Server install problems

[Jimmie Houchin]

Hello,

I am trying to install Ubuntu onto my dual opteron RioWorks HDAMA motherboard 
server.

On my initial attempt on installing from a daily iso Sept-25-04, the install 
seemed to go fine but booting of the hard drive failed. I got Grub error 28 and 
something about not enough memory. Hmm? I have 4gb ram.

So I got today's iso Oct-02-04 and installed. Booting succeeded, further 
installation succeeded. Logging into Gnome stalled.
It put up the Ubuntu splash screen and stopped. No icons at the bottom, no 
progress. Ctrl-alt-backspace gets me out and I repeat with same results.

I will try a fresh install Monday.

But here are some problems.

I currently have 4 SATA drives.

The partitioning software absolutely refuses to allow me to configure and 
partition any disk past the first with doing some kind of partitioning to the first.

I can't count how many times I select the free partition on the 4th drive and 
allocate 30mb to the /boot partition, only to find it allocated it to the first 
drive.
I repeat again, it allocates another 30mb partition to the first drive. Now it 
has two.
I repeat again, it allocates a 30mb partition to the 2nd drive, and then another.
And so on until I finally reach the drive I am attempting to partition.
And I've had it once I've gotten 5-6 30mb partitions on the various drives and 
I've finally gotten one on the drive I want to install to when I added the 4gb 
root partition. It again went to the first drive.
fdisk never gave me this kind of trouble. :(

Ugh!

Then when loading the boot manager into mbr. It only installs Grub to the first 
hard drive. I never get a choice or option on configuring Grub and installing on 
the mbr of the drive I actually want the install to go on.

I can set up in my bios which drive to boot. But the boot installer simply goes 
for Grub (hd0,0) everytime.

Ugh!

I did a custom-expert boot on the CD.

At least on the CD portion of the install, I did not get any options on the base 
install.
Why?
I said custom-expert.

This is a server, no sound card. I see alsa and stuff fly by on the base install.
I don't want or need extra cruft on the server. And I would rather not have to 
uninstall in order to have it leaner.
Maybe my above problems with logging into Gnome is due to an attempt to load 
sound drivers with no sound card. I don't know. But that is approximately where 
it stops.


Okay, I've aired my frustrations above.
Hopefully somebody can help me and educate me on what I can do to proceed to a 
successful and productive install on my server.

I do want to explicitly state my thanks for Ubuntu to the developers and backers 
of this project. It looks to me like my ultimate Linux distro.

I have used LinuxPPC, RH, Debian (unstable, when Woody was testing) for a couple 
years, and most recently Gentoo for almost 2 years.

I have installed Ubunto over my Gentoo install on a desktop machine I've setup 
for my children. I am extremely pleased with my experience. Installing Java was 
kind of funky, but I think that will improve especially now that 1.5 is final.

I am attempting to replace my Gentoo install on the server.

Please don't take any of my issue above wrong and as complaints.
I understand this is a work in progress.

Any help and wisdom greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Jimmie Houchin