[sra]

After an extraordinary amount of difficulty, I managed to get OS X server installed on my B&W G3. To do this, I found that I had to install OS X client first, then install OS X server over that. OS X client (updated to 10.0.4) ran fine.

However, after installing OS X server, it runs the Setup assistant, which chugs along until it gets to a point in "Networking" where it asks me to "Please wait while the Assistant searches for a BootP server on your network." At this point it just hangs with a spinning candy cane. It will go on searching forever (well, I let it run 24 hours....). I can quit the assistant, but none of what I have entered is saved, and any time I start up it goes through the same sequence. Furthermore, each time I have to enter a new user as administrator - if I try to enter the same information I did the previous time, it complains that there is already a user with that name.

I can't figure out why it would look for a BootP server, or why it won't give up after a while if indeed it can't find one. Is there any way I can talk it out of this step in the setup assistant?
javascript: x()
Please help....

--Steve Anderson
<anderson@sapir.ling.yale.edu>

[plaidpjs]

Originally posted by sra:
<STRONG>After an extraordinary amount of difficulty, I managed to get OS X server installed on my B&W G3. To do this, I found that I had to install OS X client first, then install OS X server over that. OS X client (updated to 10.0.4) ran fine.

However, after installing OS X server, it runs the Setup assistant, which chugs along until it gets to a point in "Networking" where it asks me to "Please wait while the Assistant searches for a BootP server on your network." At this point it just hangs with a spinning candy cane. It will go on searching forever (well, I let it run 24 hours....). I can quit the assistant, but none of what I have entered is saved, and any time I start up it goes through the same sequence. Furthermore, each time I have to enter a new user as administrator - if I try to enter the same information I did the previous time, it complains that there is already a user with that name.

I can't figure out why it would look for a BootP server, or why it won't give up after a while if indeed it can't find one. Is there any way I can talk it out of this step in the setup assistant?
javascript: x()
Please help....

--Steve Anderson
&lt;anderson@sapir.ling.yale.edu&gt;
</STRONG>

The problem almost inevitably comes from having installed OS X Client before installing the Server. You may be able to solve it by opening NetInfo Manager and checking under machines and services/bootp and taking out any reference information for a bootp server that may or may not exist. Make sure you follow the trail all the way up the NetInfo hierarchy.

Of course, this is all to say without asking why you found it necessary to load OS X Client before you loaded the Server. I have a G3/266 beige box running OS X Server v10.0 (right out of the box) with little to no problem.

Can you detail what issues you were running into with the install?

Ciao!

[sra]

Of course, this is all to say without asking why you found it necessary to load OS X Client before you loaded the Server. I have a G3/266 beige box running OS X Server v10.0 (right out of the box) with little to no problem.

Can you detail what issues you were running into with the install?

I did a clean install of OS X server on a second SCSI disk in my B&W G3. The install appeared to go all right, but when the machine booted, it hung at the "Starting Directory Services" point and would go no further. Booting in verbose mode, I found that it was giving an error about a missing file (from the perl script /usr/libexec/create_nidb) at this point. I tried re-installing on a second partition of my MacOS disk - same result. I called Apple, and after finally getting through to someone in the server division, got no help: "We've never seen anything like that. I might have an answer for you in 3-5 business days."

So I tried installing MacOS X client. That install went through, and it booted, though the loginwindow server failed (repeatedly) when it tried to start up. OK, but at least it got past "Starting Directory Services".... so I installed OS X server on top of this, figuring that whatever file the create_nidb script was looking for must be there now. And the OS X installer ran OK, and this time it booted....but I got into the assistant, which gave then hung looking for a bootp server. I tried cleanly re-installing OS X client again - the first time I got another "Starting Directory Services" hang, but the second time it installed andbooted successfully. I ran Software update on the installed client version, updating to 10.0.4, and then installed the server on top of this. Again, successful install and boot....and catatonia looking for a bootp server.

I've left out various false starts and crashes, but that's the gist. Of course, my OS X client installation is now unavailable because of the Server installed on top of it, so I can't get to its NetInfo db without starting over from square 1.

Any suggestions for the "Directory Services" hang?

Thanks a lot for your attention!

--Steve Anderson

[sra]

[ 07-08-2001: Message edited by: sra ]

[plaidpjs]

sra,

Based on what you have said, i am completely baffled. About the only things I can think of off-hand, are 1) try booting off a 9.1 disk and completely zeroing out your PRIMARY hard drive. Then shutdown and insert the OS X Server disk and reinstall from scratch, but do not install OS X Client first; or 2) hold up your OS X Server disk in some good light and see if there are any significant scratches or other damage to the data side of the disk.

I recommend both of these because, none of my installs have ever failed to generate that file. Which, of course, leads me to believe perhaps it was written to a bad sector on the HDD or that the CD has a bad sector or other problem. Given the frequency of occurrence, it is most likely the later. if that is the case, you should call Apple and see about getting a replacement disk. but, you never know, try zeroing your drive and reinstalling first... and, believe me, I know you aren't looking forward to that, but your particular problem is very unusual.

Ciao!

[lapinos]

I played to make "dirty" installs of X Server. It seems that, in my humble experience, you must erase your partition before reinstalling X Server, otherwise you get the BootP error (experienced)

So, format & install.


greg

[Alex Duffield]

This is a known bug with Apple. This happens when you reinstall OSX Server over itself. (Not just over client)

You can cancel this only in the first second or so, so you have to be quick.

If you miss it, it will keep looking forever, and you will have to reboot, and try to be quicker next time.

[Jabba's cinnamon buns]

Couple of things to look for when doing this:

1. Zap the PRAM on the server in question. Some settings in there may be causing problems

2. Most importantly, format the the install partition! OS X installs the BSD stuff into invisible folders (bin,sbin,var,private, etc....) which have some different contents between the client and server versions. I discovered this yesterday trying to install it over my client version too! (duh, should have known better).
The "root" settings are stored in the "private" directory, just so you know.

P.S. Anyone having problems installing this on a PBG4 just for fun? We got out copy yesterday and I wanted to test it on my machine before we put it onto a G4. I know its not "supported" as per the documentation. It did install all the way through, gets up and running. I can makes changes and stuff but I had 3 major crashes which result in the startup dialog not coming up. I get the perpetual "blue screen".

Also, rebooting into OS 9.1 on the same partition seems to debless the OS. It boots but it appears to boot with the System file located in /Library/CoreServices/System
I've reblessed the system and I'm running fine now but how weird is that?