# "headless" machine install



## diasf (Nov 14, 2011)

Hi all.
First of all, I have to say that I have almost zero experience with FreeBSD. I had my fair share of linux, of all flavors, but well, it isn't the same. Anyway, my problem:

I have a HP tx2 Touchsmart hybrid tablet. Its VGA just fried. While on non-graphical screens, it works, but you can understand the screen. If the graphical interface starts the whole system crashes.

What I want to do is transform that tablet into my home server. That function is currently done by my old laptop, running ubuntu (and gentoo before that). For that I need a way of getting free installed on the tablet and booting up the NIC with dhcp or even static IP, I can make that work if it's easier. I tried to put the HD on another machine and install, but once I put it back to the tablet, it doesn't get an IP address, and since the display doesn't work, I can't see what happened.

The installed NIC is a realtek RTL8168C/8111C afaik. I don't have that chip on any other computer.

Thanks in advance.... this problem is quite tricky


----------



## wblock@ (Nov 14, 2011)

Put the drive back in the working machine, boot with the FreeBSD-9 live CD or mfsBSD.  Mount the drive, edit /etc/rc.conf to configure the correct Ethernet card.

That card uses the re(4) driver, so the config line in /etc/rc.conf will be

```
ifconfig_re0="inet 192.168.1.50 netmask 255.255.255.0"
```


----------



## diasf (Nov 16, 2011)

Hi,

It worked. It didn't do exactly that, but DHCP instead, and also powerd, and it's working very well now, thank you.

Ahn, now that everything is working, the screen is working again, god knows how/why....


----------



## wblock@ (Nov 16, 2011)

HP notebooks with defective nVidia graphics are famous.  In fact, there was a class action lawsuit about them.  The nVidia BGA chips had problems, not easily fixable unless you have the proper equipment and a lot of time, and then it's questionable.


----------

