abit kr7a raid--problems with cfdisk

kluh · n00b Joined: 07 Apr 2003 Posts: 25

I am using an abit kr7a raid motherboard, however I am not using it in raid configuration, merely as an extra two IDE channels as my others are full with cdrom,zip,etc. My hard drive shows up as /dev/hde.

the current settings are shown below
#:hdparm /dev/hde

multcount = 0
IO_support = 0
unmaskirq = 0
using_dma = 1
keepsettings = 0
readonly = 0
read ahead = 8
geometry = 9732/255/63, sectors = 156355584, start = 0

I type in cfdisk /dev/hde and it shows my partitions; currently only hde1 (Windows, NTFS). I make the rest of the partitions by the book, so in total, I have:
hde1: NTFS
hde2: BOOT LINUX
hde3: Linux Swap
hde4: LINUX

I then go to write it and get the following error:

xff {Busy}
hde: DMA disabled
ide2: reset timed-out, status = 0xff
hde: status timeout: status =0xff {Busy}
hde: drive not ready for command
ide2 reset timed-out, dev 21:00 (hde) sector 0
wrote partition table but rewrite failed.

after I quit out of cfdisk and type in hdparm, one setting changed:
using_dma = 0

If you have similar problems, and especially solutions, let me know

Wedge_ · Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2003 11:55 pm Post subject:

Which kernel are you using? I used to get similar problems with my KR7A using gentoo-sources. Try lolo-sources or ac-sources and see if they make a difference.
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kluh · n00b Joined: 07 Apr 2003 Posts: 25

I am using whatever came with the rc2 iso. I believe it is 2.4.19-gentoo-r10. I'm going to try the rc3 iso. I don't have much experience with this. How do I get lolo sources or or ac sources onto my livecd? Also, where do I download them? Is there a trick to doing this?

Wedge_ · Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2003 3:39 pm Post subject:

Oh right, you're still in the middle of the install. Sorry

I don't think there's an easy way to change the kernel version on the CD. The rc3 iso would be worth a try though. If that doesn't work, try disabling DMA until you have a working system (hdparm -d0 /dev/hde). I know it'll make things slower, but turning it off sometimes fixed the problems I was getting.
_________________
Per Ardua Ad Astra
The Earth is the cradle of the mind, but we cannot live forever in a cradle - Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky
Gentoo Radeon FAQ

kluh · n00b Joined: 07 Apr 2003 Posts: 25

Actually rc3 iso worked for that part. I have been able to install the whole thing, except for one problem. I can't get grub to boot. It either hangs or reboots the computer. Does anyone know of some workarounds? My kernel is compiled for the correct processor, so that is not my problem. I have not found a solution for this problem yet for GRUB and my particular non-RAID configuration.

Wedge_ · Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2003 8:24 am Post subject:

Does grub give you any error code when it hangs? Did you give it the correct location of your /boot partition? It can be easy to make a mistake because of it's numbering scheme.

I'm still using a KR7A with a single HD on the RAID controller as /dev/hde, and it works perfectly, so once you get grub fixed, everything should be OK.
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Per Ardua Ad Astra
The Earth is the cradle of the mind, but we cannot live forever in a cradle - Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky
Gentoo Radeon FAQ

kluh · n00b Joined: 07 Apr 2003 Posts: 25

Good news is: GRUB now boots, after I used a GRUB floppy to install it. Gentoo kernel starts to boot up and I get an error message identical to Wedge's post. DMA is disabled and so forth. Wedge, you say yours works. Any special kernel options I need to use to workaround? What kernel do you currently have on that system? Mine's the latest gentoo sources right now.

Wedge_ · Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2003 2:36 pm Post subject:

I'm currently using the latest ac-sources kernel, and most of the previous versions also worked. I don't think there were any special options you need to set, just make sure you compile in support for "HPT 36x/37x chipset" and "VIA82CXXX chipset" and everything should hopefully work.
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Per Ardua Ad Astra
The Earth is the cradle of the mind, but we cannot live forever in a cradle - Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky
Gentoo Radeon FAQ

kluh · n00b Joined: 07 Apr 2003 Posts: 25

I ended up getting up and running w/ ac sources. Now all I need is to get gnome up and I'll be set. Thanks for your help.

Wedge_ · Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2003 2:08 pm Post subject:

Good to hear you got it working

If you start getting segfaults from swapoff when you reboot (see https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=39031), and want something else, gaming-sources also work for me.
_________________
Per Ardua Ad Astra
The Earth is the cradle of the mind, but we cannot live forever in a cradle - Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky
Gentoo Radeon FAQ