BIOS setup needed for LBA48?

BIOS setup needed for LBA48?

[Stefan Smietanowski]

Hi.

Let's assume a certain IDE controller does LBA48.

Let's at the same time assume the BIOS doesn't know jack
about LBA48.

Let's then assume that I can get a kernel to boot on it,
what method I use doesn't matter. The BIOS doesn't lock up
or anything but it doesn't use more than the fabled 137GB.

Can the Linux Kernel then use the full drive (160GB/250GB/whatever)
even though the BIOS doesn't? (LBA48)

That's question number 1.

Question 2: Does the nForce chipset handle LBA48?

They are related but please answer question 1 even if question 2
is "no" :)

I tried looking for the answers myself but couldn't find a definite
answer. If it's plain in sight somewhere, please point me in the right
direction.

// Stefan

Re: BIOS setup needed for LBA48?

[Andries Brouwer]

On Sat, Jan 25, 2003 at 03:34:24AM +0100, Stefan Smietanowski wrote:

> Can the Linux Kernel use the full drive (160GB/250GB/whatever)
> even though the BIOS doesn't? (LBA48)

Usually, yes.

Re: BIOS setup needed for LBA48?

[Stefan Smietanowski]

>>Can the Linux Kernel use the full drive (160GB/250GB/whatever)
>>even though the BIOS doesn't? (LBA48)
> 
> Usually, yes.

Is there anything that could make "usually, yes" become a "no"?

// Stefan

Re: BIOS setup needed for LBA48?

[John Bradford]

> >>Can the Linux Kernel use the full drive (160GB/250GB/whatever)
> >>even though the BIOS doesn't? (LBA48)
> > 
> > Usually, yes.
> 
> Is there anything that could make "usually, yes" become a "no"?

Usually no.

:-)

John.

Re: BIOS setup needed for LBA48?

[Andre Hedrick]

Yes, if the host controller can not handle the double pump for dma
operations.  Disable DMA int it has to work.  If it does not, you have a
nice pile of junk, and it should be come a door.

On Sat, 25 Jan 2003, Stefan Smietanowski wrote:

> >>Can the Linux Kernel use the full drive (160GB/250GB/whatever)
> >>even though the BIOS doesn't? (LBA48)
> > 
> > Usually, yes.
> 
> Is there anything that could make "usually, yes" become a "no"?
> 
> // Stefan
> 
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Andre Hedrick
LAD Storage Consulting Group

Re: BIOS setup needed for LBA48?

[Andrzej Krzysztofowicz]

> Yes, if the host controller can not handle the double pump for dma
> operations.  Disable DMA int it has to work.  If it does not, you have a
> nice pile of junk, and it should be come a door.

Shouldn't the driver disable DMA automatically (not allow to enable it) ?
Driver knows the controller type, knows the disk size ...

Or is it not so simple ?


> On Sat, 25 Jan 2003, Stefan Smietanowski wrote:
> 
> > >>Can the Linux Kernel use the full drive (160GB/250GB/whatever)
> > >>even though the BIOS doesn't? (LBA48)
> > > 
> > > Usually, yes.
> > 
> > Is there anything that could make "usually, yes" become a "no"?

-- 
=======================================================================
  Andrzej M. Krzysztofowicz               ankry@mif.pg.gda.pl
  phone (48)(58) 347 14 61
Faculty of Applied Phys. & Math.,   Gdansk University of Technology

Re: BIOS setup needed for LBA48?

[Andre Hedrick]

Well doors may know this but the door-stop does not.  The driver has no
clue currently and so we are back to a pig in a poke.  I have never run
48-bit on AMD, and iirc NFORCE is a step-child of AMD.

It has everything to do with the DMA engine in the ASIC going south.

Cheers,


On Sat, 25 Jan 2003, Andrzej Krzysztofowicz wrote:

> 
> > Yes, if the host controller can not handle the double pump for dma
> > operations.  Disable DMA int it has to work.  If it does not, you have a
> > nice pile of junk, and it should be come a door.
> 
> Shouldn't the driver disable DMA automatically (not allow to enable it) ?
> Driver knows the controller type, knows the disk size ...
> 
> Or is it not so simple ?
> 
> 
> > On Sat, 25 Jan 2003, Stefan Smietanowski wrote:
> > 
> > > >>Can the Linux Kernel use the full drive (160GB/250GB/whatever)
> > > >>even though the BIOS doesn't? (LBA48)
> > > > 
> > > > Usually, yes.
> > > 
> > > Is there anything that could make "usually, yes" become a "no"?
> 
> -- 
> =======================================================================
>   Andrzej M. Krzysztofowicz               ankry@mif.pg.gda.pl
>   phone (48)(58) 347 14 61
> Faculty of Applied Phys. & Math.,   Gdansk University of Technology
> 

Andre Hedrick
LAD Storage Consulting Group