Promise PDC20265 RAID over kernels 2.4 ro 2.6 (Desesperation)_BACKUP

[Borrajudo Carajudo]

I'm not sure if I sent properly this:

> Hello. Good evening from Spain.
>
> This is my first message to the list, and is consequence of a newie's
> exasperation that doesn't know what's happening in his computer.
>
> I've got a Gigabyte 7DXR+ motherboard, with an integrated RAID controller
> Promise Ultra Lite 100. I think that the controller's model is the
PDC20265,
> and I configured it as RAID-0 (stripping). The idea, in fact, is to be
able
> to boot from the RAID (I mean, without any hard disks on the "usual" IDEs.
> Only CD-Roms over ide's 1 and 2). Well...I got a weird problem. It's weird
> at first seen, and exasperating after some days trying to fix the problem
> without success.
>
> With Kernel 2.4.18 -->
>     I install Linux perfectly. The RAID hard disk is perfectly seen by
> Cfdisk. I partition it, I make my Ext3 partitions perfectly, I make a
> gorgeous swap partition, I select every module that could remember to
> "RAID", I make a floppy "rescue disk", I put my LiLO in the mbr, I reboot
> and... ¡Oh surprise!, the system gets hanged up when it is going to
> recognize the disks (just before recognizing disks over ide1 and ide2).
But,
> the weird think comes when I boot from the floppy. If I do  that, the
system
> works properly, and I have no problems, all the partitions are done, all
the
> data are there, and I don't have any problem. I've seen that there is an
> option for partitions called "linux raid autodetect". At first, I didn't
had
> my partitions that way, but I converted them to this (with Cfdisk) and the
> problem is still there (I didn't see any changes).
>
> The fact is that the "hanging up point", in principle, has no relation
with
> the floppy, because if I boot from the floppy disk, it reads the
"Linux.bin"
> image from the floppy, yes, but it stops reading the floppy before the
> hanging up point. I mean, is like if that "frosting point" had no relation
> with the fact of booting from floppy or from hdd. Obviously, that's
> impossible, because booting from floppy the system works nice, but gets
> frozen booting from hdd. I've been reading HowTos, and many other things,
> and I reached the conclusion that it could be a Lilo's problem, but I've
> tried many things, and many options in Lilo and the problem is still the
> same. I tried to put the append "ide2=0x..., ide3=..." that I saw in many
> places, and nothing. I tried to change the partitions from
/dev/ataraid/d0pX
> to /dev/mdX, and even to /dev/hde, and noooooothing. The same problem. And
> when I say "the same", I mean "the same": I can't see any changes on the
> behabvior of the computer.
>
>
> With Kernel 2.6.2 ->
>         I compile it with every options that could remember (even from far
> away) to "RAID", even some things of SCSIs. Of course, I load the PDC20265
> controller, and even the PDC20276¿? (not sure about wich other, but other
> PDC20xxx). Everything I found that could have relationship with RAID, I
got
> it.
>
> I compile the kernel, I have a beautiful, free of errors bzImage, I
compile
> my modules..no problems, I change my lilo to "see" the kernel 2.6, I
reboot
> and... Plaf!!: Kernel Panic. Unable to mount VFS. I think he also says
that
> he's unable to find something bootable in the 7200 sector (of something
like
> that), and he also says that wants something correct for the "root="
option.
>
>     The root option in my lilo is /dev/ataraid/d0p9, that is my /
partition,
> partition that is perfectly loaded when I boot from floppy.
>
>     Well... at least with this kernel I get an error message XD.
Seriously:
> I've tried to put everything in Lilo: I tried putting in the root option
> everything; from /dev/ataraid/d0p9 to /dev/md0, /dev/md1, md9... to
> configure manually the boot sector (I got the 63), saying that
> disk=/dev/ataraid/d0, and even /dev/hde, and noooooooooooooothing.
>
>     I've been looking trough internet for days, reading hundred of
HowTos,
> and nothing. What if I used grub? It would help?
>
>     Please... Anyone has had a similar problem?. Any ideas?. It would be
> very helpful. It would be helpful for my walls too, because in two or
three
> days, if I can't fix the problem, I'm going to butt them.
>
>     Thank you in advance,
>     Hector.