Floppy access by dd fails for 2.6.26-rc2 to final, possibly even earlier

Floppy access by dd fails for 2.6.26-rc2 to final, possibly even earlier

[Gene Heskett]

Greetings;

I just been advised by private email that I an not the only one who has lost the 
use of his floppy drive via dd.  The corresponder noted that he had a copy of 
DSL with a 2.4.something kernel, and his drive worked flawlessly while booted 
to DSL.

So now there are at least 2 floppy users wandering in the wilderness looking for 
water.  We need it to support 20 year old computers without a TCP stack or 
network cards.

Who is the floppy.c maintainer these days?

-- 
Cheers, Gene
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
 soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
For fools rush in where angels fear to tread.
		-- Alexander Pope

Re: Floppy access by dd fails for 2.6.26-rc2 to final, possibly even earlier

[Wakko Warner]

Gene Heskett wrote:
> I just been advised by private email that I an not the only one who has lost the 
> use of his floppy drive via dd.  The corresponder noted that he had a copy of 
> DSL with a 2.4.something kernel, and his drive worked flawlessly while booted 
> to DSL.
> 
> So now there are at least 2 floppy users wandering in the wilderness looking for 
> water.  We need it to support 20 year old computers without a TCP stack or 
> network cards.

I guess I'll chime in.  I'm not sure this is the same problem or not, but my
Alpha AS1000a (EV56 5/400) has never successfully been able to read the
floppy.  I always get garbage.  The drive does work as I can use the RCU
from floppy from the Arc BIOS.

Linux sees this device as a 2.88mb floppy.  It is a 1.44mb and the
information in the Arc BIOS is set to 1.44mb (I don't think it matters, I
boot from SRM, not sure how to set the floppy there)

I also do not see any errors or other useful messages in the logs.

Jun  1 15:23:06 narf kernel: [4262383.309846] Floppy drive(s): fd0 is 2.88M
Jun  1 15:23:06 narf kernel: [4262383.324494] FDC 0 is a National Semiconductor PC87306

I tried forcing to use a specific type:
Jun  1 16:21:38 narf kernel: [4194206.301784] floppy0: setting CMOS code to 4
Jun  1 16:21:38 narf kernel: [4194206.301784] Floppy drive(s): fd0 is 1.44M
Jun  1 16:21:38 narf kernel: [4194206.314479] FDC 0 is a National Semiconductor PC87306

But that failed even worse with errors on sector 0.  (NOTE the floppy was
good)

-- 
 Lab tests show that use of micro$oft causes cancer in lab animals
 Got Gas???

Re: Floppy access by dd fails for 2.6.26-rc2 to final, possibly even earlier

[Gene Heskett]

On Tuesday 22 July 2008, Wakko Warner wrote:
>Gene Heskett wrote:
>> I just been advised by private email that I an not the only one who has
>> lost the use of his floppy drive via dd.  The corresponder noted that he
>> had a copy of DSL with a 2.4.something kernel, and his drive worked
>> flawlessly while booted to DSL.
>>
>> So now there are at least 2 floppy users wandering in the wilderness
>> looking for water.  We need it to support 20 year old computers without a
>> TCP stack or network cards.
>
>I guess I'll chime in.  I'm not sure this is the same problem or not, but my
>Alpha AS1000a (EV56 5/400) has never successfully been able to read the
>floppy.  I always get garbage.  The drive does work as I can use the RCU
>from floppy from the Arc BIOS.
>
>Linux sees this device as a 2.88mb floppy.  It is a 1.44mb and the
>information in the Arc BIOS is set to 1.44mb (I don't think it matters, I
>boot from SRM, not sure how to set the floppy there)
>
>I also do not see any errors or other useful messages in the logs.
>
Neither do I. It registers as
Jul 20 22:56:59 coyote kernel: [   16.297661] Floppy drive(s): fd0 is 1.44M
Jul 20 22:56:59 coyote kernel: [   16.312758] FDC 0 is a post-1991 82077


>Jun  1 15:23:06 narf kernel: [4262383.309846] Floppy drive(s): fd0 is 2.88M
>Jun  1 15:23:06 narf kernel: [4262383.324494] FDC 0 is a National
> Semiconductor PC87306
>
>I tried forcing to use a specific type:
>Jun  1 16:21:38 narf kernel: [4194206.301784] floppy0: setting CMOS code to
> 4 Jun  1 16:21:38 narf kernel: [4194206.301784] Floppy drive(s): fd0 is
> 1.44M Jun  1 16:21:38 narf kernel: [4194206.314479] FDC 0 is a National
> Semiconductor PC87306
>
>But that failed even worse with errors on sector 0.  (NOTE the floppy was
>good)

Glad to know I'm not the only one, there are 3 of us now.

Thanks Wakko.

-- 
Cheers, Gene
"There are four boxes to be used in defense of liberty:
 soap, ballot, jury, and ammo. Please use in that order."
-Ed Howdershelt (Author)
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
		-- Sextus Aurelius

Re: Floppy access by dd fails for 2.6.26-rc2 to final, possibly even earlier

[Rene Herman]

On 23-07-08 02:46, Gene Heskett wrote:

> On Tuesday 22 July 2008, Wakko Warner wrote:
>> Gene Heskett wrote:
>>> I just been advised by private email that I an not the only one who has
>>> lost the use of his floppy drive via dd.  The corresponder noted that he
>>> had a copy of DSL with a 2.4.something kernel, and his drive worked
>>> flawlessly while booted to DSL.
>>>
>>> So now there are at least 2 floppy users wandering in the wilderness
>>> looking for water.  We need it to support 20 year old computers without a
>>> TCP stack or network cards.
>> I guess I'll chime in.  I'm not sure this is the same problem or not, but my
>> Alpha AS1000a (EV56 5/400) has never successfully been able to read the
>> floppy.  I always get garbage.  The drive does work as I can use the RCU
>>from floppy from the Arc BIOS.
>> Linux sees this device as a 2.88mb floppy.  It is a 1.44mb and the
>> information in the Arc BIOS is set to 1.44mb (I don't think it matters, I
>> boot from SRM, not sure how to set the floppy there)
>>
>> I also do not see any errors or other useful messages in the logs.
>>
> Neither do I. It registers as
> Jul 20 22:56:59 coyote kernel: [   16.297661] Floppy drive(s): fd0 is 1.44M
> Jul 20 22:56:59 coyote kernel: [   16.312758] FDC 0 is a post-1991 82077
> 
> 
>> Jun  1 15:23:06 narf kernel: [4262383.309846] Floppy drive(s): fd0 is 2.88M
>> Jun  1 15:23:06 narf kernel: [4262383.324494] FDC 0 is a National
>> Semiconductor PC87306
>>
>> I tried forcing to use a specific type:
>> Jun  1 16:21:38 narf kernel: [4194206.301784] floppy0: setting CMOS code to
>> 4 Jun  1 16:21:38 narf kernel: [4194206.301784] Floppy drive(s): fd0 is
>> 1.44M Jun  1 16:21:38 narf kernel: [4194206.314479] FDC 0 is a National
>> Semiconductor PC87306
>>
>> But that failed even worse with errors on sector 0.  (NOTE the floppy was
>> good)
> 
> Glad to know I'm not the only one, there are 3 of us now.

Am not reproducing on 2.6.26, so it's at least not just everyone. Normal 
floppy works fine here:

root@7ixe4:~# mkfs.minix /dev/fd0
480 inodes
1440 blocks
Firstdatazone=19 (19)
Zonesize=1024
Maxsize=268966912

root@7ixe4:~# mount /dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy
root@7ixe4:~# echo BAR >/mnt/floppy/FOO
root@7ixe4:~# umount /mnt/floppy
root@7ixe4:~# dd if=/dev/fd0 of=floppy.img
2880+0 records in
2880+0 records out
1474560 bytes (1.5 MB) copied, 48.1893 s, 30.6 kB/s
root@7ixe4:~# mount -o loop floppy.img /mnt/floppy
root@7ixe4:~# cat /mnt/floppy/FOO
BAR
root@7ixe4:~# umount /mnt/floppy
root@7ixe4:~# dd if=floppy.img of=/dev/fd0
2880+0 records in
2880+0 records out
1474560 bytes (1.5 MB) copied, 99.3359 s, 14.8 kB/s
root@7ixe4:~# mount /dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy
root@7ixe4:~# cat /mnt/floppy/FOO
BAR

Rene.

Re: Floppy access by dd fails for 2.6.26-rc2 to final, possibly even earlier

[Grant Coady]

On Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:17:58 +0200, Rene Herman <rene.herman@keyaccess.nl> wrote:

>On 23-07-08 02:46, Gene Heskett wrote:
>
>> On Tuesday 22 July 2008, Wakko Warner wrote:
>>> Gene Heskett wrote:
>>>> I just been advised by private email that I an not the only one who has
>>>> lost the use of his floppy drive via dd.  The corresponder noted that he
>>>> had a copy of DSL with a 2.4.something kernel, and his drive worked
>>>> flawlessly while booted to DSL.
>>>>
>>>> So now there are at least 2 floppy users wandering in the wilderness
>>>> looking for water.  We need it to support 20 year old computers without a
>>>> TCP stack or network cards.
>>> I guess I'll chime in.  I'm not sure this is the same problem or not, but my
>>> Alpha AS1000a (EV56 5/400) has never successfully been able to read the
>>> floppy.  I always get garbage.  The drive does work as I can use the RCU
>>>from floppy from the Arc BIOS.
>>> Linux sees this device as a 2.88mb floppy.  It is a 1.44mb and the
>>> information in the Arc BIOS is set to 1.44mb (I don't think it matters, I
>>> boot from SRM, not sure how to set the floppy there)
>>>
>>> I also do not see any errors or other useful messages in the logs.
>>>
>> Neither do I. It registers as
>> Jul 20 22:56:59 coyote kernel: [   16.297661] Floppy drive(s): fd0 is 1.44M
>> Jul 20 22:56:59 coyote kernel: [   16.312758] FDC 0 is a post-1991 82077
>> 
>> 
>>> Jun  1 15:23:06 narf kernel: [4262383.309846] Floppy drive(s): fd0 is 2.88M
>>> Jun  1 15:23:06 narf kernel: [4262383.324494] FDC 0 is a National
>>> Semiconductor PC87306
>>>
>>> I tried forcing to use a specific type:
>>> Jun  1 16:21:38 narf kernel: [4194206.301784] floppy0: setting CMOS code to
>>> 4 Jun  1 16:21:38 narf kernel: [4194206.301784] Floppy drive(s): fd0 is
>>> 1.44M Jun  1 16:21:38 narf kernel: [4194206.314479] FDC 0 is a National
>>> Semiconductor PC87306
>>>
>>> But that failed even worse with errors on sector 0.  (NOTE the floppy was
>>> good)
>> 
>> Glad to know I'm not the only one, there are 3 of us now.
>
>Am not reproducing on 2.6.26, so it's at least not just everyone. Normal 
>floppy works fine here:
>
>root@7ixe4:~# mkfs.minix /dev/fd0
>480 inodes
>1440 blocks
>Firstdatazone=19 (19)
>Zonesize=1024
>Maxsize=268966912
>
>root@7ixe4:~# mount /dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy
>root@7ixe4:~# echo BAR >/mnt/floppy/FOO
>root@7ixe4:~# umount /mnt/floppy
>root@7ixe4:~# dd if=/dev/fd0 of=floppy.img
>2880+0 records in
>2880+0 records out
>1474560 bytes (1.5 MB) copied, 48.1893 s, 30.6 kB/s
>root@7ixe4:~# mount -o loop floppy.img /mnt/floppy
>root@7ixe4:~# cat /mnt/floppy/FOO
>BAR
>root@7ixe4:~# umount /mnt/floppy
>root@7ixe4:~# dd if=floppy.img of=/dev/fd0
>2880+0 records in
>2880+0 records out
>1474560 bytes (1.5 MB) copied, 99.3359 s, 14.8 kB/s
>root@7ixe4:~# mount /dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy
>root@7ixe4:~# cat /mnt/floppy/FOO
>BAR

Works here for ext2 and msdos, but I'm running on the linux box used to test.

Grant.
>
>Rene.