[Beowulf] Node Boot Problem ~ No Keyboard/Harddrive/Diskdrive

[Brent M. Clements]

Just from what your saying, it sounds vaguely like a motherboard problem.

Does it happen on any other node similiar to this one?

I'd say Replace motherboard  and try again.

-Brent

Brent Clements
Linux Technology Specialist
Information Technology
Rice University

Linux at Rice news and information
available only at http://linuxsupport.rice.edu


On Wed, 23 Jun 2004, Phil Smith wrote:

> Hello all,
>
>  I am currently trying to configure a Beowulf cluster and I'm having a
> strange problem. The nodes all use PXE and TFTP to acquire the kernel
> from the server and then commence booting.
>
>  If the node has a keyboard/hard-drive/floppy-disk-drive plugged into
> it, then the system boots perfectly. However, if the node has none of
> these devices plugged in, then it crashes (screen goes blank, nic
> light goes out). When exactly the node crashes is not consistent,
> however it always occurs after the kernel has been transfered and
> before the login screen appears.
>
>  I have tried debugging the problem with no success.
>
>  I first thought that the node was trying to log the 'no keyboard
> error' to a local disk, for some reason. But ruled that out when I saw
> the problem still occurred when a floppy-drive was present (with no
> floppy in the drive).
>
>  I have already tried several different kernels with various settings
> (v2.4.20-31.9, v2.4.24, v2.2.26) and the exact same problem remains. I
> have stepped through the startup file and found nothing which should
> cause such an issue.
>
> The nodes are P4 2.5 Ghz, 512 mb RAM, Intel D845GERG2 motherboards.
> There are 64 of them and all of them are diskless. I would rather not
> try to resolve this issue by 'buying 64 keyboards'.
>
> Any help/suggestions on resolving this issue would be greatly appreciated.
>
> Cheers,
>  -Phil Smith
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