[3257] in Release_7.7_team
Re: WA RIS FAQ text
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Bill Cattey)
Mon Apr 29 14:33:52 2002
From: Bill Cattey <wdc@MIT.EDU>
To: "Thomas L. Thornton" <tomt@mit.edu>
Cc: pismere-team@mit.edu, release-team@mit.edu
In-Reply-To: <200204291749.NAA00159@the-rim.mit.edu>
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Date: 29 Apr 2002 14:33:50 -0400
Message-Id: <1020105230.27517.22.camel@tokata.mit.edu>
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On Mon, 2002-04-29 at 13:49, Thomas L. Thornton wrote:
>
> I am somewhat puzzled by the fact that the floppy images at
> /mit/bootkit/rhlinux are dated spring 2000. Should I point to some
> other images?
>
One of the reasons why the Etherboot install was so toxic is that it is
indeed two years old. The new install image is still in final testing
and cleanup, and are not yet available through official channels. I
expect the new image will be available by the end of May at the latest.
>
> [Old text]
> Q: I'm trying to remotely install a WinAthena machine and I get the
> following error message when I boot from the RIS boot floppy:
>
> Windows 2000 Remote Installation Boot Floppy
> (C) Copyright 1999 Lanworks Technologies Co. a subsidiary of 3Com Corporation
> All rights reserved.
> 3Com 3C90XB / 3C90XC EtherLink PCI
> UNDI Initialize failed, no media detected.
> Press a key to reboot system.
>
> A: In most cases this error means that no network adapter is detected
> in the computer, or the network cable has been unplugged from the
> machine. Check the network adapter, cable, cable type, and so on. Also
> check the computer's BIOS settings to make sure that the network
> adapter is enabled (if the network adapter is of the onboard type).
>
The old text looks just fine and dandy.
>
> [New text]
>
> <B>If your machine is a Dell GX150 which used to have a LinuxAthena
> installation</B>, the Etherboot install did not properly initialize
> your NIC, and left it in a bad state. The newest LinuxAthena boot
> floppy, available from the bootkit locker via instructions on the <a
> href="http://web.mit.edu/als/www"> Installing Athena on Linux </A>
> page, will reset the NIC to a working state.
I think we can craft a better solution to the problem than making
someone install a whole OS. There are two different solutions in-hand
that are of smaller scope than that, but they're not what I'd call user
friendly:
Boot DOS and run the 3c9xcfg program to auto-config the chip.
Use the vortex-diag and mii-tool programs to bash the bits.
Although we have a fix in the Athena install to undo what EtherBoot
does, it has been crafted to run itself as INFREQUENTLY as possible.
I don't think "Install Athena; Allow our hack to run" is a good general
solution to this.
-wdc
P.S. I've added the UNIX Athena Release Team to the CC list. We may
need to have a couple people have an offline conversation to get this
well and truly resolved, and then bring the new solution to both lists.
