[ltp] T22 and RH 6.2

[Les Bell]

Just a general query and a possible warning: has anyone here installed RH
6.2 on a Thinkpad T22?

I already have RH 7.1 installed and running quite nicely, but today I had a
specific requirement to install RH 6.2 in order to run some software which
seems to require it (certainly, the hardware specs for the course I will be
teaching on it pretty much mandate 6.2).

However, it seems possible that the RH 6.2 installation somehow nukes the
EEPROM on the Intel PRO/100 SP mobile modem/ethernet combo card. I started
getting PXE-E05 errors on power-up, and the BIOS main config page showed
"MAC Address (Internal LAN): Not Applicable". In Win2K, the LAN network
connection disappeared, and the modem was greyed out in the Thinkpad
Configuration application. In RH 7.2, kudzu thought the ethernet card had
been uninstalled, the modem had been uninstalled, and ethernet card
reinstalled, but the card basically worked.

In short, an hour of frantic driving to IBM Logistics and a short
screwdriver job later, I'm back on the air (at least for network - haven't
tested the modem yet), but I've vowed never to attempt installation of RH
6.2 on the T22 again. It *could* just be a coincidence - I think I might
have seen the PXE-E05 error immediately after using F12 to set the boot
device and before starting the RH 6.2 install, but  . . .

This is just a single data point, but something of a cautionary tale: in
the absence of any reports of success with RH 6.2 and the T22 I'll be
advising folks to avoid 6.2 or choose other hardware if they absolutely
have to have it.

Best,

--- Les [http://www.lesbell.com.au]


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