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How to install gentoo on a Dell SATA system?
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suhlhorn
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 21, 2003 5:55 pm    Post subject: How to install gentoo on a Dell SATA system? Reply with quote

Hello-

I just got a new Dell Optiplex GX270 with an intel 865 board, ICH5 SATA controller and 120GB SATA drive, and I want to get gentoo running on it.

Problem 1: Gentoo LiveCD 1.4 hangs during boot.
The kernel version on the livecd does not support SATA. I was able to boot Knoppix v3.3 (kernel 2.4.22) and start the intsall from there, but...

Problem 2: The computer hangs when I start downloading the stage 1 tarball. I can partition and format the drive, and mount the partitions, bu it hangs when there is some real disk activity. Digging through google groups, I suspect it has to do with legacy/native bios mode for the IDE controller. I should be able to run a >= 2.4.21 kernel on the SATA drive in legacy mode, but...

Problem 3: I can't change the SATA mode in the BIOS.
The bios is from Dell (not intel) and there is no option to change the SATA mode.

So, what to do? From what I've read, I think there are 2 options:

Option 1: Install gentoo with a 2.6 kernel on a PATA disk, and bootstrap from there, ala Elm0 in this topic:
https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=95271&highlight=sata+livecd.

Option 2: Flash my Dell bios with an intel version so I can change the legacy/native SATA mode.

Any feedback or suggestions are greatly appreciated!
-stephen
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Larynx
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 22, 2003 7:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

There is a third option:
Create a custom live cd with the libata kernel patch. I used 2.4.22-bk33, works like a charm.

The ICH5 SATA driver is stable for me since i installed a week ago - and i dont expect problems because if the box survived a stage1 install it should be stable.

For more info read:
https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=95546

btw: I have a i875 chipset with a dell bios (Dimension 8300)
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suhlhorn
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 25, 2003 12:40 pm    Post subject: custom livecd with SATA support Reply with quote

Thanks Larynx!

I'm starting to build my own livecd, and I have a couple of questions:

Where did you get the 2.4.22-bk33 sources? Are they from kernel.org, or in a gentoo source package?

Where do you install the sources so that livecd-ng can find them?

I assume you go through the normal make config process to generate the config file. After that, do you copy the config file to the /etc/livecd-ng/profiles directory and start the build?

-stephen
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elwood75
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 25, 2003 4:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Moving ahead!

I struggled with my Dell Dimension 4600 for over a week trying to get install cds to recognize my SATA drive.

Finally, I downloaded the Fedora Project's severn iso images at http://fedora.redhat.com. I launched the installer in rescue mode, and it recognized my SATA drive as /dev/sda. I fixed up my partitions with fdisk, launched a chroot, and am now into my stage2 gentoo installation.

I'll be installing the -ac kernel sources later, so lets hope that goes well.

Brad
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disturbed
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 26, 2003 3:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

ok guys tomorow I have a server for the gentoolivecd with Sata support...
and maybe monday a mirror...
I'll let ya know ASAP

grtz
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Larynx
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 27, 2003 10:02 am    Post subject: Re: custom livecd with SATA support Reply with quote

suhlhorn wrote:
Thanks Larynx!

I'm starting to build my own livecd, and I have a couple of questions:

Where did you get the 2.4.22-bk33 sources? Are they from kernel.org, or in a gentoo source package?

Where do you install the sources so that livecd-ng can find them?

I assume you go through the normal make config process to generate the config file. After that, do you copy the config file to the /etc/livecd-ng/profiles directory and start the build?

-stephen


libata patch from:
http://ftp.kernel.org/pub/linux/kernel/people/jgarzik/libata/2.4.22-bk32-libata1.patch.gz

2.4.22-bk33 also from kernel.org

By now there are newer versions already, just grab the kernel which the newest libata patch is for.

After livecd-ng minimal build:
To get the newest kernel into the livecd i copied the kernel tree to livecd/tmp/minimal/cdroot/usr/src, made the linux symlink and make menuconfig.
Then copied .config to /etc/livecd-ng/profiles/minimal/kernel-config-2.4-latest

Then went on with kernbuild, initrd, cloop and isogen.

But i still have a problem:
The first iso i sent to disturbed didnt boot on distrubed's machine, it spit out a error about service dependencies and hang on network auto detection.
Currently im trying to reproduce this error.

Error was:
Failed to cache service dependencies
denpendency is missing please run /sbin/depscan.sh
scanning for eth16i (==> there my system hangs)

Anyone has an idea what that could be?
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suhlhorn
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 27, 2003 9:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just saw that a 2.6 kernel livecd is out (see GWN). I burned the iso and my SATA machine booted right-up. I will start the install process tomorrow, and let everyone know how it goes.

-stephen
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Pluvius
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 27, 2003 10:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, I understand that you must use a 2.6.XX kernel to support SATA. However, I seem to remember someone talking about support for SATA in 2.4.21 kernel? Does this ring a bell with anyone else?

I know I've been surfing the forums lately on Opteron, Athlon 64, SATA, and nForce3 so I may be confusing issues here.

Pluvius
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DrACoNuS
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 27, 2003 10:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ac-sources incorporate 2.4.x SATA support as well as many other 2.6 kernel features
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Moled
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 27, 2003 11:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

test9 now has all the sata stuff merged in
Code:

[*] Serial ATA (SATA) support                                                                                                     
< >   ServerWorks Frodo / Apple K2 SATA support (EXPERIMENTAL)                                                                   
< >   Intel PIIX/ICH SATA support                                                                                                 
< >   Promise SATA support                                                                                                       
< >   VIA SATA support


tis hidden away with the scsi stuff

dmesg gives out stuff such as:
Code:
ata_piix version 0.95
PCI: Setting latency timer of device 0000:00:1f.2 to 64
ata1: SATA max UDMA/133 cmd 0xC000 ctl 0xC402 bmdma 0xD000 irq 18
ata2: SATA max UDMA/133 cmd 0xC800 ctl 0xCC02 bmdma 0xD008 irq 18
ata1: dev 0 cfg 49:2f00 82:346b 83:7f21 84:4003 85:3469 86:3e01 87:4003 88:207f
ata1: dev 0 ATA, max UDMA/133, 72303840 sectors (lba48)
ata1: dev 0 configured for UDMA/133
scsi0 : ata_piix
ata2: dev 0 cfg 49:2f00 82:346b 83:7f21 84:4003 85:3469 86:3c01 87:4003 88:207f
ata2: dev 0 ATA, max UDMA/133, 72303840 sectors (lba48)
ata2: dev 0 configured for UDMA/133
scsi1 : ata_piix
  Vendor: ATA       Model: WDC WD360GD-00FN  Rev: 0.75
  Type:   Direct-Access                      ANSI SCSI revision: 05
  Vendor: ATA       Model: WDC WD360GD-00FN  Rev: 0.75
  Type:   Direct-Access                      ANSI SCSI revision: 05
SCSI device sda: 72303840 512-byte hdwr sectors (37020 MB)
SCSI device sda: drive cache: write through
 /dev/scsi/host0/bus0/target0/lun0: p1
Attached scsi disk sda at scsi0, channel 0, id 0, lun 0
SCSI device sdb: 72303840 512-byte hdwr sectors (37020 MB)
SCSI device sdb: drive cache: write through
 /dev/scsi/host1/bus0/target0/lun0: p1
Attached scsi disk sdb at scsi1, channel 0, id 0, lun 0
Attached scsi generic sg0 at scsi0, channel 0, id 0, lun 0,  type 0
Attached scsi generic sg1 at scsi1, channel 0, id 0, lun 0,  type 0
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suhlhorn
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 28, 2003 12:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Moled wrote:

Code:
ata_piix version 0.95
PCI: Setting latency timer of device 0000:00:1f.2 to 64
ata1: SATA max UDMA/133 cmd 0xC000 ctl 0xC402 bmdma 0xD000 irq 18
ata2: SATA max UDMA/133 cmd 0xC800 ctl 0xCC02 bmdma 0xD008 irq 18



Just noticed that your SATA max speed is 133 (UDMA). Isn't it supposed to be 150? Does this have anything to do with the "Use DMA by default" kernel config option?

Larynx, didn't you mention this in some post?

-stephen
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Moled
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 29, 2003 1:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

"use dma by default" is on
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suhlhorn
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 31, 2003 1:23 pm    Post subject: kernel panic! Reply with quote

OK-

Finally finished the stage 1 install. I built a kernel from development-sources (2.6.0-test9) and included all the necessary SATA/SCSI support, but I can't boot my new kernel. Oh no:
Code:

Kernel panic: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(0,0)

My root is on hda3 and is reiserfs. When I mount /dev/hda3 as /mnt/gentoo during stage 1, it says
Code:

found reiserfs format "3.6" with standard journal

IIRC- This is a different reiserfs version than on my other gentoo box. Could this be related to the problem?

-stephen
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cougar
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PostPosted: Thu Dec 11, 2003 9:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think reiserfs 3.6 is the correct version. I use it all the time, under both kernel 2.4x or 2.6.

I use 2.6-test11 LiveCD to boot from dimension 8300 and then install kernel 2.6-test11 and a 2.4.22-ac4 kernel, as long as compiled in the SATA support, all work like a charm
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AtomRandom
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 05, 2004 5:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

cougar wrote:
I think reiserfs 3.6 is the correct version. I use it all the time, under both kernel 2.4x or 2.6.

I use 2.6-test11 LiveCD to boot from dimension 8300 and then install kernel 2.6-test11 and a 2.4.22-ac4 kernel, as long as compiled in the SATA support, all work like a charm


Hi cougar,

How can I find out if SATA support is built in my kernel. I used "genkernel" to build my kernel-2.6.1-gentoo sources. The boot process works like a charm till it hits mounting of the "/" partition (which is reiserfs 3.6). There I am facing the same problem as "suhlhorn".

Code:
Kernel panic: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(0,0)


Is it because I do not have SATA support built in or reiserfs ? Any idea?

Regards, Brownian
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