[Dapper Beta 20060419] DVD Server Install within vmware fails to find root filesystem

[ShawnStarr]

Downloaded April 19th 20060419 DVD for i386 architecture. Created default SCSI 8GB VMware virtual disk, 512MB ram.

Tried the following:

- Select Server Install in installation bootloader screen.

First I thought it was a disk driver failure (not finding disk) so I tried IDE also.

1) SCSI 8GB disk, allocated 512MB ram, sound and USB present - Failed
2) SCSI 8GB disk, allocated 512MB ram, no sound/usb - Failed
3) IDE 8GB disk, allocated 512MB ram, no sound/usb - Failed

Here's the output from bootup:

Begin: Waiting for root file system... ...
Done.
ALERT! /dev/mem does not exist. Dropping to shell!

BusyBox v1.01 (Debian 1:1.01-4ubuntu3) Built-in shell (ash)
Enter 'help' for a list of built-in commands

/bin/sh: can't access tty: job control turned off
<left with shell prompt>

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

Is this failure on booting from DVD, or on the first reboot into the new system after completing the installation?

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

I'm pretty sure that this is a cdimage bug.

11:53 <Kamion> _mvo_: I have a feeling that the problem is that we're overwriting the d-i initrd with the casper initrd

[ShawnStarr (shawn-starr)]

'Is this failure on booting from DVD, or on the first reboot into the new system after completing the installation?'

This occurs on initial bootup of the DVD.

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

Fixed in recent DVD builds:

revno: 1081
committer: Colin Watson <email address hidden>
timestamp: Tue 2006-05-16 11:16:51 +0000
message:
  point bootloader configuration at /casper/filesystem.* rather than /install/ for live CDs, to allow installer and live CD bootstrap to coexist on DVDs

revno: 1083
committer: Colin Watson <email address hidden>
branch nick: debian-cd
timestamp: Wed 2006-05-17 18:33:59 +0100
message:
  fix live CD boot on some architectures by making filenames more 8.3-friendly; try to make /casper/* filenames match up with /install/*