# Fixit Console doesn't start on DVD ISO - help me



## omero (Feb 16, 2010)

I've tried installing from remote a dedicated root server bought from http://www.hetzner.de/ (EQ4).

I wanted to do a fresh 8.0-STABLE installation with ZFS as root filesystem, so I was following the http://wiki.freebsd.org/RootOnZFS for the mirror configuration.

I tested the installation several times on VMs and other machines, and all was ok.

But, when I ask remote console access to the machine for installation, they burn me a DVD iso image of:

ftp://ftp.freebsd.org/pub/FreeBSD/snapshots/201001/FreeBSD-8.0-STABLE-201001-amd64-dvd1.iso

which works perfectly since it's the very same i used for my VM installations, but I have a problem.

FreeBSD boots correctly, i see sysinstall, but when I ask for FIXIT console it tells me it cannot find a LIVEFS environment, as if the DVD was not inserted correctly or he cannot find it.

My best guess is that sysinstall is STUPID and only looks for CD/DVD livefs iso on standard paths (like /dev/acd0), while my DVD ISO is mounted on a non standard path maybe (/dev/acd2 or /dev/whateverdriver0).

I've tried to find a way to 'manually' start fixit mode from holographic shell, but no 'mount' command or 'ln' command to try to give sysinstall /dev/acd0 he maybe is looking for.

Can you help me?

What I need is one of this

A) A way to start fixit mode manually from holographic shell, from a given DVD iso dev path (/dev/acdX or whatever)

OR

B) A way to tell sysinstall where to look for, for finding a LIVEFS environment (maybe some SET variable i can set from holographic shell? like "set LIVEFSDEVICE=/dev/acd2" or whatever.

Can anyone help


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## omero (Feb 16, 2010)

a "echo /dev/*" from HOLOGRAPHIC SHELLS shows me

Several /dev/adXXX devices
One /dev/cd0 device

No acdX, so I guess the CD-ROM is seen as SCSI and not ATA.

Can i start live FS from SCSI cd/dvd? how?


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## omero (Feb 16, 2010)

I also have a suspect that FreeBSD cannot correctly see the CD-ROM at all.

It boots from it correctly, but I cannot do neither a standard install. It tells me it cannot find any cd or dvd !!!!

No driver support for this drive? But its a very new i7 920 server, how come? And how come it boot from it, but then doesnt see the drive?


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## omero (Feb 16, 2010)

Solved!

I had to do a 'rescan devices' from SYSINSTALL options to make sysinstall see the USB cdrom correctly


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