with the kickstarts, etc, simply won't boot. Just a blank screen, and it never goes anywhere.
So I'm trying to build it from a year-old regular installer.
100% of the time, the graphical screen is screwed. Resolution's so big that I cannot see the right-hand 10% or 15% of the screen. There doesn't seem to be any way that I've found yet to make it higher res, so I can read it.
It's *not* the monitor's fault. It is an ancient Matrox video card... but I would have thought the VESA driver could handle it.
Easiest would be put $20.00 into an old video card to replace the Matrox. Matrox support seems to have degraded in X11 after 2010 or so.
To me, this is a non-sequitur. I'm at work, and was fighting for far too long yesterday - hours - to get this system built and up. I got it up - that *also* required another USB key with an archived kmod-forcedeth rpm, but it wasn't ready to do backups LAST NIGHT. I've gotten it to that point this morning.
I figured you wanted an answer you wanted to enact within a day. Anything else is going to take lots of trial and error of whatever kernel options are needed for your particular card, motherboard, etc etc. The Matrox X drivers and kernel items were considered end of lifed sometime after Fedora 12 or CentOS-6. Anything that does work is considered that the hardware gods smiled on you. If it doesn't, it is a cost analysis of whether getting the company to pay for a cheap supported card or you spending 2 weeks and then buying a card.
To say "spend $20..." does not relate to "have to find a workaround to do it *today*", nor to "this is a work system, I'm not driving out to Microcenter to buy one".
The next solution would be to try the text mode and stick to that.
Oh, right, I tried that. Text mode does NOT allow you to encrypt your drive. Missing option.
When I did the second? rebuild, I chose a basic server, after, when I tried to install kmod-forcedeth, and realized it needed kernel-devel and kernel-headers... and when I tried to install them, it told me there was no perl.
Trying to think of what "minimal system" would be used for - a hacked Roomba (tm)?
The third is to find kernel vesa modes on the bootline which may help
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=466318
vga=0x318
looks like an option?
Found that I could put resolution=640x480, or vga=(same). 100% of the time, on boot, it came up telling me it didn't recognize anything, but gave me about 20 options. I tried several, and it seemed to get a good resolution... but after it switched root, it went back to the original resolution, and *nothing* - trust me on this, I rebooted at least 4 times *nothing* changed the resolution on the GUI installer; it *always* came up with the right hand side chopped.
At least the system's doing backups again, now. But I thought I'd be done the rebuild before lunch *yesterday*, not fighting it until I left last night.
mark
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