Problem with SLES9 installation on VMware ESX2.5.3

Hi !

I try to install SLES9 as a virtual machine running on VMware ESX server 
2.5.3. I set gui(F2) to VESA ans disabled accelaration in the option-
settings for the virtual machine. The VM has 512MB RAM, 60GB HD (Buslogic) 
a NIC and 1 CPU.
The system is bootet from SP3 CD1. After the boot, SLES9 CD1 is requested. 
The installation then starts in GUI mode, partitions are created, at some 
point the installation requests SP3 CD1 again and then SP3 CD2, SLES9 CD1, 
SLES9 CD2 and after a log time SLES9 CD3 and SLES9 CD4. The installation 
then runs through and everything is fine.

The problem starts when I try to connect more than one virtual CDrom 
(image) to reduce configuration changes during install. After the first 
few packets are installed, I get an error stating the libncourses.so.5 
cannot be found: no such file ore directory.
I always switched the second CDROM, if new CDs were requested.

It looks like the installation process gets confused about which CD is 
mounted or where to look for its libraries.

michael.krauss@de.abb.com wrote:
> Hi !
> 
> I try to install SLES9 as a virtual machine running on VMware ESX server 
> 2.5.3. I set gui(F2) to VESA ans disabled accelaration in the option-
> settings for the virtual machine. The VM has 512MB RAM, 60GB HD (Buslogic)

> a NIC and 1 CPU.
> The system is bootet from SP3 CD1. After the boot, SLES9 CD1 is requested.

> The installation then starts in GUI mode, partitions are created, at some 
> point the installation requests SP3 CD1 again and then SP3 CD2, SLES9 CD1,

> SLES9 CD2 and after a log time SLES9 CD3 and SLES9 CD4. The installation 
> then runs through and everything is fine.
> 
> The problem starts when I try to connect more than one virtual CDrom 
> (image) to reduce configuration changes during install. After the first 
> few packets are installed, I get an error stating the libncourses.so.5 
> cannot be found: no such file ore directory.
> I always switched the second CDROM, if new CDs were requested.
> 
> It looks like the installation process gets confused about which CD is 
> mounted or where to look for its libraries.
> 
> Is there a fix for this Problem ?

This isn't an answer, but I believe if you install using the
iso images, connecting and disconnecting, it will work.

And I know for sure that you can do a network install if you
have all of the contents of the SLES9 isos's copied over the
top of each other (the directories and files, not the raw
iso data) and just use the first CD to get everything started.
You do have to manuall add the gpg keys afterwards off of
the first cd so you can do YOU.

We house the SLES9 unified directory on a server and export
the install area via http for network install.

Once you have a SLES9 config.. obviously you can just clone
them under ESX...

We have 3 running right now and are adding 2 more.