Grub Hard disk error

Hi, I am attempting to put ubuntu gutsy on my soekris net4521 on a new 4GB compact flash drive. Its not going so well. I have been working from the instructions here:

http://wiki.soekris.info/Installing_...ia_debootstrap

everything seems to go pretty well, I have to make a few tweaks here and there to account for fiesty to gutsy differences, but all in all seems OK.

The first perplexing issue is that after debootstrap is done there are no sda, or hda devices. I MAKEDEV sda, and continue anyway. Then grub install guesses /dev/hda, but I think that this is not correct for gutsy, it seems to use sda on all the machines that I have, even for ide devices.

I finish all of the steps, and pop the cf in the soekris and get a

"Grub hard disk error"

and that is it. no further information. I have noticed that cfdisk sees a different disk geometry than the soekris, I have tried both using cfdisk's defaults and setting the geometry to what the soekris thinks it is, to no avail.

Any clues as to what might be the problem?? What is the correct geometry to use for the partitions?? Should I be using sda or hda for gutsy??

firstly you need to know what you have....and what the bios can currrently see.

so the question of hda hdb or sda sdc etc is dependent on what you have go it?

So describe your current hw please including jumpers where ide

eg I have ide jumper master optical drive =hda
1 sata hard drive = sda

so if I insert any usb (cf media if I had one) its going to be sdb if no other usb stuff is in. Hint remove all usb printer camera and memory sticks to keep it simple.

After you connect your media...have a peek at /var/log/messages and see what your host thinks it is. Then translate the guide to whatever you like.

BTW if your aim is to have a bootable media...have you considered a diff distro? http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/ eg

firstly you need to know what you have....and what the bios can currrently see. so the question of hda hdb or sda sdc etc is dependent on what you have go it?

because I am installing for a soekris net4521, on my laptop, so I can't see what the target bios sees. On my laptop I can find the cf drive easy with dmesg. The install of ubuntu is fine(the fact that deboostrap doesn't install any hd* or sd* is unnerving). The main problem is that the boot fails when I transfer the card from the laptop to the soekris. I have those grub errors but I am not sure how to figure the problem because the error is not very informative.

So describe your current hw please including jumpers where ide

Besides the net4521, which has very little in the way of jumpers, I have a 4G cf card. the soekris Bios thinks my cf has 971 c, 128 h, 63 s, while fdisk thinks it has 1018 c, 124 h, 62 s. Although I don't know if that is a problem or not. The other issue I am not sure of is weather the soekris needs to have Fat16/32 formatting. At this point I don't think it does, but I am not 100% sure.

BTW if your aim is to have a bootable media...have you considered a diff distro? http://www.damnsmalllinux.org/ eg

That is plan B.

by the way thanks for your comments, and links.
__________________

yeah ok, but what do you see in /var/log/messages on your laptop when you connect the com ports together please?

I am now thinking it is /dev/tty

Originally Posted by aus9 yeah ok, but what do you see in /var/log/messages on your laptop when you connect the com ports together please? I am now thinking it is /dev/tty

Not sure what you are asking for here, but com port isn't the issue. Thanks for your feedback, I have more info in the following thread:

http://lists.soekris.com/pipermail/s...ry/013722.html

yes well I have read it...the device that grub detects is critical to grub installing and grub jumping to its booting files.

since you have had no luck so far installing....would you consider using a partition tool to redo the table and reformat....live cds such as knoppix could be a goer.

2) so when you connect this box....is there nothing in your /var/log/messages or syslog as to a new device being connected?

3) in my signature there is some mention of usb and flash devices. But when I had a peek at your device on the net...it looks like it connects to a laptop thru a serial port or a com port.....is that not correct?

can you describe the number of pins on the laptop side if its not a serial or com port?
or how is it connecting?