server (partly) fails: hardware?

[Colin Brace]

On Sun, 4 May 2008 20:14:45 +0200 (CEST), Wojciech Puchar
<wojtek at wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl> wrote:

> disk I/O hangs while everything else works.
> check with smartmontools if your disk report problems, if not - check
> cables.

Thanks for the tip. This sounds promising. 

> FreeBSD runs fine on pentium 90 with 16MB RAM (with slightly cutdown
> kernel), without changes on 32.

Wow, maybe there is hope for the old 33 MHz 486SX Thinkpad I have in my
closet. IIRC, it has a whopping 32MB. It may be slow but it is built like a
tank.

On Sun, 4 May 2008 20:16:18 +0200 (CEST), Wojciech Puchar
<wojtek at wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl> wrote:

> > If you can connect a monitor to the server and actually see what
happens
> > also if it still accepts keystrokes and stuff, that would probably help
in
> > diagnosing the problem.
> 
> yes it will. i had such problem many times. it's always
> disk/cables/controller problem.

OK, I am connecting a serial cable and will monitor the FreeBSD box from my
Linux desktop. But what should I be looking for?

On a semi-related note, I have been thinking of popping a SATA card and and
big SATA drive in this box and removing the 30 GB IDE drive. Is there any
reason why it shouldn't be possible to boot directly from the SATA drive
given that SATA is not on the motherboard? 

Thanks.

-- 
  Colin Brace
  Amsterdam
  http://lim.nl