Subject: 8Gb on ICS IDE, Strong ARM RPC

From: Ashley Ward <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 19 Apr 1999 22:02:37 +0100

Hi...

I'm still trying to install ARMLinux on a friend's StrongARM RiscPC.

He has a new ICS IDE interface, with new 8Gb disc. I've now managed to
create the partitions on the disc - thanks, Mark, for the help (he gave me
a Templates file that enabled me to enter a big enough number for
cylinders!). PartMan (1.13a13) now says:

File system IDEFS::4, Scheme ICSIDEFS
Disc size 6144Mb, Sector size 512 bytes
C/H/S 12484/16/63

Partition Start    End      Size   Type
1         0	   12583951 6145Mb Filecore
2	  12583952 16308431 1819Mb Linux native
3	  16308432 16514063 100Mb  Linux swap

(actually I notice here that the total Disc size is wrong, but I don't
think that is what is causing my current problems).

Mark also sent me a change to arch/arm/drivers/block/adfspart.c, the
function adfspart_check_ICS(). I have made this change (to the 2.0.36
kernel), and recompiled on my own RPC, for StrongARM. There were some
problems during this compilation - the links I think in asm-arm, arch-> and
proc-> were being set to arch- and proc- (which makes them point nowhere)
by make config. I set the processor back to ARM6/7, then back to StrongARM
and this seemed to fix the problem.

So, first, I booted the SA RPC with this kernel. I found that it hung after
detecting the CDROM, like this:

Ramdisk driver initialized : 16 ramdisks of 4096K size
hda: Seagate Technology 1275MB - ST31276A, 1221MB w/0kB Cache, CHS=2482/16/63
hdb: MATSHITA CR-585, ATAPI CDROM drive
[hangs]

so I have unplugged the CDROM for the moment. So I have a 1.2Gb disc on the
internal IDE, and a 8Gb disc on the ICS interface.

Linux cannot seem to see the ICS IDE interface - booting this configuration
gives this:

Now booting the kernel
Console: [...]
Calibrating delay loop.. ok - 222.00 BogoMIPS
Memory: 35188k/36864k available (796k kernel code, 36k reserved, 844k data)
Probing expansion cards:
  1:      [003D:00AE] IDE & CDFS Expansion Card
  8:      [0046:00EC] i-cubed ltd, EtherLan 600 interface (00:c0:32:00:43:07)
Swansea [...]
Linux version 2.0.36 (root@bax) (gcc version 2.7.2.2) #2 Mon Apr 19 [...]
Starting kswapd v 1.4.2.2
Keyboard driver v1.00
Serial driver version 4.13 with no serial options enabled
tty00 at 0x03f8 (irq = 10) is a 16550A
Ramdisk driver initialized : 16 ramdisks of 4096K size
hda: Seagate Technology 1275MB - ST31276A, 1221MB w/0kB Cache, CHS=2482/16/63
ide0 at 0x1f0-0x1f7,0x3f6 on irq 9
Floppy drive(s): fd0 is 1.44M, fd1 is 1.44M
FDC 0 is a post-1991 82077
Partition check:
 hda: [ADFS] hda1
VFS: Insert root floppy disk to be loaded into ramdisk and press ENTER

I'm noticing here that there is only one IDE interface line, ide0. Am I
right in thinking that if another, say ide1 does not appear in the boot
messages here, I'm stuffed and I cannot do anything even if I get the
system up to a prompt?

I'm also noticing the expansion card title "IDE & CDFS Expansion
Card". I've been digging through the mailing list archives and found this:

> 2) The detection of the ARCIN V5 or V6 is critial to the operation of the
>    interface.  If you have an ARCIN V5, the podule description (shown by
>    *Podules under RiscOS, or at kernel boot up) must be: 'IDE Interface'.
>    Similarly, ARCIN V6 must be 'IDE USER PORT Expansion Card'.  If not, then
>    the interface will not be recognised (and a warning printed in the kernel
>    messages).

I don't get the warning message... and looking at the code, it looks like
this recognition is now done by looking at data other than this string
anyway.

Of course the RedHat installer does not see the 8Gb disc (it is an ST38641A
Medalist, BTW).

I've tried booting with kernel arguments such as "ide1=0x1f8", but this
hasn't got me anywhere. I've also tried moving the IDE interface card to
the lower podule slot, still no joy. It has occurred to me that the ICS
code didn't end up compiled into the kernel (see my problems above), but I
think it has been, as nm on the uncompressed image shows up
icside_identifyif and so on.

There are two more things that I can think of:

1) Try 2.1 kernel
2) Put Linux on the smaller disc

I'd rather not go to the bother of (1) unless someone assures me that
2.0.36 is the problem. And (2) would mean Linux ending up with a smaller
amount of disc (also my friend is a little worried about moving his
Sibelius installation around).

OK - sorry for the amount of detail again...

I'd really appreciate some help with getting Linux to work with the IDE
card. Also if anyone has any ideas about the Matshita CDROM, I'd like to
hear them.

Cheers...

Ash.

-- 
         Ashley Ward - Graduate Teaching Assistant - PhD year 1
    [email-masked] - http://www.dcs.warwick.ac.uk/~ashley/
Room 102, Department of Computer Science, University of Warwick, Coventry
unsubscribe: body of `unsubscribe linux-arm' to [email-masked]

---

From: John Joyce <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 1999 12:00:24 +0100 (BST)

>   8:      [0046:00EC] i-cubed ltd, EtherLan 600 interface (00:c0:32:00:43:07)

Yup you've got the same problem as me - the manufacturer ID has changed
from 0x3c to 0x3d; apparently this has been fixed in later versions. You
need somebody to send you a kernel which is slightly doctored to suit.  A
kindly soul sent me one but I still can't get the install program to go -
now it stiffs the machine totally (no Alt/f keys, no ctrl/alt/del) at the
'partition disk' stage. I've not yet had chance to investigate that one.
With the correct id you'll get a line during bootup something along the
lines of (can't remember exact wording)
icside: ARCIN v6 detected in slot 1

hope this helps

John Joyce

---

From: Mark Seaborn <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 24 Apr 1999 16:56:59 +0100 (BST)

In <URL:news:local.armlinux> on Mon 19 Apr, Ashley Ward wrote:

[snip]
> So, first, I booted the SA RPC with this kernel. I found that it hung
> after detecting the CDROM, like this:
> 
> so I have unplugged the CDROM for the moment.

Passing `hdb=none' or `hdb=noprobe' as an argument to the kernel should save
you from having to unplug the CD-ROM drive.

-- 
         Mark Seaborn
  - [email-masked] - http://www.argonet.co.uk/users/mseaborn/ -
 
             ``In all likelihood, world inflation is over''
     -- Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, 1959