Four several years now I have used the Network Install CD and it has worked every time without fault on 32 bit and 64 bit machines, both desktop and laptop up to and including 13.1. My main machine however (IBM X3400) I have kept on 12.2, which was also installed using Network Install but now, as support for 12.2 has ceased, I need to move on.
I thought I would simply use the Network Install CD for 13.1 in the same way as before but I end up with a dark screen. The process proceeds as usual with machine probe and then the downloading of the 6 installation packages but once these have completed and the installation starts I get a dark screen and lose control. This happens with 12.3 also.
I believe the machine in question uses Radeon graphics and there is a suggestion in the release notes of 12.3 “If you encounter problems with the KMS driver support (intel, radeon, nouveau), disable KMS by adding nomodeset to the kernel boot command line.”
Even if this is the source of the problem, I never get to see a kernel boot command line during the network installation process so am stuck.
With the kind help of others here I have completed an online upgrade from 12.2 to 12.3 but before I try and go to 13.1 I would like to understand what actually is the problem and how should I overcome it using Network Install?
Can anybody shine any light on this please?
Regards,
Budgie2
Hi again and many thanks. Yes of course I do get that screen right at the beginning. I had forgotten. Will try it.
Meanwhile I do not understand what is going on as I thought the Radeon graphics would be detected during the probe and the correct drivers/kernel modules installed. Elsewhere in these pages I recall reading that the graphics need this module so how does it work if I stop installation at the command line with the No KMS option. Is it a bug in the network installation process?
Sorry to be so dumb but am trying to learn as I go!!!
Regards,
Budgie2
Yes, and that may be the problem.
The included radeon driver might have a bug refarding your particular graphics card, or might not support your particular card well yet.
The correct kernel modules will be installed anyway, since all of them are in the kernel package.
And “nomodeset” doesn’t change the hardware that’s seen by the installer, so the X driver should be installed as well.
Elsewhere in these pages I recall reading that the graphics need this module so how does it work if I stop installation at the command line with the No KMS option.
Not at all.
Using No KMS prevents the use of the radeon driver.
A generic driver like fbdev or vesa is used then, which should be good enough for the installation in any case.
Is it a bug in the network installation process?
No, not in the network installation process.
But it might be a bug in the radeon driver.
If the installation succeeds, you may want to install the proprietary fglrx driver then (depending on your graphics card).
You might also have to remove the “nomodeset” option from the kernel boot options (use YaST->System->Boot Loader->Boot Loader Options), maybe the radeon driver would work then even (or maybe it could be gotten to work with some tweaks). I’m not sure if the installer writes the nomodeset option into the installed system.
