From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Wed Aug 3 15:56:10 2005 Return-Path: X-Original-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 8257E16A41F for ; Wed, 3 Aug 2005 15:56:10 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from martin@dc.cis.okstate.edu) Received: from dc.cis.okstate.edu (dc.cis.okstate.edu [139.78.100.219]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 3CFE543D48 for ; Wed, 3 Aug 2005 15:56:10 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from martin@dc.cis.okstate.edu) Received: from dc.cis.okstate.edu (localhost.cis.okstate.edu [127.0.0.1]) by dc.cis.okstate.edu (8.12.6/8.12.6) with ESMTP id j73Fu9T3093299 for ; Wed, 3 Aug 2005 10:56:09 -0500 (CDT) (envelope-from martin@dc.cis.okstate.edu) Message-Id: <200508031556.j73Fu9T3093299@dc.cis.okstate.edu> To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Date: Wed, 03 Aug 2005 10:56:09 -0500 From: Martin McCormick Subject: Re: Dell PowerEdge1850 Won't Take a Freebsd4.11 Installation. X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 03 Aug 2005 15:56:10 -0000 Lowell Gilbert writes: >Well, I'd certainly expect 5.4 or later, with the ATA and RAID >improvements, to work better, but you're right that it kind of >sounds more like the CD is giving you the problems. > >Check the emergency shell (alt-F4, I think?) for any messages... Thank you very much. I have downloaded the iso images for 5.4 that I need to get started: 5.4-RELEASE-i386-bootonly.iso 5.4-RELEASE-i386-disc1.iso 5.4-RELEASE-i386-disc2.iso and discovered another surprise. There appears to be no headless option as in boot -h although I may have missed it. A google search turned up a pretty good article on how to make a headless boot.flp floppy for 5.4. Is there any way to make the standard boot CD come up on a serial port? The instructions for making the boot.flp image assume you already have FreeBSD5.4 installed somewhere which I don't yet have. I did see a bootsio file on the bootonly CD so that looks like a possibility. As a computer user who happens to be blind, the ability to do a cold start from a serial port, preferably from the boot/installation cd saves lots of time and tinkering. Most of us are in this business because we love to tinker, but sometimes there is a job to be done and the faster it gets done, the better. Thanks again. Martin McCormick WB5AGZ Stillwater, OK OSU Information Technology Division Network Operations Group