Re: Single P4, many IDE PCI cards == trouble??

[Alex Finch]

 For what it's worth, here is my experience. Hope it helps you, and 
anyone else searching for solutions to the problems I have encountered...


 Our New Server
 ==============

(+ Lessons learnt along the way)
  ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Motherboard: Asus P4S8X-X

CPU:         Intel Pentium 4 2400MHz

Memory:     2 x 512Mb PC2700
 +was supposed to be 3x512Mb but the motherboard can't handle 3xPC2700
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Network:     3Com  3c905C-TX/TX-M [Tornado]

            Do NOT use the onboard LAN - performance is diabolical!
           ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Additional controller cards:

	   2xPromise Ultra133 Tx2 PCI-IDE cards
	   1xPromise Ultra66      PCI-IDE card

  Do note use 3 identical Promise IDE cards, either system will not
  +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 boot or there will be i/o errors!
 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Disks
=====
 (In addition to system disk)

 10 x Maxtor 6Y060L0 60Gb
          attached to onboard ide and Promise Ultra133 cards
 4  x Maxtor 4A250J0 240Gb disk
          attached to Promise Ultra66 cards


Software:

 RedHat 9
 kernel  2.4.20

 Boot parameters modified as follows:

Edit  /boot/grub/menu.lst
and append
 ide2=noautotune ide3=noautotune ide4=noutotune ide5=noautotune
ide6=noautotune ide7=noautotune
to the line
 kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.20-8 ro root=LABEL=/

 this avoids errors of the type:
 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 hdh: dma_intr: bad DMA status (dma_stat=75)

 when accessing the disks on the Promise cards
					
					
 Thereafter formatted disks/created raid arrays/started raid/made 
filesystem no problem.   Four 240Gb disks formatted as one big disk via 
raid0!
 (/dev/md8 Size=989GB)			
					
Tape drive: Spectra Logic 2000 (a.k.a. TreeFrog) attached via
             Adaptec AIC-7892A SCSI card
            Use mtx version 1.2.17rel to drive the robot, more recent
           versions cause problems (author informed).
					
			

 Alex Finch, Research Fellow, Physics Department, Lancaster University.

 NB ( I am not subscribed to the list so contact me directly for more
information)

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