Hello,

I want to install a new sarge system with a SATA II TX4 controller as the
boot device.
But, the installer doesn't recognise the controller.
The drivers on the promise site are 2.4 and/or redhat/suse only

How can I get the installer working with this controller?

--
With kind regards,
Met vriendelijke groet,

Maurice Lucas
TAOS-IT

Maurice Lucas <mslucas@taos-it.nl> did eloquently scribble:
> Hello,
>
> I want to install a new sarge system with a SATA II TX4 controller as the
> boot device.
> But, the installer doesn't recognise the controller.
> The drivers on the promise site are 2.4 and/or redhat/suse only
>
> How can I get the installer working with this controller?
>
You'll have to install onto a normal onboard hard disk with the 2.4 kernel
first, go to the promise site and download the driver sources (the drivers
are for redhat, suse or "other", the "other" link points to sources)

As long as the install kernel is identical to the one you compile the driver
against you can create a driver floppy for debian.

You have no way that I know of, of getting it to work on a 2.6 kernel
though, promise haven't done it (i don't think), and the 2.6 team don't
support the cheap software onboard raid controllers like promise TX.
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
| spike1@freenet.co.uk | Windows95 (noun): 32 bit extensions and a |
| | graphical shell for a 16 bit patch to an 8 bit |
|Andrew Halliwell BSc(hons)| operating system originally coded for a 4 bit |
| in |microprocessor, written by a 2 bit company, that|
| Computer Science | can't stand 1 bit of competition. |
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maurice Lucas wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I want to install a new sarge system with a SATA II TX4 controller as the
> boot device.
> But, the installer doesn't recognise the controller.
> The drivers on the promise site are 2.4 and/or redhat/suse only
>
> How can I get the installer working with this controller?
>
You may try loading the sata_promise module together with it's dependencies
from a initrd, or - better - commpile it into a custom kernel.
If you want raid, you will need linux software raid (mdadm) to create it.
Good chance you can use a knoppix as bootstrap.
--
Longhorn error#4711: TCPA / NGSCP VIOLATION: Microsoft optical mouse
detected penguin patterns on mousepad. Partition scan in progress
*to*remove*offending*incompatible*products.**React ivate*MS*software.
Linux woodpecker.homnet.at 2.6.12-mm2[LinuxCounter#295241,ICQ#4918962]

Walter Mautner <newsleaf.20.eatallspam@spamgourmet.com> did eloquently scribble:
> Maurice Lucas wrote:
>
>> Hello,
>>
>> I want to install a new sarge system with a SATA II TX4 controller as the
>> boot device.
>> But, the installer doesn't recognise the controller.
>> The drivers on the promise site are 2.4 and/or redhat/suse only
>>
>> How can I get the installer working with this controller?
>>
> You may try loading the sata_promise module together with it's dependencies
> from a initrd, or - better - commpile it into a custom kernel.
> If you want raid, you will need linux software raid (mdadm) to create it.

If he uses the promise driver compiled against his install kernel, he won't
need to use kernel-level softraid, the card's capable. not brilliant but
capable. It's just a pain getting it working on a newer distro.
--
__________________________________________________ ____________________________
| spike1@freenet.co.uk | |
|Andrew Halliwell BSc(hons)| "The day Microsoft makes something that doesn't |
| in | suck is probably the day they start making |
| Computer science | vacuum cleaners" - Ernst Jan Plugge |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

spike1@freenet.co.uk wrote:

....
> If he uses the promise driver compiled against his install kernel, he
> won't need to use kernel-level softraid, the card's capable. not brilliant
> but capable. It's just a pain getting it working on a newer distro.

Not recommended since as soon as a upgrade to 2.6.x is due, the raid and
data are lost and it has to be rebuilt. The big advantage of linux software
raid is it's portability and independency (of a distinct controller). Also,
with linux mdadm software raid it's possible to have raid1, raid5 and raid0
partitions on the same set of disks.
As an example, consider a triple-disk arrangement with /boot or root
partition as raid1 (+1 spare), /usr and /home as raid5 and a big /tmp for
video ripping as raid0.
--
Longhorn error#4711: TCPA / NGSCP VIOLATION: Microsoft optical mouse
detected penguin patterns on mousepad. Partition scan in progress
*to*remove*offending*incompatible*products.**React ivate*MS*software.
Linux woodpecker.homnet.at 2.6.12-mm2[LinuxCounter#295241,ICQ#4918962]