Installing Linux on Dell Precision Workstations

Background

There are two problems when trying to install Redhat 7.0 Linux on a Dell Precision Workstation or Power Edge Server.

  1. The install program doesn't use the correct scsi device driver. Thus neither "fdisk" nor "disk druid" can "see" the scsi disk partitioning with the Adaptec ARO-1302 raid card installed. Even after you remove the card, you will have to re-initialize the partition table on disk drive, which means you lose all information stored on the drive.
  2. The install program will hang when the "aic" driver tries to probe the system.
The good news is that, although you have to remove the Adaptec ARO-1302 raid card to install linux, you can re-insert the raid card once Linux is installed. During the next regular linux boot process, the new hardware will be detected and the scsi controller will be switched from the aic7899P to the aic7899D driver, which seems to work fine with the Adaptec ACI-7899 scsi II chip / ARO-1302 raid card combination. To get around the installation hang, enter "linux aic=no_probe" at the RedHat install boot screen.

Tools required

Hardware

Software

Repartitioning disk

Size the windows partition(s) to be what you want in the final setup.

Saving the Pre-installed Windows OS

Removing the Raid Card

Initialize and Repartition Disk

Installing Linux

Replace the Raid Card

First Boot of Linux with Raid Card Installed

Restore the Windows OS