lubuntu-qa team mailing list archive

[Nio Wiklund <nio.wiklund@xxxxxxxxx>]

Update: The installed USB-HDD system made in the Dell using the
alternate iso boots and runs nicely in my IBM Thinkpad T42 with Pentium
M :-)

http://www.cnet.com/laptops/lenovo-thinkpad-t42-2373/4507-3121_7-31155666.html

So it runs at least in one truly 32-bit computer. But the installer does
not work in that computer because of the PAE flag test in syslinux.

Best regards
Nio

On 2013-07-25 08:53, Nio Wiklund wrote:
> [Since we started top posting in this thread I'll continue]
> 
> Update: I upgraded the kernel to 3.10.0-5 and zRAM started to work in
> the 64-bit Toshiba laptop.
> 
> Then I tried again in the Dell. This time it was dead (after the kernel
> upgrade). It stayed at the boot menu, where I selected to boot from USB,
> so not even grub rescue.
> 
> I tested the Dell with a persistent live USB drive made yesterday from
> the Lubuntu Saucy alpha 2 32-bit desktop iso. It booted and ran nicely
> (even had zRAM), and I needed no boot option.
> 
> So I think there is something wrong with the Lubuntu Saucy alpha 2
> 32-bit alternate iso, something more than the lack of network and lack
> of zRAM. Maybe this is related to what was stopping Lance, when he tried
> to install into his VIA computer.
> 
> I hope *you* will find it interesting enough to test in your computer :-)
> 
> Best regards
> Nio
> 
> On 2013-07-25 08:03, Nio Wiklund wrote:
>> This is getting really interesting :-)
>>
>> I would like to argue like Jonathan about the testing environment, but I
>> think Phill has very good intuition or knows something we don't know, or
>> maybe it is a simple boot option issue.
>>
>> I used the alternate iso to install the Lubuntu Saucy alpha 2 32-bit
>> alternate iso into a USB HDD using manual partitioning. (I did not want
>> to mess with the installed systems on the internal drive.)
>>
>> I did it in this Dell Pentium 4 computer
>>
>> http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/dim4600/en/4600i/sm/specs.htm
>>
>> I got the red screen about no network, but could continue (with files
>> from the iso file). When rebooting the Dell, I had this error
>>
>> error: file '/boot/grub/i386-pc/normal.mod' not found
>> grub rescue>
>>
>> I powered off and cold booted, but the same error.
>>
>> I moved the USB HDD to the 64-bit laptop
>>
>> http://www.toshiba.se/laptops/satellite-pro/c850/satellite-pro-c850-19w/
>>
>> and found the file, which was reported not found by the Dell. Then I
>> booted from the USB HDD, and it boots and run beautifully :-) except
>> that there is no zRAM, but it was expected since I had to upgrade the
>> kernel when running in VBox to get zRAM. The following terminal output
>> was transferred via ssh to my main computer
>>
>> guru@alt-saucy:~$ uname -a
>> Linux alt-saucy 3.10.0-4-generic #13-Ubuntu SMP Thu Jul 18 19:25:05 UTC
>> 2013 i686 i686 i686 GNU/Linux
>> guru@alt-saucy:~$ lsb_release -a
>> No LSB modules are available.
>> Distributor ID:	Ubuntu
>> Description:	Ubuntu Saucy Salamander (development branch)
>> Release:	13.10
>> Codename:	saucy
>> guru@alt-saucy:~$ swapon -s
>> Filename                Type		Size	Used	Priority
>> /dev/sdb5               partition	4073468	0	-1
>> guru@alt-saucy:~$
>>
>> So there is something fishy. The installer can make a working Lubuntu
>> 32-bit system, but it does not work in the computer where it was made,
>> but in another one, that happens to be a 64-bit computer. I think this
>> needs more investigation. I hope *you* will find it interesting enough
>> to test in your computer :-)
>>
>> I'll check if a boot option or some other simple trick can make the Dell
>> boot, but I have not needed boot options before in this computer.
>>
>> Best regards
>> Nio
>>
>> On 2013-07-25 04:31, Jonathan Marsden wrote:> On 07/24/2013 06:07 PM,
>> Phill Whiteside wrote:
>>>
>>>> I think that everyone missed what I mentioned. That is the
>>>> virtualisation of a 32 bit processor from a VM running on a 64 bit
>>>> host. In kvm, i can choose from various pentium models, basic kvm32
>>>> etc. etc. And whilst VM's can never take the place of actual
>>>> hardware, when we need some i386 iso's testing to get them released,
>>>> getting a VM to as near as to a 32 bit system to try them on is far
>>>> better than just 'ticking' the box and saying it works.
>>>
>>> So you want the virtualization environment to not show CPU flags
>>> indicating the CPU is 64-bit capable?  Or to trap on all 64bit
>>> instructions?  Both?
>>>
>>> At first thought, all this really tests is that the compiler used for
>>> the i386 code generation did not accidentally generate 64bit
>>> instructions... is that what you are wanting to test?
>>>
>>> Can't you run just file on all binaries installed and verify they are
>>> 32bit i386 binaries, and be done with it?  Something like:
>>>
>>>   file /bin/* /usr/bin/* |grep executable |grep -v 'script\|32-bit'
>>>
>>> would list any 64-bit executables in those directories, for example.
>>>
>>> Can you point to a Launchpad bug report which this kind of "don't test
>>> i386 on a 64bit capable CPU, you MUST test on an i386-only capable CPU"
>>> testing approach would have found, which testing an i386 image on a
>>> 64-bit capable CPU (real or virtual) would have missed?  I need a real
>>> example to better understand what you are expecting to gain.
>>>
>>> We don't force i386 image testers to test on 32bit-only CPU hardware, do
>>> we?  So why would we need to require testers using VMs to use
>>> 32-bit-only VMs?  We should be consistent about this, if indeed it is an
>>> issue, as you seem to be suggesting it is.
>>>
>>> Jonathan
>>>
>>>
>> On 2013-07-25 06:00, Nio Wiklund wrote:
>>> Hi Phill,
>>>
>>> I ran the Lubuntu Saucy alpha 2 32-bit alternate iso in a VirtualBox
>>> within a 32-bit Ubuntu Precise system. But I can try to run it in a real
>>> computer now.
>>>
>>> Best regards
>>> Nio
>>>
>>> On 2013-07-25 03:07, Phill Whiteside wrote:
>>>> Hi Jonathan,
>>>>
>>>> I think that everyone missed what I mentioned. That is the
>>>> virtualisation of a 32 bit processor from a VM running on a 64 bit host.
>>>> In kvm, i can choose from various pentium models, basic kvm32 etc. etc.
>>>> And whilst VM's can never take the place of actual hardware, when we
>>>> need some i386 iso's testing to get them released, getting a VM to as
>>>> near as to a 32 bit system to try them on is far better than just
>>>> 'ticking' the box and saying it works.
>>>>
>>>> Regards,
>>>>
>>>> Phill.
>>>>
>>>> On 24 July 2013 23:22, Jonathan Marsden <jmarsden@xxxxxxxxxxx
>>>> <mailto:jmarsden@xxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>     Phill and Nio,
>>>>
>>>>     >> You can run 32-bit code in a 64-bit environment (also in Virtualbox).
>>>>
>>>>     Correct.
>>>>
>>>>     >> But I think there is a switch for it somewhere in the settings.
>>>>
>>>>     If there is, I have not needed to use it.  I run a mix of 32bit x86 and
>>>>     64bit amd64 VMs all the time.  A couple of them run 24x7.
>>>>
>>>>     On Wed, Jul 24, 2013, at 02:45 PM, Phill Whiteside wrote:
>>>>
>>>>     > I couldn't find the emulation under VBox, it may be in the 'extras'
>>>>     > package that I do not have installed.
>>>>
>>>>     No, that's definitely not needed for running 32bit x86 code in
>>>>     VirtualBox.   You don't need to do anything special to install and run a
>>>>     32bit x86 OS under 64bit amd64 VirtualBox.  It just works.
>>>>
>>>>     Jonathan
>>>>     --
>>>>       Jonathan Marsden
>>>>       jmarsden@xxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:jmarsden@xxxxxxxxxxx>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -- 
>>>> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/phillw
>>>
>>
>