Installing Red Hat Linux 7.2 on a PowerEdge 2600.

The PowerEdge 2600 has advanced features that is not supported by the
2.4.7-10 kernel contained in the Red Hat Linux 7.2 install media.  It is
necessary to install Red Hat Linux 7.2 using the UP kernel and Dell supplied
drivers for the Storage Controllers.

The PowerEdge 2600 can be configured with either a PERC controller or
the LSI SCSI controller.

Please download the device drivers from support.dell.com and make
device driver diskettes as per the instructions accompanying the
download.

At the time of this writing the following files were available:

SCSI RAID:
  PERC 3/QC and PERC 3/DC:
        perc3-118c-72e.tar.gz
  PERC 4/DI:
        perc4di-118c-72c.tar.gz 


SCSI Non-RAID:
  LSI Logic Ultra 320 SCSI v 2.00.11, A00:
        22320-linux-2.00.11.tar.gz
        mptlinux-2.00.11rpm.tar.gz
* NOTE You will need both files. The mptlinux-2.00.11rpm.tar.gz file
  may appear under "Previous versions" on the support.dell.com
  website.


Also you will need to download a patched 2.4.7-10 kernel that contains
the changes necessary to operate on the PE2600.  Please obtain the
2.4.7-10a kernel from Red Hat's support site:
http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/partners/dell/.  The link on that
page will take you to an FTP
site. (ftp://ftp.redhat.com/pub/redhat/support/enterprise/dell/2.4.7-10a/i686/)

You can download the kernel-smp-2.4.7-10a.i686.rpm and the
kernel-enterprise-2.4.7-10a.i686.rpm.  You will only need to install
one of those kernels.  Install the smp rpm if you have a system with
less than 4GB of RAM.  Install the enterprise rpm if you have more
than 4GB of RAM.

If you are installing on a SCSI RAID system skip ahead to the next section:

SCSI Non-RAID:

* Boot your PE2600 with DISC 1 of the Red Hat Linux 7.2 media.
* At the boot: prompt, type "linux dd" to prompt the install to permit
  driver diskettes.
* When prompted, if you have a driver diskette, select YES.
* Insert the driver diskette previously made from the file
  22320-linux-2.00.11.tar.gz
* Continue the install following the on screen instructions
* When prompted select GRUB as the bootloader.
* When prompted to "Boot Disk Creation":
        o Press CTRL-ALT-F2 to switch to the install shell console.
        o Type  the following commands:

                chroot /mnt/sysimage
                cd /boot
                /sbin/mkinitrd -f initrd-2.4.7-10.img 2.4.7-10

* Ignore the error message about "binary operator expected"
* If you used LILO as the boot loader you will have to rerun lilo to
  handle the change just made to the initrd.

                exit

        o Press CTRL-ALT-F7 to return to the install screens.

* Remove the driver diskette if you already haven't
* Continue the install and reboot your machine
* You must now select the UP kernel (2.4.7-10)
* Login as root using the password you supplied during the install.
* Remove the current smp kernel

                rpm -e kernel-smp

* Transfer the 2.4.7-10a kernel over and install

                rpm -ivh kernel-smp-2.4.7-10a.i686.rpm (for systems <
                4GB RAM)
                rpm -ivh kernel-enterprise-2.4.7-10a.i686.rpm (for
                systems > 4GB RAM)

* Transfer the mptlinux-2.00.11rpm.tar.gz 
* Untar the mptlinux-2.00.11rpm.tar.gz file

                tar -xvzf mptlinux-2.00.11rpm.tar.gz

* Install the mptlinux rpm.

                rpm -ivh mptlinux-2.00.11-0.i386.rpm

* Edit the grub.conf file to change the default kernel to the SMP
  enabled one by changing the default=1 line to default=0
* Reboot into the SMP enabled kernel

                reboot

The install is now complete. You should also update your Network
Adapter drivers, which can be obtained at http://support.dell.com


SCSI RAID:

Using the driver diskette for the appropriate Power Edge Raid
Controller (PERC) contained in your machine:

* Boot your PE2600 with DISC 1 of the Red Hat Linux 7.2 media.
* At the boot: prompt, type "linux dd" to prompt the install to permit
  driver diskettes.
* When prompted, if you have a driver diskette, select YES.
* Insert the driver diskette previously made for your PERC and press enter.
* Continue the install following the on screen instructions
* When prompted select GRUB as the bootloader.
* When prompted to "Boot Disk Creation":
        o Press CTRL-ALT-F2 to switch to the install shell console.
        o Type  the following commands:

                chroot /mnt/sysimage
                cd /boot
                /sbin/mkinitrd -f initrd-2.4.7-10.img 2.4.7-10

* If you used LILO as the boot loader you will have to rerun lilo to
  handle the change just made to the initrd.

                exit

        o Press CTRL-ALT-F7 to return to the install screens.

* Remove the driver diskette if you already haven't
* Continue the install and reboot your machine
* You must now select the UP kernel (2.4.7-10)
* Login as root using the password you supplied during the install.
* Remove the current smp kernel

                rpm -e kernel-smp

* Transfer the 2.4.7-10a kernel over to your PE2600 and install

                rpm -ivh kernel-smp-2.4.7-10a.i686.rpm (for systems <
                4GB RAM)
                rpm -ivh kernel-enterprise-2.4.7-10a.i686.rpm (for
                systems > 4GB RAM)

* Insert the driver diskette again and run the install script

                mount /mnt/floppy
                cd /mnt/floppy
                ./megarpmwrapper.sh

        o Aswer yes to "install dialog" and to "rpm -ivh"
        o Press enter when prompted for command line options for rpm.
        o When prompted for the "Initial RAMDISK" use:

                        2.4.7-10asmp
                or
                        2.4.7-10aenterprise

        o Change the name of the initrd image:

                        initrd-2.4.7-10asmp.img
                or 
                        initrd-2.4.7-10aenterprise.img

        o Select User Level NOVICE.
        o Select EXIT (press enter)
        o Select Yes to proceed (press enter)
        o Select OK to specify GRUB as your bootloader. (press enter)
        o Select OK (press enter)
        o Select vi (press enter)
        o Exit the editor  (press "ESC" then ":q" and enter)
        o Eject the floppy and select NO to skip reboot (press enter)

* Edit the grub.conf file to change the default kernel to the SMP
  enabled one by changing the default=1 line to default=0

The install is now complete. You should also update your Network
Adapter drivers, which can be obtained at http://support.dell.com

Thanks to Robert Hentosh for creating these instructions.