Hi!
I'm writing for you because i'm experiencing some serious problems with the

IDE system on linux kernel 2.6.22 series, *I think* specifically with the

module IDE_GENERIC.
This is tested on all the 2.6.22 kernels (2.6.22, 2.6.22.1, 2.6.22.2, 2.6.22.3

and 2.6.22.4).
Well, I'm using Debian GNU/Linux on a Lenovo 3000-n100 laptop. The kernel that

I'm using now is a 2.6.20.15, compiled by myself, which works correctly. But

when I try to run a 2.6.22 series kernel, compiled with the same options than

the 2.6.20.15, some bad things happens.
First, there is a kernel panic, because kernel tries to boot the root

partition from a hda disk, but I'm using sda disks, not hda.
Here is the kernel panic message:

###################

#VFS: Cannot open root device "sda3" or unknown-block (0,0)

#Please, append a correct "root=" boot option; here are the available

#partitions:

#0300	97685784	hda driver: ide-disk

#	0301	29832763 hda1

#	0302	4931955	 hda2

#	0303	60308010 hda3

#	0304	1               hda4

#	0305	2610531   hda5

#Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block

#(0,0)

###################
Somebody tolds me that I can solve this problem unchecking the IDE_GENERIC

option in the kernel configuration. It's true, but when I do this the DVD

device is not recognized by the kernel. No exists. In my working 2.6.20.15

kernel, the 'cat /proc/ide/drivers' command outputs this:

###################

#ide-disk		version	1.18

#ide-cdrom	version	4.61

###################
But in 2.6.22.X, the output is only:

###################

#ide-disk		version 1.18

###################
I'm sure that is not a bad configuration options problem, because the problem

appears too when, for example, I try to boot an openSUSE-10.3-beta liveCD,

which has a 2.6.22.1 kernel, and boot process stops with this warning:

###################

#----> Probing module: generic

#----> Failed to detect CD drive!

#----> rebootException: reboot in 60 sec...

###################...
[ message continues ]

The OpenSuSE Live CD thing not booting may mean you have a deeper problem,
You have a SATA harddrive (Hitachi Travelstar 5K100 100GB SATA/2.5") and an

IDE (also known as PATA) DVD drive (LG GMA-4082N). That is, your disk should

be driven by the:
"Intel ESB, ICH, PIIX3, PIIX4 PATA/SATA support"
under the "Serial ATA (prod) and Parallel ATA (experimental) drivers" menu,

and it seems this driver should also take care of your DVD. Not sure from

your report what you are using -- first try with only that driver, and

nothing from the old "ATA/ATAPI/MFM/RLL support" menu selected.
In that situation, your harddrive works, but your DVD does not?
If so, this should be fixed in the driver, but to get things working I

believe you may try with both the above driver for your harddisk and the old

IDE driver for the DVD:
<*>   Enhanced IDE/MFM/RLL disk/cdrom/tape/floppy support

<*>     Include IDE/ATAPI CDROM support (NEW)

[*]     PCI IDE chipset support

[*]     Generic PCI bus-master DMA support

<*>       Intel PIIXn chipsets support
(do not select IDE/ATA-2 disk support)
where you may need to boot with a "libata.atapi_enabled=0" kernel parameter.
Not actually particularly sure if that works given that it's the same chip

and all it seems but anyways, please first verify results with only that

SATA driver.
Rene.

-

Okay, now it's tested as you said. In fact, in this way with only the SATA

drivers activated and ATA/ATAPI support completely unselected, my HDD works

but my DVD not.
Unselected.
Now, I have this kernel panic:

###################

#VFS: cannot open root device "sda3" or unknown-block (0,0)

#Please, append a correct "root=" boot option; here are the available

#partitions:

#1600 4194302 hdc driver: ide-cdrom

#Kernel panic - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on

#unknown-block(0,0)
This parameter has no effect. I have the same kernel panic with or without it.
José Luis Patiño.

-

Okay. Jeff, Alan -- 2.6.20.15 apparently working. A few weeks ago there was

another report of a DVD drive failing detection on pata_amd (my CD and DVD

drives work fine on pata_amd). Did some ATAPI timeouts change or something?
He's using:
00:1f.2 IDE interface: Intel Corporation 82801GBM/GHM (ICH7 Family) Serial 
Okay, makes sense, seems the new driver simply can't grab the SATA part

anymore when the old driver already's got the IDE part -- I wasn't sure

about that (not a SATA user myself -- just noticed your report due to

noticing that previous one due to pata_amd...).
The old SATA driver available from the IDE menu also does not support your

chip, so I don't believe there are any workarounds -- you'll need the issue

fixed.
Rene.
-

drivers and it should all work fine.

-

He has a SATA harddrive and an IDE DVD drive. When he compiles with

CONFIG_ATA_PIIX (a driver which advertises both SATA and PATA in its

description) his drive works, his DVD does not. Is that not the correct

driver? Does he need something else? How does he get his DVD to work?
Rene.
-

Well of course the DVD should show up as /dev/sr0 or scd0 with the new

driver, not the /dev/hd? name.  And scsi cdrom support is required too.
--

Len Sorensen

-

Obviously. Looking back through the report, him having SCSI CD-ROM support

wasn't actually explicit so that might in fact be the problem but his

self-compiled 2.6.20.15 worked and a 2.6.22 based Open SuSE Live CD does not

(and he does have SCSI disk support, which suggests he will've likely also

have thought of SCSI CD-ROM support) so it does not seem to be.
José: do you have SCSI CD-ROM support compiled in? What are the ATA/SCSI

related messages in the output of "dmesg" when you compile with the

CONFIG_ATA_PIIX driver, SCSI disk and SCSI CD-ROM support (and nothing from

the old IDE menu)?
Rene.
-

Hi again. I'm very sorry for the delay. I was on a travel since wednesday 22.
Okay Rene, I activated SCSI CD-ROM support in kernel config and now all works

again. It's strange, because I never used this option to get my DVD device

on.
Well, sorry for the inconvenience. Thanks for your help.

-

Sheesh. How could anyone _not_ understand you need SCSI CD-ROM support for

your IDE DVD-RW drive...
Rene "Sigh" Herman
-

Welcome to the wonderful world of SCSIfying ATA. (Don't talk about

ATAPI, USB/Firewire, it's a different matter.)
	Jan

--

-

Well -- the world where ATA, SCSI, USB, Firewire and what have you are

low-level drivers to a unifying storage layer is under non too obscure

definitions sort of not non-wonderful...
Admittedly, the unifying layer is a little SCSI inspired but so is a lot of

the hardware. As long as the users (the humans) resist SCSI inspiration, it

should be safe.
Rene

-

USB / Firewire / FC / iSCSI are all SCSI transports and fit within the

SCSI subsystem by design.
ie. Just like ethernet, DSL, T-1, etc can all carry IP traffic with no

conceptual conflict, many media by design carry SCSI traffic.
The PATA and SATA physical layer typically carry ATA commands and

having them tied into the SCSI stack is an aberration that I hope will

be eliminated some day.
ATAPI is an exception.  Not sure where that would end up in a perfect world.
Greg

--

Greg Freemyer

Litigation Triage Solutions Specialist

http://www.linkedin.com/in/gregfreemyer
The Norcross Group

The Intersection of Evidence & Technology

http://www.norcrossgroup.com

-

As said, if you make a bit of an effort to view the former SCSI stack as a

unified storage midlayer the abberation becomes less abberational (if that's

a word).
Real SCSI, the other SCSI transports and ATAPI would just use more of the

common mid-layer than P/SATA would. I'd expect the way forward would be to

just refactor things until someone notices that drivers/scsi is the wrong

place for sd.c and sr.c and moves them to drivers/block or whereever.
Practically, the PATA driver gives me (almost) the same throughput as the

old IDE driver does, and given that I need the former SCSI stack _anyway_

for my external USB harddrive, I don't see a pressing need to carry along

yet another storage stack for my harddrive.
Rene.
-

But isn't SATA related to SAS?  And isn't SAS using SCSI commands?  And

if ATAPI is essentially SCSI commands, and everything other then disks

use ATAPI on ATA, then that makes ATA disks the odd ball, and mangling

it into line with everything else isn't that bad (since all other ATA

devices are close to SCSI already).
--

Len Sorensen

-

I guess eventually all disks will appear the same, just like on BSD and

many other systems (probably most other systems). :)
--

Len Sorensen

-

I had the same issue when I compiled 2.6.22 on my T60 (SATA_AHCI drives

my hd). I workarounded it selecting IDE_GENERIC as a module.
Worth a try…
--

Kiko

Private mail is preferred encrypted:

http://www.pirispons.net/pgpkey.html

-

> "Intel ESB, ICH, PIIX3, PIIX4 PATA/SATA support"
Not for the newer chips. You want ATA/SATA (PIIX and possibly AHCI)
Why deliberately disable atapi when you need atapi ?
Alan

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That _is_ the *config description for the new (CONFIG_ATA_PIIX) driver (in 
Because he described the problem that if he got his (SATA) disk supported he

lost his (PATA) DVD drive. Although I'm as said not completely sure it would

actually work, I suggested compiling in both ATA_PIIX (yes, and sd) for his

drive and the IDE PIIX/ICH driver and ide-cd for his DVD, where if it works

at all, passing the above option may or may not be useful.
But his report, although expansive, was a little unclear. Let's wait for

what happens with only ATA_PIIIX.
Rene.

-