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Soundcard Related Kernel Panics
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Users of the Dell Precision
220--which uses an i810 sound card--have reported kernel panics when
they attempt to access the sound device. Such kernel panics can occur
the first time you boot into the KDE environment due to the startup
sound this session manager issues.
If you attempt to set up your soundcard after installation by running sndconfig and it detects either an i810 or an AC'97 audio chipset do not hit OK. Instead switch virtual terminals by pressing [Alt]+[Ctrl]+[F3], log in as root and type the following command:
[root@localhost /root]#ps -aux | grep sndconfig
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Once you ascertain the process I.D. (pid) of sndconfig, issue this command:
[root@localhost /root]#kill -s 9 pid
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This will prevent your system from crashing.
Until this issue is fixed, we recommend disabling the onboard sound in BIOS before installing.
For more information on this issue, please refer to the following bug report:
http://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=37194
Because
Red Hat Linux 7.1 is the first Red Hat distribution to use the 2.4.x
kernel, many modules have been ported from 2.2.x code. Users of Red Hat
Linux 7.1 should take special care to report any issues they experience
with any kernel modules.
Please go to the following URL to report any bugs:
http://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla
This way the open source community can quickly resolve any issues that crop up.
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Adaptec 7896 and 29xx SCSI Cards
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There have been early reports the 7.1 installer CD fails to load the aic7xxx driver if this card is present. The more recent, "New (experimental) Adaptec 28xx, 29xx, 39xx (aic7xxx_mod)," driver also fails.
Click below to search Bugzilla for all open aic7xxx bug reports. Please
track and contribute to the bug report which resembles most closely
your situation:
(NOTE: If your computer uses the Intel 440gx chipset, see the May 14th update below..)
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Update (May 17th, 2001)
Doug Ledford is closing the bug
report for the Intel 440gx chipset and the aic7xxx driver. If you are
still having trouble with the aic7xxx driver, please open a new bug
report. Below is Ledford's post.
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If you don't have a 440GX chipset based motherboard then you have a
different problem than the problem in this bug report. Please open a
different bug report with the specifics of your particular problem. I
have confirmation that the disk images I posted do indeed work for
people suffering from the particular problem in this bug report, so I'm
going to close this bug out. I'm using the resolution DEFERRED because
I'm still working on the real cause of the problem, the PCI code.
Since we do have a workaround in place now that people can use, that
shouldn't be a problem.
NOTE
: Not all aic7xxx bugs are the same!!!! Please do not assume that if
you see the word aic7xxx in the bug report and you are having some sort
of aic7xxx problem that you automatically have the same problem as the
one listed in the bug report!!!! You have to read the bug report
CLOSELY to see exactly *HOW* the problem in the bug report is detailed
and then see if that actually matches your problem. In many cases, it
does not!! For instance, it is a totally different issue when a
machine has non-stop SCSI bus resets that start as soon as the aic7xxx
driver is loaded which never stop and never let the system do anything
(like is the case with the 440GX motherboards in this bug report) as
compared to when a machine is able to load the aic7xxx driver and seems
to be OK until you put it under some sort of load (such as copying the
install image to the hard disk) and only under load does it give resets
and timeouts. Seemingly minor differences such as this make a huge
difference in diagnosing the problem and determining exactly *where*
the problem is actually coming from.
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Update (May 14th, 2001)
: Doug Ledford has released a set of new beta boot images for those with the Intel 440gx chipset only.
Below is his post on bugzilla concerning his fix for this particular
chipset. Read the May 17th post if you do not use the Intel 440gx
chipset. |
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I am currently uploading a workaround boot disk set. They should be
available in a few hours (3 1.44 Megabyte images over a 56K modem link,
so it will take a while). However, they will appear as:
http://people.redhat.com/dledford/440gx/boot.img
http://people.redhat.com/dledford/440gx/bootnet.img
http://people.redhat.com/dledford/440gx/pcmcia.img
This should allow people to install in 440gx based motherboards. The
installation instructions are pretty simple.
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Using the appropriate boot image diskette for your system, when you
boot the kernel, use the apic command line option, aka:
boot: linux apic
This will force the UP-IOAPIC code on in the boot kernel and allow
the interrupt routing to get properly fixed up. This allows you to
install to these machines. However, there is a second issue.
-
If your machine only has 1 processor installed, then the SMP kernel
will not automatically get installed. You will need to enable
individual package selection, then go into the kernel packages and
select the SMP kernel. You will then need to make sure that when you
reboot the machine, you tell it to boot the SMP kernel. You can make
the SMP kernel the default by changing the line:
default = linux
to
default = linux-smp
in the /etc/lilo.conf file and then running the lilo command as root
to re-initialize the master boot record on your hard disks.
That should allow these systems to be operated as any other system.
We will continue to look for the true cause of the PCI IRQ routing
problem (we suspect it might be a bug in the BIOS PIRQ routing table,
so we will be working with Intel to either verify or deny that
suspicion).
Report any problems with the boot disks back [to the bugzilla report] please.
http://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=29555
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For more information on the AIC7xxx driver, see Doug Ledford's page at the following URL:
http://people.redhat.com/dledford/
Also check out Justin Gibbs' website at the link below:
http://people.freebsd.org/~gibbs/linux
Issue
The rhn_register application version 1.3.2-1--installed by default with Red Hat Linux 7.1--will ask you for the Service ID Number when you attempt to register a machine.
This number is not the same as the Product ID
number located on your Red Hat Registration card. If you enter your Red
Hat Product ID in this field you will receive the following error:
Resolution
To avoid this error, simply leave the Service ID Number field blank. See the illustration below:
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Sendmail Will Not Accept Outside Connections After Installation
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By default, sendmail does not accept network connections from any
host other than the local computer. If you want to configure sendmail
as a server for other clients, please edit /etc/mail/sendmail.mc
and change DAEMON_OPTIONS to also listen on network devices, or comment
out this option all together. You will need to regenerate /etc/sendmail.cf by running:
[root@localhost /root]#m4 /etc/mail/sendmail.mc > /etc/sendmail.cf
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(NOTE: You must have the sendmail-cf package installed for this to work.)
Red
Hat Linux 7.1 makes it easier than ever to configure your system as a
firewall. Below are some caveats and notes on the topic.
Firewall Configuration During Installation
For
added security, you can now configure a firewall as part of your system
installation. You may choose from two levels of security and select
which common system services are allowed or disallowed by default.
Please
note that both "medium" and "high" firewall settings will cause
RPC-based services (such as NIS or NFS) to be blocked, and thus fail.
Reconfiguring a Firewall After Installation
To reconfigure your firewall settings, open a root terminal and type:
[root@localhost /root]#setup
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Once inside this program, select the Firewall configuration option. The text-based firewall configuration tool used by setup is called lokkit. If you are in X you may also type gnome-lokkit.
(NOTE: Firewall settings created by lokkit utilize only ipchains, not iptables. More on this below...)
Ipchains and Firewall Configuration
Ipchains rules can be activated by any lokkit-based firewall
configuration tool or by hand under both Red Hat Linux 7.0 and 7.1. The
7.1 installer uses ipchains-based firewall configuration for
compatibility reasons. System administrators who already employ
ipchain-based firewalls should begin to migrate their scripts to
iptables before the release of 7.2.
Iptables is the default firewall mechanism under the 2.4 kernel, but it
cannot be used if ipchains are already running. This is because
ipchains take precedence over iptables. At boot time, the kernel
activates ipchains before attempting to activate iptables. If ipchains
are present, the kernel will issue an error and fail to start iptables.
(NOTE: These boot error messages are normal and do not effect the functionality of your ipchains.)
USB Hubs
When
using USB hubs with Red Hat Linux 7.1, we recommend using powered hubs.
Our tests have shown that non-powered USB hubs do not work well with
the 2.4.2 kernel.
USB Floppy Drives
USB floppy drives should work fine in most cases, but you will be unable to boot from them.
USB NICs
USB network interface cards are not currently recognized by Red Hat Linux 7.1.
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Installation-Related Enhancements and Changes
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The
Red Hat Linux 7.1 installation program includes a number of new
features. For more information, please refer to the Official Red Hat
Linux Installation Guide.
Swap-Related Issues
The
2.4 kernel is more aggressive than the 2.2 kernel in its use of swap
space. However, as with previous versions of the kernel, the optimal
sizing of swap space remains dependent on the following:
- The amount of RAM installed
- The amount of disk space available for swap
- The applications being run
- The mix of applications that are run concurrently
No rule-of-thumb can possibly take all these data points into account. However, we recommend the following swap sizes:
- Single-user systems with less than 128MB physical RAM: 256MB
- Single-user systems and low-end servers with more than 128MB physical RAM: two times physical RAM (2xRAM)
- Dedicated
servers with more than 512MB physical RAM: highly dependent on
environment (must be determined on a case-by-case basis)
While
it is certainly possible for systems with specific configurations and
application loads to run with less (or even no) swap space, these
guidelines attempt to ensure that you will not run out of swap. The
old saying certainly applies to swap space:
"It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it."
Swap-Related Issues Specific to Upgrades
If
you are performing a fresh Red Hat Linux 7.1 installation, the sizing
of swap partitions is a relatively-straightforward process. However,
if you have an older Red Hat Linux system that you wish to upgrade to
Red Hat Linux 7.1, please keep in mind that the size of the swap
partition(s) you had previously created may no longer be sufficient.
The
Red Hat Linux 7.1 installation program now examines the available swap
space. If insufficient swap space exists, it will configure additional
swap space in the form of a swap file. The installation program will
do this by asking you to select a partition on which to create a swap
file. You will also be asked for the desired size of the new swap file.
(NOTE:
In no instance will the Red Hat Linux 7.1 installation program create a
swap partition or file larger than 2GB. Should your swap requirements
exceed this size, you will need to address this after the installation
has completed.)
Hard Drive Installation
ISO images are now required for hard drive installations, making it
no longer necessary to copy and install the entire tree. Instead,
simply put the required ISO images in a directory. During the hard
drive installation, point the Red Hat Linux installation program at
that directory. In addition, since Red Hat publishes MD5 checksums for
all ISO images, it is now possible to ensure that you are using
officially-released software by running the md5sum program against your
ISO images, and comparing the checksums against the ones published by
Red Hat.
Language Selection
Language selection has been significantly re-vamped. It is now
possible to install in one language, but specify that the system, after
installation, will operate in another language.
Laptop Installation Class
A New "Laptop" installation class is available, which enables
PCMCIA support by default. It should be detected automatically if your
computer has a supported PCMCIA controller.
LBA32 Support
There is now support for the LBA32 option in LILO. This makes it
possible to boot from partitions partially or completely above cylinder
1024 (which had been a historical limitation). Note, however, that we
have found that not all motherboards support this option, even when the
BIOS claims support is available. Therefore, this option is disabled
by default. Note also that this option is available ONLY when a
partition has been created using fdisk, and that partition is then
chosen as the /boot or / partition. The fdisk restriction is necessary
as it is not possible to create a bootable partition above cylinder
1024 using Disk Druid.
Disk Druid Improvements
Disk Druid now detects partition table inconsistencies, such as
partitions that do not end on cylinder boundaries. This can be caused
if the geometry of a hard disk drive is detected differently than when
the drive was originally partitioned. In these cases, we recommend
that you use the fdisk program to more closely inspect these
inconsistencies, or choose to skip the drive entirely.
Graphical Kickstart Configuration
Red Hat Linux 7.1 now provides a graphical interface for creating
kickstart configurations, allowing custom, unattended installations to
be created with greater ease than ever before.
Improved Rescue Mode
Rescue mode now attempts to mount the filesystems listed in
/etc/fstab (assuming the root filesystem can be found). The
filesystems are mounted under /mnt/sysimage. This eliminates a very
confusing step for users using rescue-mode for the first time.
New Authentication Configuration Security Option
Authentication configuration now includes the ability to use
Transport Layer Security (TLS) when performing lookups. TLS allows
LDAP clients to use an encrypted connection when performing
authentication.
Miscellaneous Installation Program Improvements
Overall, there are many additional tests and checks performed to
catch potential problems which previously caused tracebacks (installer
crashes). This should reduce the number of poor out-of-box experiences
for newer users.
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