Re: [PROBLEM + PATCH] Sata port disabled by BIOS gets initialized

[Matt Sealey <matt@genesi-usa.com>]

Tejun Heo wrote:
> Hello,
>
>> If the user decides to disable the port through the BIOS, the driver
>> needs to respect the user's wish to not use the port and carry on.
>> Here the end result is a forceful reinitialization of the port by the
>> driver against the user's wishes.
> 
> Well, currently, the Linux driver policy is to exploit the hardware
> capability to the maximum - e.g. we unlock HPA unconditionally and force
> multi-mode controllers into its best possible mode.  We try hard to
> ignore BIOS imposed settings/limits.

Isn't there a case for speeding up boot and not wasting resources by
respecting BIOS settings in this regard? If you have an 8-port
controller on a board and one disk, forcing all of them enabled
regardless of BIOS settings is just 7 redundant port scans.

It should at least be an option - the default being to open up all
gunports, an option to respect BIOS settings and only use the ones
requested and enabled.. (I can see an edge case where a user disables
a disk in the BIOS to stop another OS from looking at/for it, but
wants the Linux system to boot from it)

-- 
Matt Sealey <matt@genesi-usa.com>
Genesi, Manager, Developer Relations