[NBLUG/talk] Installing an Ultra ATA/133 PCI card on Debian

Andrew argonaut at softhome.net
Mon Dec 1 01:37:01 PST 2003


Lincoln Peters wrote on 30 Nov 2003 13:06:14 -0800:

> On Sun, 2003-11-30 at 00:27, Lincoln Peters wrote:
> > On Sat, 2003-11-29 at 14:47, Jeremy Turner wrote:
> > > On Fri, 2003-11-28 at 19:20, Lincoln Peters wrote:
> > > > So, how do I set up an ATA card on Debian?  Or how do I
> > > > prove that it is incompatible with Linux?  I'm running
> > > > stable (woody) with no packages from "unstable" or
> > > > anywhere else.
> > > 
> > > What does the line say from `lspci`?  Also, what kernel
> > > version are you using?
> > 
> > # lspci
> > [snip]
> > 00:0b0 Unknown mass storage controller: Promise Technology,
> > Inc.: Unknown device4d69 (rev 02)
> > 
> > I'm using Kernel 2.4.18.bf2.4 (the 2.4 kernel that is
> > available in Debian 3.0r1 "Woody").
> 
> Perhaps this additional clue would be helpful:
> 
> After the computer goes through its BIOS routines (POST tests,
> et al.), I see two additional BIOS screens, one for my SCSI
> controller (which works), and the other for my new ATA
> controller.  I noticed that when, as the installation
> instructions for Windows suggested, I installed the ATA
> controller but did not attach anything to it, its BIOS screen
> gave me a message that said it would not install its BIOS,
> because it detected no attached devices.  After I recovered my
> lost data on my other hard disk (as I described in my last
> message), I re-conntected my CD-ROM drive and attached the new
> hard disk to the ATA controller.  This time, the ATA
> controller's BIOS screen detected the hard disk and registered
> itself (it installed its own BIOS; not exactly sure what that
> means).  However, Debian still recognizes it as the same
> "Unknown device" it detected it as before.
> 
> I seem to remember that there are situations where, if more
> than one device of a specific type exists on a Linux box, and
> the kernel code for that type of device is *not* compiled as a
> module, only the first device is detected.  Could this be
> what's happening with the ATA controller? I'm inclined to doubt
> it, because my motherboard has two onboard ATA ports (both of
> which work), but I don't know the technology well enough to be
> sure.

[Note: I wrote this offline a while ago, but didn't get back
online to send it until now. I see that in the meantime you've
solved the problem. Congratulations. I've decided to post this
anyway. Maybe you'll find it interesting, or maybe it will help
others who are having a little trouble with Debian's "bf-variant"
kernels.]

The problem *might* be your kernel. See the letters "bf" in the
kernel version? That stands for "boot floppy". That's a version
of the kernel which is designed to work with Debian's
installation system. In the interest of making the kernel work
with as wide a range of hardware configurations as possible, the
Installer developers have compiled many drivers directly into the
kernel (and some others are made as modules). However, the kernel
also needs to be able to fit on a floppy (for systems without a
bootable CD drive), so the drivers for some devices (mostly
unusual ones) have been left out entirely. The bf2.4 kernel isn't
a *complete* kernel. The driver for your ATA card, if it exists,
may not be available to the kernel you've got.

I'd suggest trying a "complete" Debian kernel. Not only will you
get the complete set of drivers (mostly built as modules, in this
case), you can also choose a kernel optimized for your
processor(s). Do an "apt-cache search kernel-image-2.4" to see
all the 2.4.x kernels.

Note: When you "apt-get install" your new kernel package, you'll
see a message about enabling initrd support in your boot loader.
The kernels that come with the installer don't use an initrd, but
most of the "normal" 2.4 kernels do. The message will tell you
what to do for lilo.

Actually, if you've got a recent Knoppix CD, it wouldn't hurt to
try that first to see if it detects and supports your card. It
uses a complete 2.4.twenty-something kernel -- more recent than
the 2.4.18 kernels you can get in Woody.

HTH, and good luck.

A.



More information about the talk mailing list