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Description of problem: I was installing on a system with only 2 36GB disks attached to an Adaptec 7899P controller. I did a text-mode install (NFS install invoked as "text expert"), set up a 150MB /boot partition (ext3) on /dev/sda; the rest of /dev/sda was /. /dev/sdb contained a 2GB swap partition and the rest of the drive was an ext3 filesystem named "/extra". Text mode install went about its business, and right before package installation, in black-text-on-red-background appears the message: Kernel panic: aic7xxx: unrecoverable BRKADRINT. In interrupt handler, not syncing Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): Stock Advanced Server 2.1 for x86, installing from CD. How reproducible: don't know, this is the first time I've seen it
Were there any subsequent indications of any hardware problems? Did you eventually get the system installed? The default aic7xxx driver is v5.2.5. This driver tends to work well for older adapters, and not so well with newer adapters. The alternate driver, called aix7xxx_mod (v6.2.1, in the e.3 kernel on the install CD) may work better with newer hardware. You might try an expert install, and select the aix7xxx_mod driver.
I don't know if the following is helpful or not, but with the 2.4.9-e.10 errata kernel, the problem no longer appears.
More information: with the 2.4.9-e.10 kernel (e.g., my target kernel for certification work TBD), both the aic7xxx and aic7xxx_mod drivers are OK.
Since the aic7xxx_mod driver has been there all along, I consider it a "reasonable" workaround to the issue. Resolving defect as WORKSFORME.