HighPoint Rocket 1540 hang driver load (Was: Re: Which raid card to buy for Sarge)

HighPoint Rocket 1540 hang driver load (Was: Re: Which raid card to buy for Sarge)

[Lars Gaarden]

This is ironic. I found this thread just after reporting this:
http://bugme.osdl.org/show_bug.cgi?id=2555

Nick Maynard <nick@tastycake.net> writes:

>>> I'm running four disks off a RocketRAID 1540 SATA card with Linux
>>> software RAID since kernel 2.6.0.  The driver included with the kernel
>>> works just fine.  Any card using the hpt374 chip should work, whatever
>>> the name on the box happens to be.
>> Yea.  You should note that I have a Rocket 1540, not a RocketRAID
>> 1540.  There's a difference

>More than the box and the BIOS?

The PCB layout is different, at least.
http://www.highpoint-tech.com/image/Product/r1540-pix.gif
http://www.highpoint-tech.com/image/Product/rr1540pix-1.jpg

Also, loading a RocketRAID BIOS on a Rocket card doesn't work
very well. If any drives are connected, it will cause a hard
hang when the card probes for drives during POST.

>> - shown particularly by the fact that Highpoint release open drivers
>> for the RocketRAID and not the Rocket.

HPT does indeed provide 'open source' drivers for both the Rocket 1540
and the RocketRAID 1540. You just need to look around a bit.

http://www.highpoint-tech.com/374drivers_down.htm
http://www.highpoint-tech.com/hpt374-opensource-v111.tgz

>I wouldn't use those drivers, having looked briefly at the source code
>they do release.  It wasn't pretty.

IANA driver programmer, so I can't comment on the quality. But using
that v111 from above compiled with NON_RAID=1 and some boot trickery
(boot with no drives connected to the controller, so the BIOS on the
card isn't loaded. Then connect drives before loading driver) seems to
be the only way for me to make the card work properly.

Using the same trick with the hpt366 driver cause slow data rates
and drive_cmd: status=0x58 { DriveReady SeekComplete DataRequest }
status error: status=0x58 { DriveReady SeekComplete DataRequest }
errors,

>> Should doesn't necessarily mean does, unfortunately.

>Could the onboard bios be messing with you? Can it be disabled?

Probably. All the drivers i have tried (except for the official binary
drivers) will lock the computer hard if any drives are connected to the
controller at BOOT/POST.

I have found no other way of disabling the BIOS.

Anyway, I have the time and hardware to do testing if someone has
the time to take a look at it.

-- 
LarsG

Re: HighPoint Rocket 1540 hang driver load (Was: Re: Which raid card to buy for Sarge)

[Brad Campbell]

Lars Gaarden wrote:

> 
> IANA driver programmer, so I can't comment on the quality. But using
> that v111 from above compiled with NON_RAID=1 and some boot trickery
> (boot with no drives connected to the controller, so the BIOS on the
> card isn't loaded. Then connect drives before loading driver) seems to
> be the only way for me to make the card work properly.
> 
> Using the same trick with the hpt366 driver cause slow data rates
> and drive_cmd: status=0x58 { DriveReady SeekComplete DataRequest }
> status error: status=0x58 { DriveReady SeekComplete DataRequest }
> errors,
> 

Just my .02c worth. I was using 7 Maxtor SATA drives with 2 RocketRaid 1540's.
I tried all the available in-kernel drivers with many 2.4 and 2.6 kernels and resorted to using the 
hpt supplied drivers compiled from source with NON_RAID=1. I was using md raid-5 and with this combo 
and it was rock solid for months (Before I upgraded to Promise TX4 controllers). With the in-kernel 
hpt drivers I never managed more than 15mb/s to or from the disks. Slow as a wet week in may (In the 
southern hemisphere anyway).

Regards,
Brad

Re: HighPoint Rocket 1540 hang driver load

[Måns Rullgård]

Brad Campbell <brad@wasp.net.au> writes:

> Lars Gaarden wrote:
>
>> IANA driver programmer, so I can't comment on the quality. But using
>> that v111 from above compiled with NON_RAID=1 and some boot trickery
>> (boot with no drives connected to the controller, so the BIOS on the
>> card isn't loaded. Then connect drives before loading driver) seems to
>> be the only way for me to make the card work properly.
>> Using the same trick with the hpt366 driver cause slow data rates
>> and drive_cmd: status=0x58 { DriveReady SeekComplete DataRequest }
>> status error: status=0x58 { DriveReady SeekComplete DataRequest }
>> errors,
>
> Just my .02c worth. I was using 7 Maxtor SATA drives with 2
> RocketRaid 1540's.  I tried all the available in-kernel drivers with
> many 2.4 and 2.6 kernels and resorted to using the hpt supplied
> drivers compiled from source with NON_RAID=1. I was using md raid-5
> and with this combo and it was rock solid for months (Before I
> upgraded to Promise TX4 controllers). With the in-kernel hpt drivers
> I never managed more than 15mb/s to or from the disks. Slow as a wet
> week in may (In the southern hemisphere anyway).

I have been told that the hpt366 driver attempts to probe for an
80-wire cable and fails, falling back to UDMA2.  Obviously, this cable
probe is nonsensical with SATA, and removing it from the driver fixed
things.  This happened to a friend using Maxtor disks.  I have not had
the same problem with my Seagate disks.

-- 
Måns Rullgård
mru@kth.se

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Re: HighPoint Rocket 1540 hang driver load (Was: Re: Which raid card to buy for Sarge)

[Nick Maynard]

Thanks all for your replies.

After having tried near everything (RocketRAID OSS driver with NON_RAID=1 (and a
Makefile adjustment for brain errors from Highpoint) ), I still get the hangs
you guys are talking about.  Not to mention hardware conflicts with my ancient
mobo with onboard HPT366.

I've come to the conclusion that the Rocket 1540 is quite frankly a useless
card, and to get it to work with 2.6.x is probably asking too much.  I've
managed to RMA the Rocket 1540 card, and I'm buying a Promise SATA150 TX4.

So to repeat for future reference by the list, Rocket 1540 on Linux (esp 2.6) is
a nono.  Buy a Promise card.

--

Nick Maynard
nick.maynard@alumni.doc.ic.ac.uk

Re: HighPoint Rocket 1540 hang driver load

[Måns Rullgård]

Nick Maynard <nick.maynard@alumni.doc.ic.ac.uk> writes:

> Thanks all for your replies.
>
> After having tried near everything (RocketRAID OSS driver with
> NON_RAID=1 (and a Makefile adjustment for brain errors from Highpoint)
> ), I still get the hangs you guys are talking about.  Not to mention
> hardware conflicts with my ancient mobo with onboard HPT366.
>
> I've come to the conclusion that the Rocket 1540 is quite frankly a
> useless card, and to get it to work with 2.6.x is probably asking too
> much.  I've managed to RMA the Rocket 1540 card, and I'm buying a
> Promise SATA150 TX4.
>
> So to repeat for future reference by the list, Rocket 1540 on Linux
> (esp 2.6) is a nono.  Buy a Promise card.

For it was the opposite.  I had no luck with a (PATA) Promise card, so
I replaced it with a Rocketraid 1540 a year ago.  It's been running
smoothly ever since, with both 2.4 and 2.6 kernels.

-- 
Måns Rullgård
mru@kth.se

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Re: HighPoint Rocket 1540 hang driver load

[Nick Maynard]

> For it was the opposite.  I had no luck with a (PATA) Promise card, so
> I replaced it with a Rocketraid 1540 a year ago.  It's been running
> smoothly ever since, with both 2.4 and 2.6 kernels.
The Rocket 1540 and the RocketRAID 1540 are different cards.  I am sure the
RocketRAID 1540 is a lovely card.  The Rocket 1540 is not, however.

Cheers all,

--

Nick Maynard
nick.maynard@alumni.doc.ic.ac.uk

Re: HighPoint Rocket 1540 hang driver load

[Måns Rullgård]

Nick Maynard <nick.maynard@alumni.doc.ic.ac.uk> writes:

>> For me it was the opposite.  I had no luck with a (PATA) Promise card, so
>> I replaced it with a Rocketraid 1540 a year ago.  It's been running
>> smoothly ever since, with both 2.4 and 2.6 kernels.
> The Rocket 1540 and the RocketRAID 1540 are different cards.  I am sure the
> RocketRAID 1540 is a lovely card.  The Rocket 1540 is not, however.

Apparently that is the case.  What is the exact PCI id and revision of
the chip used on the Rocket1540?  My Rocketraid 1540 reports as
1103:0008 (rev 07).

-- 
Måns Rullgård
mru@kth.se
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Re: HighPoint Rocket 1540 hang driver load

[Lars Gaarden]

Måns Rullgård wrote:
> Nick Maynard <nick.maynard@alumni.doc.ic.ac.uk> writes:
> 
>>The Rocket 1540 and the RocketRAID 1540 are different cards.  I am sure the
>>RocketRAID 1540 is a lovely card.  The Rocket 1540 is not, however.
> 
> Apparently that is the case.  What is the exact PCI id and revision of
> the chip used on the Rocket1540?  My Rocketraid 1540 reports as
> 1103:0008 (rev 07).
> 

No chance distinguishing them based on PCI id/rev, it seems.
Here is the lspci -vvn for my Rocket1540.

00:08.0 Class 0104: 1103:0008 (rev 07)
         Subsystem: 1103:0001
         Control: I/O+ Mem- BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- 
ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B-
         Status: Cap+ 66Mhz+ UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=medium 
 >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR-
         Latency: 64 (2000ns min, 2000ns max), cache line size 08
         Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 19
         Region 0: I/O ports at d000 [size=8]
         Region 1: I/O ports at cc00 [size=4]
         Region 2: I/O ports at c800 [size=8]
         Region 3: I/O ports at c400 [size=4]
         Region 4: I/O ports at c000 [size=256]
         Expansion ROM at dffa0000 [disabled] [size=128K]
         Capabilities: [60] Power Management version 2
                 Flags: PMEClk- DSI+ D1- D2- AuxCurrent=0mA 
PME(D0-,D1-,D2-,D3hot-,D3cold-)
                 Status: D0 PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-

00:08.1 Class 0104: 1103:0008 (rev 07)
         Subsystem: 1103:0001
         Control: I/O+ Mem- BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- 
ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B-
         Status: Cap+ 66Mhz+ UDF- FastB2B- ParErr- DEVSEL=medium 
 >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR-
         Latency: 64 (2000ns min, 2000ns max), cache line size 08
         Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 19
         Region 0: I/O ports at e800 [size=8]
         Region 1: I/O ports at e400 [size=4]
         Region 2: I/O ports at e000 [size=8]
         Region 3: I/O ports at dc00 [size=4]
         Region 4: I/O ports at d800 [size=256]
         Capabilities: [60] Power Management version 2
                 Flags: PMEClk- DSI+ D1- D2- AuxCurrent=0mA 
PME(D0-,D1-,D2-,D3hot-,D3cold-)
                 Status: D0 PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
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Re: HighPoint Rocket 1540 hang driver load

[Måns Rullgård]

Lars Gaarden <lar-gaar@online.no> writes:

> Måns Rullgård wrote:
>> Nick Maynard <nick.maynard@alumni.doc.ic.ac.uk> writes:
>>
>>>The Rocket 1540 and the RocketRAID 1540 are different cards.  I am sure the
>>>RocketRAID 1540 is a lovely card.  The Rocket 1540 is not, however.
>> Apparently that is the case.  What is the exact PCI id and revision
>> of
>> the chip used on the Rocket1540?  My Rocketraid 1540 reports as
>> 1103:0008 (rev 07).
>>
>
> No chance distinguishing them based on PCI id/rev, it seems.
> Here is the lspci -vvn for my Rocket1540.
>
> 00:08.0 Class 0104: 1103:0008 (rev 07)
>          Subsystem: 1103:0001

For the record, my rocketraid1540 has that same subsystem id too.

-- 
Måns Rullgård
mru@kth.se

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Re: HighPoint Rocket 1540 hang driver load (Was: Re: Which raid card to buy for Sarge)

[Nick Maynard]

> I've come to the conclusion that the Rocket 1540 is quite frankly a useless
> card, and to get it to work with 2.6.x is probably asking too much.  I've
> managed to RMA the Rocket 1540 card, and I'm buying a Promise SATA150 TX4.
>
> So to repeat for future reference by the list, Rocket 1540 on Linux (esp 2.6)
> is a nono.  Buy a Promise card.
Just to finish off my bit of this thread, my Promise SATA150 TX4 arrived on
Friday and is thus far working absolutely perfectly (2.6.5).

Cheers all,

--

Nick Maynard
nick.maynard@alumni.doc.ic.ac.uk