Stalin: Logged into KDE this time, actually got thru the setup portion and was exploring the interface when it hung, ctrl-alt-backspace showed a scrolling page of errors :
EXT3 - fs error (device sd(8,2)): ext3_readdir: directory #65153 contains a hole at offset 81920
I/O error: dev 08:02, sector 1054192

the above two errors alternate, with the sector number changing occasionally and the offset changing each line.

This might be a scsi error (termination or controller), a disk error, a Red Hat bug, or an EXT3 error. In any event, my patience is wearing thin, and the new Dell server will mark the death knell for this somewhat outdated Pentium 240 MMX. I suppose I could pull the SCSI drives and put in the 8gb ide one, but why bother? The new Dell comes with two 80gb drives, I'll pull one out and put into Trotsky, along with the network card from Stalin and make Trotsky a dual boot Windows 2000 / Red Hat box - networked with the new Dell.

What name should I use for this new Dell server? Rasputin? Sounds good.