Date: Thu, 25 Dec 2003 19:42:04 +0100 (CET) From: Sten <sten@blinkenlights.nl> To: John Wheez <john@atomfx.com> Cc: alpha@freebsd.org Subject: Re: promise tx2 133 and alpha cpu Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.4.58-Blink.0312251924120.7705@tea.blinkenlights.nl> In-Reply-To: <3FEB2359.5@atomfx.com> References: <3FEB2359.5@atomfx.com>
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On Thu, 25 Dec 2003, John Wheez wrote: > > Hi, > > I saw a message in which you reported trouble using a promise tx2 with > alpha on freebsd. I have the same problem. The controler always sets > itself to pi0 mode after failing crc checks in ata133 mode. > > Were you ever able to get the card to work in ata133 mode? Perhaps > promise supplies bad cables and better ones are needed to be used in an > Alpha? I wasn't able to get this to work, the box is colocated so I wasn't able to do extensive testing. > I never could get it to work well. Si I put it in a linux x86 box and it > worked fine. When i boot using the x86 box the promise bios screen comes > up to detect the hard drives. this never happened on my alpha 164lx > system. Perhaps this promise card requires a x86 environment?? nope, the bios is not required for the card to work. > I'd like to hear your experiences and results when you have time.. I could not get umda66 mode to work with the card/alpha. I do have time, and a card available. But not the exact same alpha. However further research of mine has lead to some interesting conclusions :(. I have a regular intel box ( supermicro ) with a promise 100 tx2 card and the latest bios. This promise card shows really strange behavior depending on the disks connected to it. 2 120gb maxtor disks ( old 5400 ), and a 30gb quantum fireball won't work properly on the promise controller, I swapped cables for ages,did rain dances, It just won't work. Whereas an ibm disk works just fine. This is with every os I had available ( windows, linux, bsd ). The alpha uses an promise 133tx2 and a maxtor disk, which leads me to believe that this is no freebsd problem but a hardware issue. I'll powerup the old alphastation 500 which I have laying around, burn 2 fbsd cd's and stuff the promise 100tx2 in it. -- Sten Spans There is a crack in everything that's how the light gets in.
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