Messages in this thread | | | Date | Mon, 13 Sep 1999 18:59:58 -0700 (PDT) | From | Andre Hedrick <> | Subject | Re: IDE Driver in Linux Reports different geometry that Netware during Volume and Partition Create, causing loss of user data under Linux |
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Everyone else should take note taht AUTO is preferred unless you know how to force the issue. As for the CMOS probing of drives, I hope that it goes away a soon as Andries cleans up the geometry mess (of mine).
Andre Hedrick The Linux IDE guy
On Mon, 13 Sep 1999, Jeff Merkey wrote:
> Andries, > > I changed the drive setting to "AUTO" in the CMOS for this drive, and now > the drive reports 850/63/64. It is interesting to note that there was no > setting for this disk device that matched any of the configurations you gave > me. Long ago I wrote an IDE driver on Netware (Wolf Mountain), so I am > aware of the ability to translate drives into other logical geometries and > am very famliar with low level IDE stuff (unfortunately). The one thing > that sucks about IDE and ATA is that both use IO port reads and writes to > transfer data to and from the disk (which sucks up a lot of bus cycles). > It's better, however, to get this type of info to the right folks who > maintain the driver. There are several IDE drivers out there on other OS's > that for some reason did not implement the new commands for EIDE when they > came out. I try to focus on the stuff I am supposed to be working on and > not trying to fix everyone else's bugs, but report then to them instead. I > did not know if there were underlying hardware issues that I was unaware of > since it's been about two years since I did any IDE work. I thought someone > else may be more recently on top of it (like you). > > Thanks for the help. I am relieved to know that the Linux IDE drivers are > not busted and don''t have any cross platform issues that will cuase > different OS's to report different geometry. > > Thanks, > > Jeff > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Guest section DW <dwguest@win.tue.nl> > To: <dwguest@win.tue.nl>; <jmerkey@timpanogas.com>; > <linux-kernel@vger.rutgers.edu> > Sent: Monday, September 13, 1999 4:37 PM > Subject: Re: IDE Driver in Linux Reports different geometry that Netware > during Volume and Partition Create, causing loss of user data under Linux > > > > > > With a MAXTOR 81750-A4 disk device, Netware reports that this disk > > > > has a geometry of 850 cylinders, 64 heads, and 63 sectors per > track. > > > > > > That sounds correct. > > > > > > > Under Linux, the same device reports a geometry of 780 cylinders, > > > > 64 heads, and 63 sectors per track. > > > > > > I always repeat the same question: what are the boot messages? > > > And in case you answer you might as well add the output of > hdparm -I. > > > My first conjecture in such cases is user error. > > > For example, the disk may be entered incorrectly in BIOS/CMOS. > > > > From jmerkey@timpanogas.com Mon Sep 13 23:13:41 1999 > > > > Boot messages report the wrong geometry as well. These newer drives > use a > > EIDE command to get the correct geometry and typically, at least in > modern > > times, don't rely on the information in CMOS since it can be > incorrect. > > > > Jeff > > > > Ah - you are naive. There is no `correct geometry'. > > But there is a geometry reported by the disk (two geometries, in fact). > > And there is a correct geometry for doing I/O (if LBA is not used). > > And there is a correct geometry for booting, for LILO to use. > > And there is a correct geometry for interaction with other > > operating systems - the one that everybody agrees upon for the > > interpretation of the partition table. > > These geometries differ in general. > > > > The disk here reports 3400 cylinders, 16 heads and 63 sectors per track. > > For the partition table you would have liked 850 cylinders, 64 heads, > > and 63 sectors per track. > > It sounds as if you told the computer in the CMOS setup not to use > > more than 780 cylinders. > > > > If that is the case, then just correct that, and the problem is gone. > > Otherwise I would like to see more precise data. > > > > Andries - aeb@cwi.nl > > > > > - > To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in > the body of a message to majordomo@vger.rutgers.edu > Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/ >
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