Subject: Re: Problem installing with NCR 53c8x0

From: Dale Martin <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 19 Jun 1996 09:53:19 -0400

>>>>> "Martin" == Martin Konold <[email-masked]> writes:

Martin> On Wed, 19 Jun 1996, Larry Riedel wrote:
>>  I am using the boot floppy from the 1.1 distribution.  I have an
>> ASUS P55T2P4 (Triton II) motherboard with the ASUS SCSI adaptor
>> (NCR 53c8x0) and a generic ISA VGA video card.  The motherboard has
>> an onboard floppy controller, etc.
>> 
>> Here is a piece of the boot messages:
>> 
>> NCR53c406a: no available ports found PPA: unable to initialise
>> controller at 0x378, error 2 scsi : 0 hosts.  scsi : detected total
>> 

Martin> This is NOT the driver for a NCR53c810 Chip used on ASUS SC200
Martin> etc.  There is currently no support in Debian for this
Martin> actually popular card.

Martin> YOurs, -- martin

If you have a kernel with the support you need, it's actually pretty
easy to convert the boot disk to use your kernel.  The boot disk is in
DOS format, and kernel is a file called "linux" or something like that
on the boot disk.  You simply copy your own kernel image over tht
file, run "rdev.sh" on it, and off you go.  I've not seen a list of
EXACTLY what support your kernel must have, and what can and can't be
modules.  What I did was compile in support for (not modules):

ramdisks
ext2
minix
umsdos
msdos

Plus all of the other things I normally use as far as device drivers,
etc.  DON'T put in "ext" support - there is a bug in the installation
(which I've reported) if you have this support in there.

Hope this helps.  Make sure you read the docs on the boot disk, the
installation FAQ etc.  The information I've provided isn't nearly
enough to be a complete explanation.

Later,
	Dale

---

From: [email-masked] (Larry Riedel)
Date: Wed, 19 Jun 96 01:08:01 PDT

I am using the boot floppy from the 1.1 distribution.  I have an
ASUS P55T2P4 (Triton II) motherboard with the ASUS SCSI adaptor
(NCR 53c8x0) and a generic ISA VGA video card.  The motherboard
has an onboard floppy controller, etc.

   NCR53c406a: no available ports found
   PPA: unable to initialise controller at 0x378, error 2
   scsi : 0 hosts.
   scsi : detected total
   
My setup is vanilla.  The BIOS sees my SCSI drive fine, but
the kernel does not seem to detect the controller properly,
and consequently does not find the disk.

I presume I need to make some simple change in the way I
am booting, but I don't know what that change is.  Could
you let me know?  Thanks.

Larry

---

From: Martin Konold <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 19 Jun 1996 13:56:04 +0200

>    PPA: unable to initialise controller at 0x378, error 2

This is NOT the driver for a NCR53c810 Chip used on ASUS SC200 etc.
There is currently no support in Debian for this actually popular card.

YOurs,
-- martin

// Martin Konold, Muenzgasse 7, 72070 Tuebingen, Germany  // 
// Email: [email-masked]            // 
//    http://www.schwaben.de/linux                        // 
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---

From: Lindsay Allen <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 19 Jun 1996 16:44:44 +0800 (WST)

> has an onboard floppy controller, etc.

You are not alone.  I have the same m/b with SC200 and get the following 
when I boot Debian:

Console: 8 point font, 400 scans
Console: colour VGA+ 80x50, 1 virtual console (max 63)
pcibios_init : BIOS32 Service Directory structure at 0x000fb4d0
pcibios_init : BIOS32 Service Directory entry at 0xfb9b0
pcibios_init : PCI BIOS revision 2.10 entry at 0xfb9e0
Probing PCI hardware.
Warning : Unknown PCI device (8086:1250).  Please read include/linux/pci.h 
Warning : Unknown PCI device (8086:7000).  Please read include/linux/pci.h 
Warning : Unknown PCI device (8086:7010).  Please read include/linux/pci.h 
Calibrating delay loop.. ok - 53.04 BogoMIPS
Memory: 31088k/32768k available (584k kernel code, 384k reserved, 712k data)

My scsi devices are just the NCR 53c810 controller and the drive.

I am luckier than you in that my system does in fact run, despite the 
warnings.  I would guess that Linux does not know about the Triton II.

Lindsay