I have a lot of problems when trying to use a SanDisk Compact Flash
card with an IDE adapter as an IDE disk on kernel 2.4.x.
The Compact Flash disks may be used perfectly with the old age MSDOS
6.2 either alone or with a normal IDE disk on the same controller. It
is also possible to use the Compact Flash with success with kernel
2.2.14 and 2.2.16.
When used with kernel 2.4.x (tried 2,5,7,12,13, various compile
options) I have so far found it impossible to get the Compact Flash
working together with a standard IDE disk on the same controller. A
typical scenario is: Standard IDE disk as hda full system installed,
the CF with IDE adapter as hdb (empty/unformatted/dos formatted /ext2
formatted, tried "everything"). The boot sequence is normal until LILO
attempts to mount VFS. Then no disk is accessible on the IDE bus, and
I get kernel panic. Identical sympthoms are seen when using an IDE
FlashDrive from SanDisk.
I have installed a stripped down system based on kernel 2.2.14 on one
CF disk as hda, that works, with or without a normal IDE disk as hdb.
If I change the kernel on that CF to 2.4.13 and removes the hdb IDE
disk, the kernel is able to mount VFS and complete normal boot.
Any ideas for fix / workaround, I haven't found anything in the
archives?
System info:
CPU card: Aaeon 6890B with Celeron and 440BX chipset.
SanDisk 64 MB Compact Flash card: SDCFB-64 or
SanDisk 96 MB Flash Drive (IDE interface) : SD25B-96
Audun Myrhol
R&D engineer
((((((((((((((((((( 8-)? ))))))))))))))))))))))
Q-Free Tolling AS
N-7443 Trondheim MAILTO:[email protected]
Norway http://www.q-free.com
You've been bitten by this "feature" also.
Note it's been in the list many times. See:
http://www.cs.helsinki.fi/linux/linux-kernel/2001-12/0405.html
In summary you need the following kernel parameter:
hdb=flash (I know your hdb is NOT flash but this is
consistent with this "feature").
BTW testing with 2.2.18, hdb would silently be ignored.
Kernel panic is well probably more consistent with this
"feature".
Any progress/more info on why this "feature" is required?
Padraig.
Audun Jan Myrhol wrote:
> I have a lot of problems when trying to use a SanDisk Compact Flash
> card with an IDE adapter as an IDE disk on kernel 2.4.x.
> The Compact Flash disks may be used perfectly with the old age MSDOS
> 6.2 either alone or with a normal IDE disk on the same controller. It
> is also possible to use the Compact Flash with success with kernel
> 2.2.14 and 2.2.16.
>
> When used with kernel 2.4.x (tried 2,5,7,12,13, various compile
> options) I have so far found it impossible to get the Compact Flash
> working together with a standard IDE disk on the same controller. A
> typical scenario is: Standard IDE disk as hda full system installed,
> the CF with IDE adapter as hdb (empty/unformatted/dos formatted /ext2
> formatted, tried "everything"). The boot sequence is normal until LILO
> attempts to mount VFS. Then no disk is accessible on the IDE bus, and
> I get kernel panic. Identical sympthoms are seen when using an IDE
> FlashDrive from SanDisk.
>
> I have installed a stripped down system based on kernel 2.2.14 on one
> CF disk as hda, that works, with or without a normal IDE disk as hdb.
> If I change the kernel on that CF to 2.4.13 and removes the hdb IDE
> disk, the kernel is able to mount VFS and complete normal boot.
>
> Any ideas for fix / workaround, I haven't found anything in the
> archives?
>
> System info:
>
> CPU card: Aaeon 6890B with Celeron and 440BX chipset.
> SanDisk 64 MB Compact Flash card: SDCFB-64 or
> SanDisk 96 MB Flash Drive (IDE interface) : SD25B-96
>
> Audun Myrhol
> R&D engineer
Thank you,
> In summary you need the following kernel parameter:
> hdb=flash (I know your hdb is NOT flash but this is
> consistent with this "feature").
Perfect, it works, in some weeks my hair will be back!
> BTW testing with 2.2.18, hdb would silently be ignored.
> Kernel panic is well probably more consistent with this
> "feature".
I forgot to write about the problems when trying to install Redhat 7.1
and Redhat 7.2 with the CF present, then the real IDE disk/dev/hdb was
never found.
Passing the parameter (hdb=flash) to the distribution kernel at
install solved this too.
> Any progress/more info on why this "feature" is required?
>
> Padraig.
>
Audun