Forums

gamerayers
gamerayers
Offline
Resolved
0 votes
I've been running my ClearOS 6.3 box for a while on an older Intel Atom and decided it was time to upgrade a little. I have run ClearOS since version 4 and find it easy to work with and a great community. I upgraded to a server board by ASRock called an D2550R which is an upgraded Intel Atom which now allows me to have more hard drives and 4gb of memory.

Every time I try to install I see the first screen of console after selecting options and then the screen blanks. It is apparent that the Atom graphics are just not capable of the installation. I have tried to use text on the command options to select a text base install, but this doesn't seem to work. I've tried low graphics option and specifying VGA=788. No dice. Any ideas on how to get this working with the newer ClearOS?

Thank you.
Wednesday, June 13 2018, 12:27 AM
Share this post:
Responses (12)
  • Accepted Answer

    Saturday, July 14 2018, 01:49 AM - #Permalink
    Resolved
    0 votes

    Well the board is brand new so it's RMA time

    OK... Let us know how it goes when you get the replacement/repair...
    The reply is currently minimized Show
  • Accepted Answer

    gamerayers
    gamerayers
    Offline
    Saturday, July 14 2018, 01:24 AM - #Permalink
    Resolved
    0 votes
    Well the board is brand new so it's RMA time I think. I have 4gb of memory so I can try windows, but if it's video issue of the motherboard, it needs repaired.

    Also, yes, I've tried external video, but none of the ones I have seen supported by the board, even with extra power connectors. None allow the system to post. So maybe I'll boot up windows and try that, but at the end of the day, Linux video should work since it's a server motherboard and ASRock will fix that.

    I appreciate all the help. Super frustrating that a new board doesn't have a working video.
    The reply is currently minimized Show
  • Accepted Answer

    Saturday, July 14 2018, 01:06 AM - #Permalink
    Resolved
    0 votes

    I'm now thinking it's got to be a video/motherboard issue

    Then the final test might be a trial install of Windows to settle it one way or the other...

    How much memory do you have installed in this system?

    See https://www.tecmint.com/installation-of-centos-remotely-using-vnc-mode/ amongst others. Not sure that ClearOS supports a VNC install - but worth a try...

    Another possible solution, even if only a temporary measure to get the install completed. Assuming the board will support this idea using the PCIe slot... It is x16 physically and 4x? system wise. (not sure of your exact model). PCIe graphics cards should negotiate to work with just PCIe 4x electrically - though would suggest using a slower lower power graphics adapter if the slot only has electrical connections for power in the 4x slot positions (best option), or choose one with the additional power connection if your power supply has the correct connector available (usually 6 or 8 pin depending on the power requirements of the graphics adaptor). The power consumption should be modest as you will only be in 2D mode rather than the power hungry modes of modern games...

    This board also has a serial com port - maybe possible to do an text mode install connecting this via a null modem cable to the com port on another pc running a serial terminal emulator? You will need to research this option to see if it is feasible...

    Other than this - fast running out of ideas... other than replace the board :(
    The reply is currently minimized Show
  • Accepted Answer

    gamerayers
    gamerayers
    Offline
    Friday, July 13 2018, 10:51 PM - #Permalink
    Resolved
    0 votes
    Just tried Knoppix, no video. I'm now thinking it's got to be a video/motherboard issue. This is just not me having weird issues anymore.
    The reply is currently minimized Show
  • Accepted Answer

    Thursday, July 12 2018, 11:42 PM - #Permalink
    Resolved
    0 votes
    Strange - the ASRock system here ran for years on 6.x with graphics OK...

    One thing to be aware of when moving disks between machines - make sure both machines are using the same type disk driver. Have the ASRock board here set for AHCI and can move disks around between any system where the disk controller can use the ahci driver...

    Get the Fast TSC calibration failure as below...

    ...
    Jun 21 12:20:31 localhost kernel: TSC synchronization [CPU#0 -> CPU#1]:
    Jun 21 12:20:31 localhost kernel: Measured 2336280 cycles TSC warp between CPUs, turning off TSC clock.
    Jun 21 12:20:31 localhost kernel: tsc: Marking TSC unstable due to check_tsc_sync_source failed
    ...

    Have you tried any of the Linux Live distributions e.g. Ubuntu, Slax, Fedora Workstation - do the graphics work for them?
    The reply is currently minimized Show
  • Accepted Answer

    gamerayers
    gamerayers
    Offline
    Thursday, July 12 2018, 09:04 PM - #Permalink
    Resolved
    0 votes
    So I got Clearos 6.7 installed and it appears the VGA controller is the same:

    00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Atom Processor D2xxx/N2xxx Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 0b) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
    Subsystem: ASRock Incorporation Device 0be2
    Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 11
    Memory at fe400000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=1M]
    I/O ports at f1a0 [size=8]
    Expansion ROM at <unassigned> [disabled]
    Capabilities: [d0] Power Management version 2
    Capabilities: [b0] Vendor Specific Information: Len=07 <?>
    Capabilities: [90] MSI: Enable- Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit-

    I tried updated my bios, with high hopes. I booted the clearos 7.4 disk up, and as soon as it makes it past the selection screen I see a [0.0000] Tsc: Fast TSC calibration failed, a couple quick lines feed by after that, and the screen goes blank.
    With an install on another computer, then transfer the hard drive, no video. Even if I try to switch to one of the consoles using the alt + F2-7, no signal.

    I am not using UEFI currently since I figured legacy would be easy. Just not sure what I'm missing to get things working.

    Update: While I can use console in ClearOS 6.7 on this motherboard fine, the graphical doesn't appear to work. This isn't an issue, as it wouldn't be on 7.4 either, but I would need to get 7.4 installed for it not to be an issue.
    The reply is currently minimized Show
  • Accepted Answer

    Thursday, July 12 2018, 07:27 AM - #Permalink
    Resolved
    0 votes
    Tony's post here links to elsewhere with another command line parameter "video" you could try.
    The reply is currently minimized Show
  • Accepted Answer

    Thursday, July 12 2018, 01:23 AM - #Permalink
    Resolved
    0 votes
    Assuming the board's full name is AD2550R, the video is a GMA3600 which is based on the PowerVR SGX545 graphics core (developed by Imagination). Have an ASRock AD2700-ITX, as mentioned previously, which has Power VR SGX545 graphics... This board installed ClearOS 7.x without any graphics problems. Wonder what the difference is?

    Can you run "lspci -vk" and extract just the Integrated Graphics Controller section to see if there are any differences, here is mine...

    ... snipped
    00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Atom Processor D2xxx/N2xxx Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 09) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
    Subsystem: ASRock Incorporation Device 0be2
    Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ 32
    Memory at dfb00000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=1M]
    I/O ports at f100 [size=8]
    Expansion ROM at <unassigned> [disabled]
    Capabilities: [d0] Power Management version 2
    Capabilities: [b0] Vendor Specific Information: Len=07 <?>
    Capabilities: [90] MSI: Enable+ Count=1/1 Maskable- 64bit-
    Kernel driver in use: gma500
    Kernel modules: gma500_gfx
    ... snipped

    As you can see the gma500 driver is in use which also supports the gma3600/sgx545 (Intel Cedar Trail) platforms.

    One last thought for now - probably way out, but... As you installing in UEFI or legacy BIOS mode? All my installs at the moment are legacy BIOS as there are many older machines here that do not support UEFI and desire the ability to move system disks, if required, between boards.

    Update... are you running the latest BIOS? You can check the version by running "dmidecode -t 0 | head -n 14". Had to update a different ASRock board the other day to solve a kernel panic problem with ClearOS 7.5 upgrade.
    The reply is currently minimized Show
  • Accepted Answer

    gamerayers
    gamerayers
    Offline
    Wednesday, July 11 2018, 11:24 PM - #Permalink
    Resolved
    0 votes
    Just to confirm it isn't hardware I quickly downloaded and started to install ClearOS 6.7, no issues with the video. Even launched into the graphical install.
    The reply is currently minimized Show
  • Accepted Answer

    gamerayers
    gamerayers
    Offline
    Wednesday, July 11 2018, 11:09 PM - #Permalink
    Resolved
    0 votes
    Hi All,

    After a month of travel, and being sick, I have finally made it back to this issue.

    I have not made any progress on this issue and I've tried all sorts of different ways to address it.

    1. HDMI vs VGA output, no change.
    2. nomodeset, no change.
    3. manual vga modes, no change
    4. Install Clearos on a different computer, transfer hard drive. I get to Grub, soon as Grub passes, no video. Not ability to get to console

    I am at a loss here. I bought the motherboard specifically to run ClearOS 7.x and just can't get the video working. I've tried all sorts of different monitors to see if that has any change, it just seems like as soon as I pass grub, the video of the atom on the D2550R motherboard doesn't want to present anything. I can't see the console, I can't see the web based setup, it just goes to no signal.

    On Clearos 4-6 I've never used the web browser based graphical system on the server except to set the initial IP. I always use the console for everything else, but the fact that I can't even get it to show me the console, I just don't know where to start with this. I assume it deals with the fact that the atom's graphics aren't supported by CentOS at all, but seriously, console should still work, and even if I can get it installed, but can't see the console, that won't work if something goes wrong and I need to troubleshoot.

    Is this just what 7.x and above work like?
    The reply is currently minimized Show
  • Accepted Answer

    Wednesday, June 13 2018, 06:53 AM - #Permalink
    Resolved
    0 votes
    Note also from an earlier post, it looks like the vga= (note the lower case) boot code has been deprecated and I wonder if it is no longer functioning. Can you try the alternative method from the link?
    The reply is currently minimized Show
  • Accepted Answer

    Wednesday, June 13 2018, 01:50 AM - #Permalink
    Resolved
    0 votes
    Interesting - seems like a similar problem to what Brian is experiencing as detailed in his "Installation frustrations" thread - have you read it? Made a few suggestions there so will not repeat here - just read that thread. Have a very similar Atom board - an ASRock AD2700-ITX that had no problems installing 7.x after running 6.x for several years...
    The reply is currently minimized Show
Your Reply