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Chapter 5 Troubleshooting Oracle Linux 7 Installations

Table of Contents

This chapter describes some options for troubleshooting Oracle Linux 7 installations. Also check the release notes in the Oracle® Linux 7 Documentation library for any known installation issues that pertain to the release you are running.

For known hardware issues, see the release notes for your UEK release in Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel Documentation

5.1 Troubleshooting Menu Options

The boot menu on the Oracle Linux 7 installation media contains a Troubleshooting option with the following options:

Install Oracle Linux 7 in basic graphics mode: Use this option if the screen goes blank or appears distorted when you try to install Oracle Linux in graphical mode.
Rescue a Oracle Linux system: Use this option to boot an installed system in a mode that enables you to edit partitions or configuration files to fix a variety of boot problems.
Run a memory test: Use this option to run the memtest86 utility, which verifies the integrity of the system's RAM.
Boot from local drive: Use this option to boot an installed system from the hard disk.

5.2 Debug and Log Information

During an installation, you can press the Ctrl+Alt+F1 keys to display the virtual console for the installation program. This console contains messages and debugging information output for the installation program. Additional virtual consoles are available to display log information from different sources, as described in the following section. Press Ctrl+b, and then press either n (for next) or b (for back) to switch between the virtual consoles. To return to the graphical installation program, press Ctrl+Alt+F6.

During an installation, several log files are generated, which capture messages from the following sources:

Anaconda program

The /tmp/anaconda.log file contains Anaconda logs relating to the installation.

During the installation you can access the messages stored in this log by pressing Ctrl+Alt+F1 to display the virtual console, then press Ctrl+b, and then press 3.

If the installation succeeds, the log file is copied to /var/log/anaconda/anaconda.log.

Hardware detection and configuration

The /tmp/syslog file contains messages relating to the system hardware.

If the installation succeeds, the log file is copied to /var/log/anaconda/syslog.

Kickstart

The /tmp/ks-name.log file contains logs from kickstart installations.

If the installation succeeds, the log file is copied to /var/log/anaconda/ks-script-name.log.

Network detection and configuration

The /tmp/ifcfg.log file contains logs relating to network configuration.

If the installation succeeds, the log file is copied to /var/log/anaconda/anaconda.ifcfg.log.

Other programs

The /tmp/program.log file contains logs from all other programs used during the installation.

During the installation you can view the messages stored in this log by pressing Ctrl+Alt+F1 to display the virtual console, then press Ctrl+b, and then press 5.

If the installation succeeds, the log file is copied to /var/log/anaconda/anaconda.program.log.

Package installation

The /tmp/packaging.log file contains package installation messages output by the yum and rpm commands.

If the installation succeeds, the log file is copied to /var/log/anaconda/anaconda.packaging.log.

Storage detection and configuration

The /tmp/storage.log file contains logs from the storage modules.

During the installation you can view the messages stored in this log by pressing Ctrl+Alt+F1 to display the virtual console, then press Ctrl+b, and then press 4.

If the installation succeeds, the log file is copied to /var/log/anaconda/anaconda.storage.log.

If the installation fails, the messages from these log files are combined into a single log file at /tmp/anaconda-tb-name.

To access a shell prompt as the root user during the installation, press Ctrl+Alt+F1 to display the virtual console. Then, press Ctrl+b, followed by pressing the number 2. You can use the shell prompt to access the log files and to copy them to a local storage device such as a USB device. Or, you can copy the log files to a network location by using the scp command.