Re: Updated installation images 2019-01-21

Hi Adrian,

On 21.01.19 12:48, John Paul Adrian Glaubitz wrote:
> I have created updated installation images for Debian Ports,
> please find the updated images below and test them [1].
>> [1] https://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/ports/2019-01-21/

Thanks again for your efforts!
I did initial tests with a 32bit machine (with qemu), and
with a 64bit physical machine. Qemu-howto is available here:
https://parisc.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/Qemu

Both had minor issues which maybe partly have happened due to
the way I tested.

1. The qemu machine was started (by mistake) with 2 virtual 32-bit CPUs, although
we currently provide only 32-bit UP kernels in the repos.
I think this is why it failed to install a bootable kernel in the end:

 ┌────────────────────┤ [!] Install the base system ├────────────────────┐
   │                                                                       │
  ┌│ No installable kernel was found in the defined APT sources.           │
  ││                                                                       │
  ││ You may try to continue without a kernel, and manually install your   │
  ││ own kernel later. This is only recommended for experts, otherwise you │
  ││ will likely end up with a machine that doesn't boot.                  │
  ││                                                                       │
  └│ Continue without installing a kernel?

I think this will be fixed when we continue with providing the combined UP/SMP
kernels with kernel 4.20 (or higher).
I think this would not have happened when I would have booted a virtual machine
with only one CPU.  I will need to test that again later. 

2. I ran the 64bit installation on a 64-bit rp5470 machine, but I did not
burned an installation CD, but instead used "dd" to dump the ISO to an empty
hard disc from which I booted. This sounds strange but basically works.
The problem I faced with this method was, that the installer complained
during partioning calculation, that the kernel has no support for
"Software-RAID (md)" and "LVM". Either the modules were forgotten for the 64bit
kernel in the initramfs, or it failed to find them on the "virtual" CD.
 
I will look into both issues again later.

One thing which is maybe important:
We have not yet imported the old palo- and aboot- (for alpha machines)
related d-i code into salsa d-i git repositories. The latest git dumps are
still downloadable here:
https://alioth-archive.debian.org/git/d-i/attic/partman-palo.git.tar.xz
https://alioth-archive.debian.org/git/d-i/attic/palo-installer.git.tar.xz
https://alioth-archive.debian.org/git/d-i/attic/aboot-installer.git.tar.xz
https://alioth-archive.debian.org/git/d-i/attic/srm-reader.git.tar.xz
Are you planning to request import of those into d-i in the salsa repositories?

Helge