Date: Tue, 30 Sep 2003 13:14:18 +1000 From: Q <q_dolan@yahoo.com.au> To: Dan Strick <strick@covad.net> Cc: freebsd-hardware@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: ATA controller cards supported by FreeBSD Message-ID: <1064891658.35687.57.camel@boxster> In-Reply-To: <200309300211.h8U2BkCZ001224@ice.nodomain> References: <200309300211.h8U2BkCZ001224@ice.nodomain>
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I think you will find that the only distinction between most of these "ATA Raid Controllers" and a regular "ATA Controller", is the BIOS code used to manage the array and boot from the set. The RAID itself is most often done in software by the driver and not in hardware. These cards are NOT true "Hardware RAID", but rather hardware assisted software raid. For example, the earlier Promise Ultra66 (non-raid) cards can be upgraded to be a "FastTrack66" (raid) by simply grounding pin 23 on the bios chip with a 100ohm resistor and reflashing the onboard BIOS with the FastTrack66 bios. They are that similar. In short, these "ATA Raid controllers" are usually just a regular ATA Controller with a fancy BIOS, and will function perfectly well as a regular ATA controller if that's what you are after. Seeya...Q On Tue, 2003-09-30 at 12:11, Dan Strick wrote: > Does FreeBSD support any PCI ATA controller cards other than those > made by HighPoint and Promise? Everything else that I can identify > in the ATA section of the HARDWARE.TXT file seems to be a CPU support > chipset. > > I am confused by the HighPoint model numbers listed. HPT370, HPT372, > and HPT374 are RAID controller ICs. The Rocket133 ATA controller card > made by HighPoint uses the HPT302 IC, which is not listed in the > HARDWARE.TXT file. (Is it too new? Is it not supported?) > Given that HighPoint sports a FreeBSD logo on its web site, I would > expect broader hardware support. > > I am also a little confused by the Promise products listed in the > HARDWARE.TXT file. Every single FastTrak or TX2000 product listed > on the Promise web site is a RAID controller. The only ATA controller > from the HARDWARE.TXT file described on the Promise web site is the > Ultra-133 TX2. The other Ultra-xxx products are presumably old and > discontinued. > > Summary: with the *single* exception of the Promise Ultra-133 TX2, > every single supported ATA controller listed in the HARDWARE.TXT file > is either old/discontinued, a chipset, or actually a RAID controller > and not an ATA controller. > > This can't be right. Surely FreeBSD supports a bunch of PCI ATA > controller cards. What/Where are they? > > If I took the HARDWARE.TXT file literally, I would also have to > conclude that FreeBSD did not support a single ISA ATA controller > card. > > I must have missed something really obvious and important. > Can someone point me in the right direction. > > Dan Strick > strick@covad.net > _______________________________________________ > freebsd-hardware@freebsd.org mailing list > http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-hardware > To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-hardware-unsubscribe@freebsd.org"
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