Infrastructure Software

I'm trying to install some flavor of Solaris x86 but it crashes during the install. I've tried it on both

a HP Vectra VL Series 400 (933Mhz P3 I think) and a newer HP Vectra VL420 MT (1.6GHz P4 with 512MB RAM). Neither will install. I do have 2.6 running on an old HP Vectra VL (266MHz P3 I think) but management is insisting I turn that machine in as it's "too old". I can't hold them off much longer. Both machines run Windows XP O.K. (unfortunately) so I know the hardware isn't defective.

Here are the combinations I've tried and the results.:

P4 with Sol 7 (with most BIOS settings disabled): Gets to where I pick "1 Solaris Interactive" (also tried "Web Start" with the same results). I assume it starts booting the kernel off of the CD as it says

something to that effect. Then a couple lines of text appear for a second on the bottom of the screen.

Something about SunOS 5.7 so I think it's this:
"SunOS Release 5.7 Version Generic [UNIX(R) System V Release 4.0]
Copyright (c) 1983-1998, Sun Microsystems, Inc."
Then the PC resets so the screen goes blank.

P4 with Sol 7 (with most BIOS settings default (enabled)): Gets to where I pick "1 Solaris Interactive"

(also tried "Web Start" with the same results). I assume it starts booting the kernel off of the CD. Then a bunch of errors scroll down the screen. I'll reproduce most of that screen here.:

(some stuff scrolls off I think, then:)
cs(158) ds(160) ss(e2e7) es(160) fs(1a8) gs(1b0)
panic: Page Fault on cpu 0
rebooting...
BAD TRAP
Page Fault
Bad kernel fault at addr=0x088a472
pid=0, pc=0xfe8041b8, sp=0xfec0d65c, eflags=0x10086

eip(fe804168), eflags(10086), ebp(fec0d654), uesp(fec0d65c), esp(fec0d640)
eax(e088a472), ebx(fec0d6d4), ecx(e00000b0), edx(0), esi(1), edi(fec00003)
cr0(80050011), cr2(e088a472), cr3(141000)
cs(158) ds(160) ss(67d4) es(160) fs(1a8) gs(1b0)
panic: Page Fault on cpu 0
rebooting...
BAD TRAP
Page Fault
Bad kernel fault at addr=0x75614620
pid=0, pc=0xfe895c2a, sp=0xe088b000, eflags=0x10002

(then another block of registers starting with "eip(fe895c2a), . . ." which I won't bother copying down

there, but if someone needs the information, I can provide it).
panic: Page Fault on cpu 0
(then it just stops/hangs there)

P4 with Sol 8EA: Crashes at about the same point as P4 with Sol 7 (with most BIOS settings default

(enabled)) above.

P4 with Sol 8: Can't find the CD's (argh!)

P3 with Sol 7: Crashes at about the same point as P4 with Sol 7 (with most BIOS settings default

(enabled)) above.

P3 with Sol 8: Crashes at about the same point as P4 with Sol 7 (with most BIOS settings default

(enabled)) above.

P3 with Sol 8EA: This is the only thing I could get installed, but in VGA 16 color mode only as it didn't

have a video driver for the on-board video. Added a different video card that was supported. But then I

couldn't install any of the newer Sun video drivers as all said I was running the wrong version of Solaris (since I was running Solaris 8 Early Access instead of just 8). I couldn't install any patches including security patches for the same reason, so I couldn't run Solaris 8 Early Access which was the only thing I could get to install.

Things I've tried without success.:

1. I've tried various BIOS settings including disabling what I could. Note the difference on the P4

above, but no combination of settings yielded success.

2. Deselecting all non-critical devices during the Configuration Assistant session. Didn't seem to

matter.

3. P4/Sol7 with BIOS settings disabled: At the prompt "Select type of installation" typed "b kadb -d"
System printed:
"kadb: kernel/unix"
Then just say there until I pressed the <Enter> key, then:
"Size: 240538 + 19912 + 69788 Bytes
/platform/i86pc/kernel/unix loaded - 0x7f000 bytes used
stopped at _start: jmp .+0x63 <0xfe800063> [__start]
kadb[0]: "
Where I typed (in desperation, from http://groups.yahoo.com/group/solarisonintel/message/19445 )
setup_mca+3b:b <eax>ebx
:c
:c
(it then prints)
"SunOS Release 5.7 Version Generic [UNIX(R) System V Release 4.0]
Copyright (c) 1983-1998, Sun Microsystems, Inc.
breakpoint at:
setup_mca+0x3b: testb $0x01,%bh [1,-]
kadb[0]: "
(where I type as a while guess as to what to do next)
:c
(and it crashes)
"BAD TRAP
General Protection Fault
pid=0, pc=0xfe80d0de, sp=0xfe808408, eflags=0x10097"
(then it continues with all the registers again, which I won't retype here unless someone really needs

them).
"panic: General Protection Fault on cpu 0
stopped at:
int20+0xb: ret
kadb[0]: "

I tried a few more :c's (continue?) for fun but kept getting the same errors. I don't have any kernel

debugging information so gave up at that point.

Thanks if you can help. I would really like to get one of these PC's running Solaris x86. I would

appreciate a note to jfelten@excite.com (even if it's just to check the newsgroup) if you think you can

help.