Installing 12.04 from USB stick

[KirkD]

I downloaded the 12.04 version of LinuxMCE .iso and created a bootable USB drive with the installer in place.  When the installer starts up, I choose the Guided option to allow the installer to use the full disk as it pleases.  On the Timezone screen, I get these errors:

'ubi-partman failed with exit code 141...'

'ext4 file system creation in partition #1 of scsi1 (0,0,0) sda failed'

The system I'm trying to install on already has an Ubuntu installation on it - 14.04 LTS which seems perfectly happy, but I cannot get this one to actually access/write/partition the disks. 

Any tips are greatly appreciated.

-Kirk

System specs:

Zareason Breeze Server 5880s
i7-4790 3.6-4GHz
16GB DDR3-1600
2x2TB 7200 rpm drives currently configured as software RAID
2xGigabit Ethernet

[phenigma]

I would install from a DVD, that is the intended install media.  The installer has not been tested to any extent with usb.  It is also possible that the hardware you are using is newer than the 1204 kernel can support.

J.

[KirkD]

I tried the DVD install of the 12.04 version and it also fails.  Just to make sure I could get something installed, I went back to the Ubuntu 14.04 LTS install DVD and it went fine.

Is there an alternate installation from a working 14.04 LTS?

[Marie.O]

Two questions:

a) did you try the original Ubuntu 12.04.x install DVD? That would highlight if it is a LinuxMCE problem, or a Ubuntu 12.04 problem together with your hardware setup

b) you could try LinuxMCE 14.04 DVD, but that is even less alpha than anything else... But you would do as a huge favor if you could testdrive it.

[KirkD]

Two questions:

a) did you try the original Ubuntu 12.04.x install DVD? That would highlight if it is a LinuxMCE problem, or a Ubuntu 12.04 problem together with your hardware setup

b) you could try LinuxMCE 14.04 DVD, but that is even less alpha than anything else... But you would do as a huge favor if you could testdrive it.

Both very good suggestions.  I'm fully open to trying LinuxMCE 14.04 and will probably start there.  If I have anything to give back, I will give it.  8^)

As for earlier comments in this thread, specifically,

It is also possible that the hardware you are using is newer than the 1204 kernel can support.

I've been having a very hard time coming up with system requirements.  Information in the wiki seems quite out of data and I haven't gotten much feedback in the forums.  Any suggestions are always appreciated.

[phenigma]

KirkD,

Hardware requirements are a very elusive thing to provide as they are changing all the time.  *Usually* if the ubuntu dvd installer of the same release we have works, then ours will work as well.  We cannot keep abreast of all the kernel updates and hardware changes that occur, there are simply too many.

If the standard Ubuntu 1204 (precise) installer works then *usually* our installer works as well.  But not necessarily from usb, we have not actively tested that recently.  We are very few people trying to make this all work and we really don't have the resources to test every combination and permutation.  To that end, we *really* appreciate feedback and testing from anyone that would like to contribute.  There are so many areas that (like documentation) that need some tlc.

Thanks for any input you can provide!

J.

[KirkD]

Thanks for the note.

I certainly respect and appreciate the small team issues.  And, I'll gladly help out in any way I can.  For now, that will be to test my current hardware and provide feedback on what works and what doesn't.  Hopefully more in the future.  8^)

[phenigma]

Thanks KirkD!  We will help any way we can.

J.

[KirkD]

OK, after a bit of sleuthing I think I'm making progress.

I tried the 12.04 and 14.04 installers and I have the same problem as I mentioned at the start - disk partitioning fails.

I noticed this time that I have /dev/sda and /dev/sdb as expected, but I also see /dev/md127 in the list.  This is the software RAID partition set up by mdadm when the original 14.04 LTS system was installed.  The installer isn't removing it and since everything is configured as a RAID system, it is active and doesn't want its partitions messed with.  Apparently the installer doesn't override this.

What I did was switch to the terminal, deactivate the RAID system, zero out the superblocks on each drive, and then modify /etc/mdadm/mdadm.conf such that it does not list any ARRAY configurations.  After that I can now get through the installer for 12.04 without it complaining - it is installing now.

BUT, I see now option to set up a software RAID 1 system through the installer for 12.04.  I haven't looked at 14.04 but from what I'm finding I don't expect it to be there.  The next question is, can I set up a RAID 1 system after the install has been done on /dev/sda?  My system as 2x2TB drives that I had planned to use in a RAID 1, and I'd like to keep with that, but can I actually set it up after the fact?

Once I get through this and see if I can get 12.04 working, I'll give 14.04 a go and see if it works on my setup as well.

[KirkD]

Just got all the way through the 12.04 installer, but the tutorial video won't play.  I'm trying 14.04 now...

[KirkD]

And now the 14.04 installer finishes, too.  In this case, I end up at the KDE desktop and there's an .sh script for LinuxMCE but clicking it doesn't do anything.  I cannot seem to get outside of KDE and into LinuxMCE. 

[KirkD]

I have some more updates, but I'm going to move this to another thread as the topic has drifted away from the original title of this one. 

The new thread is here:  http://forum.linuxmce.org/index.php?topic=13767.0