Installing Amahi on an Intel SS4200-EHW Part 2

So it was a real challenge to install FC12 on this server.  I really thought my first method would work well:

- UNetbootin with FC12 DVD on a 4GB flash drive
- Modify syslinux.cfg and appended vnc
- Semi-blindly tab through to start Anaconda over vnc
- Install

While I had everything working, it wasn’t until the part I got to installing FC12 that Anaconda error-ed out with this.  Although there are tons of solutions to solve this, I really didn’t want to start hacking my way to get this to work.  In the end, I wish i would have because I spent a better part of my weekend trying other methods…

After spending a few hours trying some other methods, I remembered I had a KVMoIP sitting in storage.  Driving the 30 minutes to the unit was daunting but if I was determined on getting the server installed, I had to do what I had to do.  The familia wanted to do some shopping so to get a fresh perspective on things, I agreed.

While walking through Target, it hit me.  I have tons of PATA drives laying around the apartment, thus, handfuls of CD/DVDRW drives, along with IDE2USB adapters.  It came to me that I can burn the FC12 DVD to disc, and then hook up a DVDRW drive to the IDE2USB adapter, then boot the SS4200 to boot on USB first.  It was a long shot but again, I was determined to get it working.

So there I was, digging through boxes and bags of old computer hardware for blank disc.  After finding one and burning it, I rebooted my desktop in order to figure out the correct sequence on starting the FC12 installation with vnc, and then tab-enter’ing my way to the first screen to begin installation.  It’s sad that I even noted the seconds and sounds the DVD would make to know when the installation process began, and when I can launch vnc viewer.  Anyway, the sequence I found went something like:

1) Wait 20 seconds after computer turns on
2) Listen for DVD drive to stop
3) Hit tab, followed by <space> vnc <enter>
4) Wait 20 seconds, followed by <tab> <enter> (to skip media check)
5) Wait 20 seconds, followed by <tab> <tab> <tab> <enter> (to allow anaconda to grab an IP via DHCP and start vnc server)

Unfortunately, no matter how many times I tried to document the exact steps/seconds on a desktop, this didn’t match the process on the SS4200.  I know for sure, steps 1-3 were on point since upon hitting the enter key in step 3, I can hear the drive spin up and hard disk click away.  The other steps — not so much.  Granted the second counting would be a bit off and I’d have to vary it a bit, it just never matched up.  I really wished it would have worked since it would be great to document this for all other users but it didn’t work out.

In the end after step 3, I just alternated hitting tab and enter numerous times until I heard the drive spin up.  I simultaneously checked my router to see if a IP was handed out and if it was, I’d launch vnc on my desktop and go to IP:1.

Miraculously, I saw an IP given out and vnc worked. Hooray! (There were a few post install issues but I’ll deal with that separately)