Subject: Re: Can't get running from a Powertec SCSI disk!

From: Chris Nelson <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 02 Feb 1999 10:41:22 +0000

My apologies if this problem has already been discussed and resolved, but I
missed a fair number of postings when the mailing list was 'reset' last week.

In message <[email-masked]> you 
wrote:

> Hi, I'm having a problem getting armlinux running on a
> RPC700 with StrongArm(200MHz), I've got the following
> disks:
> 
> IDE: 800MB ADFS
> SCSI: 4GB disk - PowerTec Fast SCSI II card
> +CD ROM, Floppy and Parallel Port Disk Drive.
> i3 EtherH 600 card
> 
> I initially had some problems with partman, but eventually got round
> them by using the !PowerMgr software for the SCSI card to create 2 empty
> partitions, which I then designated as Linux Native (1761MB)  and Swap
> (127MB), these were at the end of the drive.
> 
> I ran the installer, it was able to recognize the SCSI card, the Network
> card and the PPA Zip drive (all on autoprobe) and I was able to specify
> /dev/sda4 as root partition and /dev/sda5 as swap. Installing from the
> Zip disk (/dev/sdb?, something) it seemed to successfully install....
> 
> ---- Snipped

Hi Richard,

Basically, I had exactly the same problem trying to install Linux on my
RPC600 + StrongARM + Powertek SCSI II + SyJet 1.5GB.  From my experiences, 
I had to deduce that there is no SCSI support in the install Kernel, and it 
has to be loaded as a module during boot up.  Unfortunately, if your system 
is all on a SCSI drive, it can't get to the module (or the Kernel if you 
attempt a normal boot). The installation process presumably has a copy of 
the module in it somewhere, which is loaded in by the installer, hence you 
can install the system on the drive in the first place, but not use it. :-(

The only solution I've found is to have a small 'boot' installation on a
partition on the IDE drive, with extra partitions on the SCSI drive for 
'usr' and 'var' If I remember correctly.  Then you need to compile a kernel 
with built in SCSI support for the Powertek card.  You should then be able 
to boot up the system if you keep the kernel on an ADFS partition and use 
the -bootkernel option.

I attempted this, and re-compiled the kernel without problems. However, If I
select to include Powertek SCSI support within the kernel, the kernel fails 
to succesfully access the SCSI hardware on boot-up, and gets stuck in a loop 
trying.  If I select to load the support as modules, it keeps complaining 
about the modules being the wrong version.  Its a little while ago, so I 
don't remember all the details.  But suffice to say, after I tried 
everything I could think of I put it to one side, to come back to when I had 
more time. I was using the old clan disk RedHat distribution, with the 
latest installation kernels and boot discs off the Linux site. 

<plug for help>
Perhaps someone else out there has had similar problems and can guess where 
I went wrong?
</plug>

If you get it to work, I'd be interested in hearing from you!

Chris

-- 
============================================================================
    Check out my web-site at http://www.nhal.demon.co.uk/ Of particular 
              interest to all you leisure cyclists out there...
============================================================================

unsubscribe: body of `unsubscribe linux-arm' to [email-masked]

---

From: Russell King <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 2 Feb 1999 13:27:52 +0000 (GMT)

> can install the system on the drive in the first place, but not use it. :-(

There is a solution, and it's sitting on a CD Image on my machine.  It's
a fully populated RedHat CD ROM for ARM Linux.

Some of you may remember that I asked a while ago for volenteers to try out
a CD ROM.  At the time, I said that I would only produce ONE test CD F.O.C.
I sent it to this guy (in Hampshire, UK), and haven't heard any feedback
on the CD since, dispite me mailing the guy several times.  (and he's
probably reading this email).

Consequently, I've done very little with the CD image, and am wondering
why I even bothered creating it in the first place.

[sorry, but I'm still getting annoyed at the all-take attitude of some
 people on here, which is why I tend to be overly protective of ARM Linux.
 No flames directed at anyone in particular].

--
Russell King ([email-masked])

---

From: Werner Almesberger <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 2 Feb 1999 15:15:50 +0100 (MET)

> a fully populated RedHat CD ROM for ARM Linux.

Why don't you just put it somewhere for FTP ? There are many people who own
CD writers these days ... (okay, you'll get a ton of "can anybody burn that
CD for me" requests on the mailing list, but deleting them is probably still
faster than bringing a single CD to the post office yourself ;-)

- Werner

-- 
  _________________________________________________________________________
 / Werner Almesberger, DI-ICA,EPFL,CH   [email-masked] /
/_IN_R_131__Tel_+41_21_693_6621__Fax_+41_21_693_6610_____________________/
unsubscribe: body of `unsubscribe linux-arm' to [email-masked]

---

From: Richard Barber <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 16 Feb 1999 16:23:43 +0000 (GMT)

On Tue, 2 Feb 1999, Russell King wrote:

>> Richard Barber wrote:
>> attempt a normal boot).
Hmm...yes...I've put a 50MB root partition on my ADFS drive now (after a
couple of visits to HForm) but still no cigar (although it does at
least now get me to a root prompt)...

>a fully populated RedHat CD ROM for ARM Linux.

Is the CD image a solution to Chris's problem (SCSI not working on a
recompiled kernel) or mine (SCSI II module not in the original install
kernel)?, or both ?!

Rich

---

From: Chris Nelson <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 08:59:52 +0000

> recompiled kernel) or mine (SCSI II module not in the original install

If the CD Image is a solution to the problem, is it an accessible one? I.e. Is it
possible to get hold of a copy, and if not are there alternative solutions?

And by the way, what isn't working now Rich?  You got the root prompt, but am I to
assume you cannot access your SCSI card? Have you installed the latest version of
the modules package on your new installation?

Chris