Install on an SCSI Drive in a Virtual Machine

Forum: HD Install
Topic: Install on an SCSI Drive in a Virtual Machine
started by: geoffrey_4js

Posted by geoffrey_4js on Nov. 16 2006,16:10

Hi,

I'm trying to do a hd install in a vmware virtual appliance.

If I use an IDE disk, and a "Other Linux 2.4.x kernel" template for my VM, it works.

But I absolutely need a virtual SCSI drive instead of IDE. And here I doesn't works.

Does anybody achieve to install DSL on a SCSI disk in VMWare ?

I'm using VM Workstation 5.5.2 and DSL 3.0.1 iso.

TIA

Geo

Posted by ^thehatsrule^ on Nov. 16 2006,17:20

Did you try switching SCSI controllers?

If I remember, the bootloader might have problems writing to the virtual boot sector... so you can just load grub to and IDE disk and boot off that then load off the SCSI hard drive (if both SCSI controllers options don't work)

I'm curious at to why you would "absolutely need" virtual SCSI though.

Posted by geoffrey_4js on Nov. 17 2006,08:08

I absolutely need a SCSI disk because VMwares using SCSI disk are easier to import into a production ESX environment.

What do you mean by "switching SCSI controllers" ?

In fact, SCSI disks are even hardly recognised by DSL (by fdisk and cfdisk).

edit : I get the following error with SCSI drive
< image here >

Posted by geoffrey_4js on Nov. 17 2006,12:24

Ok, I've find a way through.

Using Lilo bootloader and a BusLogic SCSCI controler allow me to install and use DSL in a VMware (Other Linux 2.4.x) on a SCSI disk.

I'll try to change BusLogic SCSI controler by LSI Logic later.

Posted by The_Prophet_Jonah on Nov. 19 2006,04:27

The SCSI bit kicks my ...knee...
I didn't even try installing to the SCSI because i started with a liveCD (actually copied onto a really ancient IDE hard drive, 170 M wow big drive) I wanted to install onto sda1.

Problem was the way it booted from the floppy, it skipped scsi detection, along with a lot of other hardware.

Smaller boot, faster loading, works really great without complications like stuff that takes modules... like scsi.

Perhaps a two floppy install boot would be in order? Like with a menu entry prompting to load the adaptec7xxx module then continuing boot?

Update: Now it recognizes my scuzzy, after I deleted that line in grub about noscsi.

Weirdness, though: it loads my scsi adapter right after getting to the login prompt, I can (through the miracle of human memory) just type in dsl then my password, even though the command prompt is ABOVE the 8 or 9 lines of information about my scuzzy.

Posted by The_Prophet_Jonah on Dec. 16 2006,21:19

Now I have to set up init scripts to turn on that nice fat healthy swap partition on sda2. Me LIKE swap memory. Especially on multiple controllers and Especially specially on scsi | ide.