[plug] Linux installs cannot mount cd-rom

[Denis Brown]

Dear PLUG list members,

I'm attempting to install either Debian, FreeBSD or Gentoo Linux onto an
IBM Intellistation M-Pro.   The common problem is that the CD-ROM is
unmountable.   It seems unlikely that this is a hardware problem in the
CD-ROM drive or its IDE controller because the various distros can get to
the point where they are ready to mount the CD-ROM, and then gag.   I
don't have the machine in front of me now but from memory:

Debian Sarge:   Using either "linux" or "expert" at the boot: prompt gets
info regarding language, country, keyboard, etc then attmpts to mount the
CD drive.   Allowing all the "detected" hardware drivers it still
complains about not finding the drive.   Show stopper.  None of the
various boot-time options listed (F5, F6 and F7 screens) make a
beneficial difference.

Gentoo using 2004.0 iso:  Does the same as above except that it shows it
is trying to mount firstly /dev/cdrom/cdrom?  (where I think ? is 2 but
could be wrong) and then tries to mount /dev/cdrom/c1s2??  some sort of
BSD slice-like nomenclature.  The c1s2?? is likely quite wrong but is that
style.   At this point it offers to drop me into a shell (ash) to <quote>
fix your sh*t <unquote>

Ash seems limited in its commnd set so I cannot see what devices it has
detected, etc.

FreeBSD appers to get further but then hangs without any useful
diagnostics that I can see and no response from the keyboard chracters
echo on screen but does not perform any actions based on them (eg. typing
"ls" and <ret> just shows the characters "ls" and a newline.

Hardware is Intellistation M-Pro with IDE CD-ROM connected as master on
the primary IDE controller.   SCSI drive connected via an 7901 Ultra320
inerface.   tried the CD-ROM drive on the secondary IDE interface too.
No joy.

Maybe I  should provide a symlink from /dev/hda to /dev/cdrom/whatever but
(a) surely this should be done by the installers and (b) ash does not -
from memory - have the ln command in its limited set.

Inspiration would be welcome :-)   Google and the Gentoo lists show that
only one other has reported a problem with Intellistation installs but no
resolution posted.   I guess worst-case I could install a base RH or SuSE
and then springboard anther distro onto it.  But I really want a direct
route so that I, or anyone in future, can easily load ? onto it without
the shuffling around.

Cheers,
Denis