Proxmox Installation Error on legacy devices

[sevbh]

Hello all,

This is my very first post on this forum.

I have recently bought a used 2012 HP Proliant server for a homelab test environment. *This server does not support UEFI*. For the last 2 weeks I have been battling to install Proxmox to the point of desperation. The main problem seems to be that it is installing Grub on the BIOS system incorrectly.
What I have tried:
1. Wiped disks and partition with MBR and install results in Grub Error - invalid arch-independent ELF magic.
- I have tried to resinstall grub countless times using terminal, and Boot-repair - all to no avail.
2. Wiped Disks and partition with GPT and create separate /boot partition on block 34-2047.
- I tried to install grub using grub-install i386-pc version. - results in grub error: unknown file system
3. Wiped disks and partitioned with MBR table, and installed Ubuntu - boots without issues.
4. Wiped disks and partitioned with MBR table, and installed Debian 11 - boots without issues.
5. Although against my will, I tried installing Proxmox 7.4-1 over Debian 11 using Proxmox instructions: https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Install_Proxmox_VE_on_Debian_11_Bullseye
- installation seems to go smoothly until Proxmox kernel is installed. I tried rebooting with PVE kernel to delete Debian kernels (as per the instructions), but the system was already unbootable. Grub error show "kernel panic .... not syncing".

6. Wiped disks again and partitioned with MBR table, and installed Proxmox 6.4.
- system does not even see an OS installed on HDD, and tried booting through other sources.

I am sure I have forgotten many other attempts I have done since it's been going on for 2 weeks now. I am ready to give up. Why is Proxmox not installing??? it's driving me crazy! If anyone has faced this problem and knows how to solve it, I really would appreciate your input here.

Thank you!

 

[LnxBil]

If anyone has face this problem and knows how to solve it, I really would appreciate your input here.

Sorry, I have no solution but I installed it a few months on an ML350G6 and ML330G6 without any problems. I know that this does not help you, but is not an error per se in the install media. AFAIK, I used 7.3 or 7.2 to install. Have you tried them too? Maybe also try 6.x and see if it works. If so, upgrade to 7.x

 

[sevbh]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll give 7.2 a shot and see where is leads me.

 

[sevbh]

Thanks for the feedback. I'll give 7.2 a shot and see where is leads me.

Looks like they have taken the older ISOs down. Any clues where I can find 7.2 or 7.3?

 

[LnxBil]

Yes, here.

 

[ramesh]

I consider myself just a little bit more advanced than a average user. Feel free to correct anything below that is not necessary. Having said that:

My understanding is that GRUB does not have the UEFI/GPT problem, only the OLD bios-es do. So If I can get the system to boot into GRUB, then it is only a matter of time to make GRUB see the gpt disks. With this in mind I decided to get around this problem by installing GRUB using grub-chainloading mechanism on a mbr-usb-stick using a 12 year old DELL Vostro 3750 laptop . I even managed to attached 3 ssds and got a raid-z1 running.

Note: In my system the Proxmox 8.00 installation went through fine. Only on reboot did I end up with "No Operation System" message.

The solution I managed is :

1. use an old usb stick with a MBR fat32 partition aligned to sector 2048. (starting on sector 34 does not work, as proxmox grub is too big to fit)
2. boot into proxmox 8 rescue system. (Note: if the menu option does not work, try to boot into advanced/debug mode and abort installation just before the EULA screen.
3. once you are into rescue system, load the file-system (lvm or zfs). Chroot into it. then run:
4. /usr/bin/grub-install.real /dev/sdd (use whatever suits the usb-stick in your system)
5. Re-boot your device.
6. You should reach grub-rescue. If you do, you are ALL SET.
7. In the grub prompt: enter "ls <tab>" .
8. This will list all disks visible to grub. If your disks are not visible try loading the required modules. I tried (refer the grub.cfg in the installed system that does not boot)
   1. insmod part-gpt
   2. insmod zfs
   3. ls <tab>
9. Search for the disks visible to grub and add appropriate entries. In my case it was the 3rd gpt-partition in any of my 3 connected disks. SO I used the following lines:
10. insmod part_gpt
    insmod part_gpt
    insmod part_gpt
    ####:since my installed system has 3 disks in a zfs raidz1 config.
    insmod zfs
    insmod part_msdos
    ##set grub folder on gpt disk as root
    set prefix=(hd3,gpt2)/grub
    #####: as all 3 disks have identical setup (made by proxmox installer)
    #####: any disks' 2nd partition can be used
    set root='hd3,gpt2'
    #
    insmod linux
    insmod chain
    chainloader (hd3,gpt2)+1
    insmod normal
    normal
    #

This should boot the system to your new installation of proxmox 8.0.
If everything worked as expected. Copy the folder structure from "/boot" and below from your newly installed system into the fat32 partition on the usb stick.
Then create a /usb-stick/boot/grub/grub.cfg with all the lines you see above and thats it.
This USB stick will from now on boot the new PROXMOX 8.00 on any old bios based system. Hope this works as well for you as it does for me. I have been using it for more than a month now and have also installed kernel updates. No problem so far. The grub-chain-loading usb-stick is left untouched by the proxmox routines that happen after a kernel update.

NOTE: there are other suggestions (when you google ) to delete the first two gpt paritions created by the Proxmox installation program and convert the disk to MBR (using gdisk). Create a fat32 first partition that is sector aligned. Install grub on that. This solution also worked for me and I used it for a week. My worry with that solution was: What happens when there is a kernel update? Eventually, to ensure that the system does not break after a kernel upgrade. I decided to use the above method.

Needless to say I arrived at above solution after a lot of effort and google searching. Have to thank all those who contributed their own solutions.