Xeon based OSX86 Server, reboot cycle help!

[JT on the bike]

Hi All,

 

I hope this is something some of you can 'get your teeth stuck in to'

 

I'm attempting to build an OSX86 Server for a photographer friend of mine, so I have:

 

HP Dl140 G2 Xeon 2.8 with 2gb ram and a 40gb SATA disk (just for proof of concept, if i can built it, it will then be changed to 2x 1.5 or 2tb drives)

iPC 10.5.6 dual layer disc with the additional server packages.

 

If I boot into a Live DVD I can get a desktop screen, move data around (seemingly quickly enough considering the aging hardware (but hey, what do you want for £20!) the only thing I haven't got to work is the network card, however, that is an obscure on-board device and I would be happy to swap it out to something compatible should the need arise - I have left the server running at this stage for 48+ hours and just doing regular, mundane tasks to see whether it crashes, and it doesn't.

 

My mobo is a E7520

Broadcom 5721 10/100/1000 network

I am going to update the bios tonight as I suspect that may help?

ATI Rage II onboard

 

I don't need anything fancy - just a gui as it's a server, so i'm happy with a limited gui experience.

there isn't BT/FireWire/wifi so i want to skip that lot out too.

 

When I go through the install, selecting only applications, the standard kernel and the server package, the installation completes successfully and results in a big green tick. So, i reboot the box, press any key and then do a: -f -v and i get into a reboot cycle mid-kext loading, so I try a -f -v -x and still the same, I then add a cpus=1 (and hyperthreading is disabled in the bios (i have also tried it enabled in a previous install with the same results))

 

I am using the Darwin bootloader, should I change this to Chameleon? I am unsure as to the 'correct' kernel to use so keep the standard one?

 

I am perplxed as to why a live dvd would work (could i then use copyx or whatever it is called to mirror this working live dvd to the HD?) and then the install also works, but when attempting to boot it continues in a cycle of rebooting during kext loading (which is the lines of code whizzing by?)

 

I don't expect a 'do this and it will work' answer - although that would be great, but any suggestion as to my best approach?

Coming from a wintel background (server 2003/2008, blackberry, lotus notes/traveler, exchange environment) i'm not technically inept, just inexperienced with *nix and OSX86.

 

so any pointers would be really very much appreciated!!!!!

 

many thanks in advance,

jt