Skip site navigation (1)Skip section navigation (2)
Date:      Sat, 17 Jan 1998 13:19:50 -0800 (PST)
From:      Doug White <dwhite@gdi.uoregon.edu>
To:        Jonathan Hahn <hahn@and.com>
Cc:        freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG, freebsd-mobile@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: Booting off TORiSAN CDROM
Message-ID:  <Pine.BSF.3.96.980117131624.5516J-100000@gdi.uoregon.edu>
In-Reply-To: <199801152307.PAA05008@and.com>

next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
On Thu, 15 Jan 1998, Jonathan Hahn wrote:

> I recently purchased a Sony VAIO 707C laptop and this is my first
> laptop FreeBSD install.  It has a 14.5X TORiSAN CDROM, which I
> gather is made by Sanyo.  

Which in turn uses Toshiba parts :-)  My Digital HiNote 575 has one
underneath a 3.5" floppy drive.

> I can't boot off the CDROM drive, nor
> access it if I boot FreeBSD off floppy.  Am I SOL here?  I don't
> see the TORiSAN mentioned in any of the FreeBSD docs.

It's a generic ATAPI CDROM.  As long as it's attached and detected by the
BIOS at boot time, it should detect OK.  If I remember correctly the VAIO
has an external floppy so that should be possible.

> My question is how to proceed now.  I could purchase a PCMCIA SCSI
> or ethernet controller and boot off a SCSI CDROM or over the net.
> Will I be able to access either of these cards from a generic
> kernel?  Last resort is a floppy install, or am I overlooking
> something?

The cheaper route is to do a net install.  The 3Com 3c589 series is well
supported in FreeBSD. 

> I eventually want to purchase both the PCICIA cards, but if I can't
> use the TORiSAN CDROM, I may reconsider the VAIO laptop (I still
> have 10 days to return).  I love the VAIO otherwise.

> Is accessing the CDROM on laptops often a problem?  I'm wondering
> if (I'm going to have trouble with the touch pad too.)

It's ATAPI CDs in general; most of the time they work, but sometimes they
don't.

Doug White                              | University of Oregon  
Internet:  dwhite@resnet.uoregon.edu    | Residence Networking Assistant
http://gladstone.uoregon.edu/~dwhite    | Computer Science Major





Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?Pine.BSF.3.96.980117131624.5516J-100000>