Confused Hard Drive Identity

[Divit11]

Hi All,

I have a hard drive that seems to have a split personallity. It has five virtual drives that are set up for use with Microsoft XP Home with SP2 and two virtual drives for Fedora 8. Grub is the boot loader that shows both options at boot up. The problem is that when this Maxtor 80 GB drive was added to my computer I also added an ATA133 Disk Accelerator PCI card. I had a Maxtor 40 GB drive attached to the IDE1 connection on my mainboard. I used some Maxtor software to copy the contents of the 40 to the new 80 drive. I then pulled the older drive and put it into yet an older machine to expand my little home network. I managed to load Fedora Core 6 on the new 80 GB/w disk accelerator card and things were fine until I tried to upgrade FC6 to F7 and/or F8. I started two other threads looking for help on loading these OSs but I thought the problem was with a new DVD RW drive. That turned out to just confuse the situation even after fully deleting FC6. I was not able to load F7 or F8 until I pulled the ribbon cable off the PCI card and plugged it into the IDE1 connector. I was then able to install F8 and begin the process of getting things sorted out.

The problem now is that when I boot up with the IDE1 connection I can only get Grub to get the F8 program to fire up. If I choose the Windows XP direction Grub displays:
Rootnoverify (hd0,0)
Chainloader +1
And the cursor sits there and flashes

Turning the computer off and moving the hd ribbon cable to the Accelerator PCI card and rebooting Grub will allow me to use the MS XP OS with no problem BUT when I choose the F8 option the Fedora startup begins normally:
Setting hostname local.host.localdomain: OK
Setting up Logical Volume Management: OK
/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00: Clean
/boot: Clean
Remounting root filesystems in read-write mode: OK
Mounting local filesystems: FAILED
Enabling /etc/fstab swaps: FAILED
The process stops here prior to initiating Run Level 5

I suspect that the hard drive is "named" something else when it is plugged into the PCI slot instead of the IDE connection. Does anyone know what has really happened here and what steps I can take to get both OS on the same mainboard connection?

Thanks for reading this far.

Divit11

[stoat]

Originally Posted by Divit11

...what steps I can take to get both OS on the same mainboard connection?

Hello Divit11,

With the drive connected to the mainboard IDE connector, boot into Fedora. Open a terminal and run these commands. Copy the results here.

su
/sbin/fdisk -l
cat /boot/grub/grub.conf

[Divit11]

Hi Stoat,
Here are the results:

[Divit11@localhost ~]$ su
Password:
[root@localhost Divit11]# /sbin/fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 81.9 GB, 81964302336 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 9964 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x1a0a1a09

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 1801 14466501 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2 1802 9964 65569297+ f W95 Ext'd (LBA)
/dev/sda5 1802 3950 17261811 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda6 3951 6172 17848183+ 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda7 6173 6299 1020096 7 HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda8 6300 8625 18683563+ b W95 FAT32
/dev/sda9 8626 8650 200781 83 Linux
/dev/sda10 8651 9964 10554673+ 8e Linux LVM

Disk /dev/dm-0: 9697 MB, 9697230848 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 1178 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

Disk /dev/dm-0 doesn't contain a valid partition table

Disk /dev/dm-1: 1073 MB, 1073741824 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 130 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x30307800

Disk /dev/dm-1 doesn't contain a valid partition table


[root@localhost Divit11]# cat /boot/grub/grub.conf
# grub.conf generated by anaconda
#
# Note that you do not have to rerun grub after making changes to this file
# NOTICE: You have a /boot partition. This means that
# all kernel and initrd paths are relative to /boot/, eg.
# root (hd0,8)
# kernel /vmlinuz-version ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00
# initrd /initrd-version.img
#boot=/dev/sda
default=1
timeout=5
splashimage=(hd0,8)/grub/splash.xpm.gz
#hiddenmenu
title Fedora (2.6.23.1-49.fc8)
root (hd0,8)
kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.23.1-49.fc8 ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 rhgb quiet
initrd /initrd-2.6.23.1-49.fc8.img
###title Fedora (2.6.23.1-42.fc8)
###root (hd0,8)
###kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.23.1-42.fc8 ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 rhgb quiet
###initrd /initrd-2.6.23.1-42.fc8.img
title Microsoft Windows XP Home
rootnoverify (hd0,0)
chainloader +1
[root@localhost Divit11]#

[stoat]

Divit11,

I can't see what is the matter. To me, what you posted looks normal. The chainloader +1 command is supposed to simply load and run the the code found in the first sector of the partition specified in the rootnoverify command. Your partitions are straightforward. The rootnoverify line looks right. It happens every now and then (last week to cmunson1, matter of fact). I can't think of anything to make this configuration work. Maybe someone will come along with some help to repair the Fedora system in the other configuration.

If that doesn't happen, here are a couple of "last ditch" ideas to try: 1) re-install one or the other system, or 2) repair the master boot record with fixmbr and set up NTLoader to boot Fedora.

[Divit11]

Thanks Stoat for your thoughts,

Part of the reason for getting into this pickle was that I could not install F8 until I switched from the PCI connection to the IDE1 plug. Then I was not able to install F8 from the DVD but had to use a DVD.iso stored on my FAT32 virtual drive (/dev/sda8).

Are the below statements a good thing?

Disk /dev/dm-0 doesn't contain a valid partition table

Disk /dev/dm-1 doesn't contain a valid partition table

D

[stoat]

Are the below statements a good thing?


Disk /dev/dm-0 doesn't contain a valid partition table


Disk /dev/dm-1 doesn't contain a valid partition table

To me they are normal. Those lines always seem to be present in the fdisk output when an LVM PV is present. Fedora's default partition layout is an LVM PV with a root and swap inside it plus a separate boot partition. I have always thought those sections in the fdisk referred to the root and swap in the LVM PV. Their sizes add up to about the size of the LVM PV.

[Divit11]

Hi again to all,

I have been trying all sorts of changes to this system including putting in older (used) hard drives and swapping them about. The results were interesting. I pulled my 80GB drive out and replaced it with a 20GB and plugged it into the IDE1 connection on the mainboard. I was able to install XP Home and Fedora 8 in one long evening (virtually trouble free).

After further testing and general fussing around I am at the point where I now suspect that the HighPoint Accelerator card may not have been properly installed in the F8 OS. I plugged another drive into the PCI card and tried to see if it was recognized when I rebooted into F8. I then realized that that card was originally installed in XP OS and required files from the supplied Floppy disc. I have gone to www.highpoint-tech.com and downloaded HPT302/302N Linux Driver which was revised to support Kernel 2.6 . Problem now is that I have no idea of where or how to install this driver. There are so many search results for driver installs on different equipment and different distro that I felt that I had better ask for specific instructions.

D

[NoWayBill]

The driver is in the form of a "tarball" (* .tar.gz, *tar.gz2, *.tgz), I looked it up.
Surprisingly, it has a RedHat driver, but it doesn't come as an *.rpm, go figure.
Just create a folder on your desktop, right click on the file and extract it to that folder.
Then open the folder, normally there is a "readme" in there which will tell you how to compile and install.
If not, this will help......http://www.wlug.org.nz/InstallingSoftware

[Divit11]

Hi NoWayBill, thanks for the response.

I managed to download the tarball and after reading the readme.txt file several times, I'm beginning to think that following their steps would improbably end in disaster. I am including the action part of the steps here:

2. Build the driver
---------------------
1) Install kernel source package and building tools.

You shall use same configuration for the kernel and the driver.
Otherwise the driver may be unable to load or work abnormally.

If you are using stock kernel, obtain the configuration in your Linux
distribution (e.g. the kernel configuration file for Red Hat stock kernel
can be found under "configs" directory in kernel source tree). Copy the
configuration file to <your-kernel-source-dir>/.config and setup the
kernel headers using "make oldconfig" and "make dep" commands before you
build the driver.

Please refer to the documents in your Linux distribution for kernel
configuration.

If the kernel contains built-in IDE support for HPT302 controller,
you must disable the kernel support before using this driver. You can
either rebuild a kernel without HPT302 IDE support, or use boot parameters
like "hdx=noprobe" to disable the built-in driver.

2) Extract the driver files to somewhere.

3) Build the driver (example):

# make KERNELDIR=/usr/src/linux-2.4.7-10


3. Using the driver
---------------------
1) Load module "scsi_mod" and "sd_mod" if they are not built into kernel:

# modprobe sd_mod

2) Load the driver.

# insmod ./hpt302.o

For kernel 2.6, the driver module is "hpt302.ko". Also you need to use
the 2.5/2.6 module-init-tools (you can get them from
http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/kern...rusty/modules/).
modutils from 2.4 won't work with 2.5/2.6.

The Makefile file shown below may mean something to experts out there but is way beyond my experience:

#
# Makefile for hpt302 Linux driver
# Copyright (c) 2000-2004 HighPoint Technologies, Inc. All rights reserved
# History: Jan 12, 2001 initial code
# May 18, 2003 OpenSource build
# Jul 7, 2004 Kernel 2.6 and x86_64 support
#

#
# change KERNELDIR according to your system
#
ifndef KERNELDIR
KERNELDIR = /usr/src/linux
endif

DRIVER_VERSION = 1.2

#
# Debug Options:
#
# -DDEBUG: include debug code
# -DDEBUG_LEVEL=x:
# 0 - No debug output message
# 1 - print only error messages
# 2 - print error and warning
# 3 - print all messages (info, warning, error)
#
ifeq ($(DEBUG),1)
DEBUGOPT += -DDBG=1
ifdef DEBUG_LEVEL
DEBUGOPT += -DDEBUG_LEVEL=$(DEBUG_LEVEL)
else
DEBUGOPT += -DDEBUG_LEVEL=1
endif
else
DEBUGOPT=
endif

KERNEL_VER := $(shell cat $(KERNELDIR)/include/linux/version.h | grep UTS_RELEASE | cut -c22-24 | head -n 1)

ARCH := $(shell uname -m)

ifeq ($(KERNEL_VER), 2.6)

obj-m := hpt302.o

hpt302-objs := hpt.o

EXTRA_CFLAGS := -DDRIVER_VERSION=\"${DRIVER_VERSION}\" -DLINUX -D_LINUX_ -Idrivers/scsi $(DEBUGOPT)

default:
$(MAKE) -C $(KERNELDIR) SUBDIRS=`pwd` modules

clean:
@rm -f hpt302.* *~ core hpt.o

else

TARGET = hpt302.o

HEADERS = global.h \
vdevice.h \
stypes.h \
hpt3xx.h \
atapi.h \
device.h \
channel.h \
chip.h \
command.h \
compiler.h \
osheader.h \
oslinux.h \
hpttempl.h

CSRCS = hpt.c

C_DEFINES = -DDRIVER_VERSION=\"${DRIVER_VERSION}\" \
-DMODVERSIONS -DMODULE -DLINUX -D_LINUX_ -D__KERNEL__=1 -DCONFIG_PCI

COBJS = $(CSRCS:.c=.o)

CC = gcc

CFLAGS = ${C_DEFINES} ${DEBUGOPT} -Wall \
-O2 -Wstrict-prototypes -fomit-frame-pointer \
-I. \
-I$(KERNELDIR)/include \
-I$(KERNELDIR)/drivers/scsi

#
# cross-compiler prefix
# to build x86_64 driver use
# make ARCH=x86_64 CROSS_COMPILE=x86_64-linux- KERNELDIR=...
#
CROSS_COMPILE =

ifeq ($(ARCH), x86_64)
CFLAGS += -mcmodel=kernel
endif

.c.o:
$(CROSS_COMPILE)$(CC) $(CFLAGS) -c $*.c -o $*.o

all: $(TARGET)

$(COBJS): Makefile $(HEADERS) $(CSRCS)

$(TARGET): $(COBJS)
$(CROSS_COMPILE)$(LD) -r $^ -o $@

clean:
@rm -f $(CSRCS:.c=.o) $(TARGET) *~ core

endif

So I did some googling just to see if there was a noobie way to do this and after reading the white paper at: http://linuxdevices.com/articles/AT4389927951.html I think I will just have to forgo trying to add this device.

I also wonder if each time there is a kernel upgrade I would have to reinstall this device.

D