News Group Posts

OSR5 mixing scsi and ide disks 2940

2910

From: Bela Lubkin <belal@sco.com>
Subject: Re: Can't install OpenServer 5.0.0 - help needed
Date: Fri, 7 Feb 2003 10:10:21 GMT
References: <b1tv34$pmf$1@newsreader.mailgate.org>
<28fccfbb.0302061104.c262980@posting.google.com>
<b1vq9m$68q$1@newsreader.mailgate.org>
<20030207005420.C18635@mammoth.ca.sco.com>
<b1vusb$dt2$1@newsreader.mailgate.org> 

Gabriele Boccone wrote:

> > Exactly what happens when you try to boot from the hard disk?
> 
> Already posted in previous messages:
> 
> PANIC: srmountfun - Error 22 mounting rootdev hd (1/42)
> 
> another strange thing I've noticed 2 minutes ago:
> 
> %disk  0x01F0-0x01F7  14  -  type=W0 unit=0 cyls=1024 hds=65535 secs=63
> (looks like BIOS translation doesn't work)
> 
> then
> %Sdsk  -  -  - cyls=292 hds=255 secs=63 fts=sdb

These messages show an IDE disk (of insane size, about 2 terabytes) and
a reasonable (~2GB) SCSI disk.

Do you have an IDE hard disk at all?  If not, this is probably a big
part of the problem.

If you do have an IDE disk, is that what you're installing onto?

> > > And now... *tada.wav* the question:
> > >
> > > how do I build a new kernel while I'm in single user mode?
> >
> > Just to build a new kernel,
> >
> >   cd /etc/conf/cf.d
> >   ./link_unix
> 
> already tried, *obviously enough* it didn't help
> 
> > What's missing is _probably_ your host adapter driver.  I don't know
> > which adapter you're using now -- you've mentioned 2910 and 2940U2W.
> > Those use different drivers (alad for 2910, blad for 2940U2W).  I forget
> > whether alad was built into OSR500; I'm sure blad wasn't.  So let me
> > guess that you need blad.
> 
> 2910 has been dumped, and 2940U2W followed. Now I'm going with a 2940W,
> which is supported, and I see at boot time:
> 
> %adapter  0xDE00-0xDE00  11  -  type=alad ha=0 id=7 fts=st
> 
> So the host adapter driver is there... already tried with terminators, and
> without them, same thing.
> 
> > So, boot to single-user mode (your floppy technique will do).  Put your
> > blad floppy in the drive.  Mount it:
> >
> >   mount -r /dev/fd0 /mnt
> >
> > Then run:
> >
> >   btldinstall /mnt
> 
> I was missing this part, I'm going to try this.
> Thank you very much...

Ok, but ... if the problem is due to seeing a ghost IDE drive, this
won't help.  If you're using the 2940 (or 2910), you don't need a BTLD
since alad is built into OSR500; if you were still using the 2940U2W you
would need a BTLD, but I'm guessing it _did_ btldinstall itself
correctly during install.  The resulting system wouldn't boot because of
this IDE problem, whatever it is.

You've been doing a bunch of installs, right?  Start over with either
the 2940W or 2940U2W, whichever you would rather end up with.  During
the very first boot to start installing, watch the hardware laundry list
carefully.  If you see that "%disk  0x01F0-0x01F7  14  -  type=W0 unit=0
cyls=1024 hds=65535 secs=63", stop immediately.  Figure out how to get
past that before continuing.

Don't get hung up on BIOS translation, OpenServer won't necessarily use
the same geometry written on the disk or displayed in BIOS.  What's most
important is that the value (cyls * hds * secs * 512) is approximately
equal to the real size of the disk.

Even before that, what's important is: do you actually have an IDE disk
in there?  Do you intend to use it?  Points to consider: it is very
difficult to convince OpenServer to boot from or install to a SCSI disk
when an IDE disk is present (it can be done, but it's tricky and the
exact nature of the tricks has changed from one release to the next).
Performance in a single-disk system will depend more on the fundamental
speed of the disk than the technology used to access it.  Add a second
disk and SCSI will almost always win.

If you have an IDE disk and intend to use it: get the appropriate SLS
from ftp.sco.com (I forget which).  OSR500's original IDE driver has
very small limits (I forget).

If you have an IDE disk and don't intend to use it: remove it, or at
least disable it in BIOS.  You could also try booting the ISL media with
"defbootstr hd=Sdsk" (and maybe add "disable=wd").  I can't guess
whether that will work correctly with OSR500.

If you don't have an IDE disk, see if BIOS setup offers any hints as to
why OSR5 would see one.  Or try "defbootstr disable=wd".

It is even possible that just by booting the OS that's already
installed, with "defbootstr disable=wd", you'll be able to boot.

> Already posted in previous messages:

Yes, but the only person who has all the information in their head is
you.  And google.  You can't expect people who are going out of their
way to help you to go even further out of their way to integrate all the
different messages every time they respond to a new one.

>Bela<
 

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