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Ubuntu 7.04 Feisty Server & Parallels - CDROM/Kernel Workaround
01 May 2007
Parallels and the Linux 2.6.20 kernel included with the latest Ubuntu release (7.04 - Feisty Fawn) do not get along well. Firstly, the installer fails to detect the CDROM drive emulated by Parallels. Then, if you manage to get Ubuntu installed using a workaround, the server kernel (vmlinuz-2.6.20-16-server) will not boot.
Here's a workaround that I've come up with to install Ubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn Server on Parallels (build 3188). I installed it from the server ISO (ubuntu-7.04-server-i386.iso), but the same instructions should apply for installing Ubuntu Server from the full DVD ISO.
Create New Virtual Machine
Create a new custom virtual machine, with OS Type set to Linux : Other Linux kernel 2.6. I gave mine 256mb RAM and an 8gb expanding disk. On the Insert CD / CD Selection screen, use More Options to point Parallels at your ISO image. Also, untick "Start Linux Kernel 2.6 installation", as we need to work around the first issue before starting up.
Switch to Solaris
No, don't pack it in with Ubuntu completely. Just edit your virtual machine configuration and change the OS Type to Solaris : Solaris 10. You could have chosen Solaris during VM creation, but then your VM files would have been misnamed. Switching to Solaris was suggested by a Parallels Forums member to work around the initial CDROM detection error. I don't fully understand why it works - I assume it puts Parallels into a slightly different CDROM emulation mode.
Start and Install
Start your virtual machine, and get the Ubuntu installer going. If you're installing off the server ISO, you'll just need to hit ENTER at the boot prompt. If you want to install Ubuntu server off the DVD ISO, you'll have to type "server" at the boot prompt. Proceed as normal, until you get to the message saying "Installation Complete". DON'T choose continue just yet...
Roll Up Your Sleeves
On the "Installation Complete" dialogue, choose "Go Back", and then select "Execute a shell" from the menu. Swap from the problematic server kernel to the generic kernel with the following commands:
umount /dev/scd0
chroot /target /bin/bash
mount /dev/scd0 /media/cdrom
aptitude install linux-generic
aptitude remove linux-server linux-image-server linux-image-2.6.20-15-server
exit
shutdown -h now
Make sure you STOP the VM before it starts to boot up again. Reconfigure it back to Linux : Other Linux 2.6, and then start it up.
A Few Errors
I've run through this process a couple of times, and upon booting up Ubuntu for the first time, I've had a different set of errors each time, but none of them have been a problem in the long run.
There always seems to be problems like this, but the seem to be safe to ignore.
ata1.01: exception Emask 0x0 Sact 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x0 ata1.01 (BMDMA stat 0x66) ata1.01: cmd a0/01:00:00:00:00/00:00:00:00:00/b0 tag 0 cdb 0x12 data 36 in
On a couple of installs I also had filesystem errors, with complaints about timestamps being in the future. I suspect this is to do with a dodgy realtime clock in Linux under virtualization. An automatic fsck repair and reboot fixed it right up, and it hasn't bothered me since.
If and when Ubuntu releases a server kernel compatible with Parallels, or Parallels releases a fix for this issue, you should be able to swap back to the server kernel using aptitude. As far as I can tell, there's no problem running the generic kernel instead of the server kernel. Any thoughts?
Comments
This post has 31 comments.
02 May 2007
john says:
Thanks for the steps.
Running Parralles 3188 on MacBookPro
Downloaded Ubuntu Desktop i386 iso
Followed all the steps did not need to rolll up the sleeves.
I think the key was setting the OS to Solaris run the install then set it back to Linux after the setup.
Cheers for the info.
02 May 2007
Paul Annesley says:
I'm glad it helped.
Feisty Desktop seems to only require the Solaris CDROM emulation workaround to get it running. Feisty Server is trickier - I've tried installing it about 10 times now, from the server ISO and the full desktop ISO, and it never boots without having the server kernel swapped out for the generic one.
05 May 2007
musides says:
Thanks for the info. I also did not have to roll up the sleeves, just the label change to Solaris worked. However, the networking does not work no MacBook Pro.
08 May 2007
paul.annesley.cc » Ubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn on Parallels - CD-ROM Detect Error says:
[...] UPDATE: Solaris CDROM emulation does the trick for Desktop Ubuntu. For Ubuntu Server, read Ubuntu 7.04 Feisty Server & Parallels - CDROM/Kernel Workaround. [...]
12 May 2007
stephen hc says:
Hi all
I've installed feisty from the alternate CD under Parallels using the Solaris OS type. If I leave it at this OS type, Ubuntu doesn't boot. Changing to a Linux type means it boots OK, but I find that Ubuntu then refuses to recognise the cdrom drive.
Has anyone got the CD drive to work under an install of feisty, and if so, how?
Many thanks
Steve
16 May 2007
Jason says:
Thanks for the tips. Worked like a charm. I had to do the replacement kernel as well. I was installing the 7.04 server. What a great environment to gain familiarity with new systems. Thanks for the help.
Jason
16 May 2007
Jason says:
One other thing. At the start of the code section for rolling up your sleeves. The first line does not appear to be necessary. Should that have been a section title?
16 May 2007
Paul Annesley says:
I wasn't sure about the "umount /dev/scd0" - in one trial run I had trouble mounting or unmounting the CD in the chroot environment, so I threw in the umount/mount for good measure.
Good to hear that it helped - and that I'm not the only one running the Server distribution under Parallels.
17 May 2007
spidy says:
I have the same problem as you stephen hc! I installed the ubuntustudio version but I can´t seem to make my CD drive to work too. I did install via cd iso instead of a real cd :(
any help would be appreciated. thank you!
22 May 2007
In the Trenches » Lots of Dell this week… says:
[...] podcast: Entrust Encryption Seagate Momentus HD FiT Child Safety Flier Got IT Solutions - WAAS Getting Ubuntu installed under Parallels Windows Server 2008 Test [...]
22 May 2007
anon says:
Hey just as a point of note, i know it's stupid of me, but the "aptitude remove linux-server linux-image-server linux-image-2.6.20-15-server" line breaks messed me up initially. It would be a whole lot clearer if there was some indication that this is a single line.
28 May 2007
Imre Fazekas says:
I tried to install with method escribed, but i see an error message: unabble to locate rsdp than a black screen.
I tried all os type without success.
i have a 10.4.9 tiger and the latest parallels. What can i do?
05 June 2007
Michal says:
Imre: Just wait. I thought it doesn't work but the CD icon blinks all the time during that black screen. It takes a while but it works.
08 June 2007
Mari says:
Hi Paul,
I am facing the same problem-the server cash at startup-.
I tried to work it out by following your suggestion, but all of the commands didn't work. The screen said "No command found."
My question is how you and the other people could have the command work? The screen show all valid commands and it includes none of the command you show.
I am using Parallels and Ubuntu 7.04 server i386 from my hard disk. Although I am a Japanese living in Japan, my install setting is English (so I guess I use the same setting of all of the guys who successfully figured out the trouble.)
I appreciate if any of you give me suggestions.
Thank you so much for your help!
Mari
14 June 2007
KenB says:
How to install Ubuntu (Feisty Fawn) in OS X using Parallels - a complete walkthrough
28 June 2007
Eric says:
I used your steps. It got me to the point where Ubuntu will start, but now it gets to a line that says Running local boot scripts (/etc/rc.local) [OK] and then it hangs and the cursor stops blinking.
The OK seems to mean that that line executed all right, so whatever line comes next is probably what crashed it. I tried it twice and twice it hung at the same point
Any suggestions?
28 June 2007
Paul Annesley says:
I'm afraid I haven't run into these problems myself.
However, there has been a recent update to Parallels 2 which may have improved the situation, although the lack of a changelog makes that hard to confirm.
Parallels 3 has also been released. This is more likely to have a fix in it, but it's a paid upgrade from version 2.
04 July 2007
Emanuele says:
WOOOOOO! thank you for your great help!
11 July 2007
Vernon says:
First, thanks for putting this together! It was a great help.
MacBook Pro/OS X 10.4.10
Parallels 3.0 Build 4128
Using Parallels 3, you can configure the VM selecting the Linux/Ubuntu options and just perform the "Roll Up Your Sleeves" section noted above to replace the server kernel to get a working system (including CD support).
11 July 2007
Vernon says:
First, thanks for putting this together! It was a great help.
MacBook Pro/OS X 10.4.10
Parallels 3.0 Build 4128
Using Parallels 3, you can configure the VM selecting the Linux/Ubuntu options and just perform the "Roll Up Your Sleeves" section noted above to replace the server kernel to get a working system.
11 July 2007
Paul Annesley says:
Vernon: thanks for that tip.
It's disappointing to see that Parallels haven't fixed this issue in their latest version - it makes it seem even less worthy of a paid upgrade.
Unless it's entirely a Linux kernel bug - but I doubt that.
11 July 2007
Vernon says:
I spoke too early on the CD support. It doesn't seem to work using the Linux/Ubuntu settings as I initially posted. Sorry for jumping the gun.
Continue using the full set of instructions for best results.
11 July 2007
Paul Annesley says:
Hah - I think I'll be getting into that VMware Fusion pre-order deal. The current RC runs Feisty Server beautifully.
11 July 2007
Vernon says:
OK, I'm back to believing that with Parallels 3 you can configure the VM selecting the Linux/Ubuntu options and just perform the “Roll Up Your Sleeves” section noted above to replace the server kernel to get a working system.
My earlier CD support conflict seems to be that two VMs can't both share the CD at the same time (which makes sense) and I had two running.
It would be useful if anyone else running Parallels 3/Ubuntu can help confirm.
06 August 2007
Antony Blakey says:
I can confirm that Parallels 3.0 Build 5060 can install and run Ubuntu Server 7.04 simply by doing the 'Roll Up Your Sleeves" part of these instructions.
06 August 2007
Antony Blakey says:
Ahh... gack. I've now noticed my CD drive doesn't work for aptitiude. I normally don't use it and was just overjoyed to have the server actually start.
16 August 2007
TEZ and DRO says:
Ubuntu + Parallels = Pain...
It seems that Parallels has some major issues with Ubuntu Server. The kind that make me feel like that guy on the left.
......
17 August 2007
mjbaysek says:
I have been trying for a week to install ANY Ubuntu under Parallels 3.0 build 4560. I've tried 6.06 and 7.04. I am like the many others with MacBook Pros with lots of RAM. Mine has the new 2.4 Core Duo and 4 GB. I need my Ubuntu to have as much RAM as possible for some memory intense algorithms.
The install goes alright, but the machine will not reboot unless I only give it 512 MB. If I boot with the recovery console kernel option. I get to the Loading Hardware Drivers section and something crashes, leaving only a partial crashdump on the screen.
change_page_attr+0x32b/0x330 SS:ESP 0068:dfc11da0
udevd-event[3128]" run_program: '/sbin/modprobe' abnormal exit
I opened the disk up in Parallels Explorer to look at the logs, but unfortunately there is no information present there.
I heard a lot of good things about Parallels, which is why I bought it. Now I am regretting it. Knowing what I know now - The HELL installing Ubuntu, and the 1.5 GB memory limitation per VM, I should have waited for VMWare Fusion.
18 August 2007
Paul Annesley says:
I never needed to allocate more than 256 or 512mb RAM to an Ubuntu VM under Parallels, so I haven't run into that issue.
I must say, I've been very happy with VMware Fusion since I started using the beta. I've bought the full version, so I guess my days of battling Parallels are over.
05 September 2007
Flash Sheridan says:
> The install goes alright, but the machine will not reboot unless I only give it 512 MB.
Thanks for the tip, that seems to have solved it in my case at least. (We'd tried nearly everything else…)
25 November 2007
LtzPhn says:
I had trouble installing Ubuntu Linux 7.10 (Gutsy Gibbon) through Parallels running on the latest version of Leopard (10.5.1). The workaround above didn't work for me, so I decided to try installing 7.04 (Feisty Fawn) first and then upgrading to 7.10 -- and it worked!
I figured it would be helpful to post the Parallels Virtual OS config file (.PVS) and the .HDD image online for those attempting to use the same setup.
This installation also addresses an issue regarding the X11 server crashing in Parallels.
The torrent is available on MacNBits (registration required): http://www.macnbits.com/tracker_details.php?hash=bd77b5dc1e9645580ff6fe031347f31faaca7b62