1) What version of RAID are you using?
2) Are the drivers for this controller source code or binary modules
or...?
3) Are you using the agpart patches?
I think you have an uncommon configuration with perhaps lower quality
drivers. I suggest rolling your own kernel with the new RAID, good agp
patches, and whatever patches--if any--you need for Initio.
$0.02,
-s
p.s.- no whining on the list. sometimes people just don't have an
answer. :)
Hugh Bragg wrote:
>
> This is still a problem for me.
>
> I have had no support or help in any way on this one.
>
> Hugh Bragg wrote:
> >
> > I'm running S/W raid-1 with 2 18G seagate barracuda on a Initio
> > 1060P U2W SCSI Controller and a C&T 69000 VGA controller for
> > AGP interface on Linux RH 6.2.
> >
> > Initially this works fine, untill I start using S/W raid-1.
> > My XFont-server fails immediately.
> > If I already have XFree86-3.3.6-20 running it starts cycling
> > to get the display going but never does.
> > If I attempt to run XF86Setup it freezes the computer tighter
> > than a ...
> >
> > I have several of these boxes and the same thing occurs on all
> > of them.
> >
> > The only possible explanation I can think of is that the SCSI
> > controller and the VGA controller are on the same interrupt,
> > but there is no way to change that as they are both embedded
> > into the Peak 635 series motherboards, and I don't think this
> > should make any difference.
> >
> > Does anyone know if the XFree86 or XFont-server somehow try to
> > use the interrupt and possibly hang the SCSI controller?
> >
> > Is there any other explanation I can try?
> >
> > Hugh.
>
> The manufacturer says the interrupt conflict isn't an issue
> on an industrial machine so I wonder why Xwindows breaks when
> raid is installed.
>
> diana gray wrote:
> >
> > Hi Hugh,
> >
> > Yes in a normal (desktop) environment an IRQ is a system wide resource,
> > however in an industrial environment where you may have up to 20 PCI slots
> > and if you include onboard devices up to about 26 PCI devices, you require a
> > revised architecture because you have long since exhausted your interrupts.
> > The Processor is mounted onto a Single Board Computer (SBC), which has all
> > the necessary controllers to form a complete system, in addition it also
> > requires the ability to control a number of other PCI devices this is done
> > by using PCI Bridge chips these can contain a number of bridges and
> > essentially provide you with additional PCI-Bus's. Each BUS must contain
> > devices with unique addresses but you may utilize the same address on
> > multiple Bus's thus enabling you to address a much larger array of cards
> > within your system.
> > So esssentialy Passive Backplane architecture is very simular to the desktop
> > enviroment but was specificaly designed to allow you to address more
> > devices, a major draw back with desktop systems.
> >
> > I can only suggest that perhaps you could try to do a software RAID on the
> > IDE channel. If it encounters the same problems, then it must be a software
> > issue, which unfortunately I cannot support. I will however try and
> > configure a similar set-up here and see if I can offer you any further
> > assistance.
> >
> > RedHat Linux supports the Initio adapter, just not on the install disk.
> >
> > I wrote to Initio and they send me the install/boot images I required
> > to get the device installed.
> >
> > I'm not too sure about the architecture of the bus systems on the
> > Tigeray or how interrupts are directed onto the bus. I do know that
> > an interrupt is a system wide resource and that unless the VGA adapter
> > doesn't use one, it must have a unique interrupt. Some vga adapters
> > support interrupt sharing but I doubt this is well supported widely as
> > it must be controlled from the bios itself and it is difficult to
> > predict how software will call these devices.
> >
> > It is difficult to understand why people go to all the trouble of making
> > a bus programmable via a slot and then remove this programmability by
> > embedding the device so that it has no slot. Surely the clever thing to
> > do would be to allow the device to be programmable with the bios.
> >
> > We really want this interrupt to be moved away from the other device.
> >
> > The problem may not be with the interrupt conflict at all but there is
> > no way of knowing this without trying.
> >
> > My only other alternative is to disable the Initio SCSI device and
> > attach the disks to another scsi controller. That way I can be sure that
> > the problem if it reoccurs has nothing to do with shared interrupts
> > and something to do with the way Linux software raid interacts with
> > the vga controller.
> >
> > Symptoms:
> > Everything works fine until I install software raid-1. Upon doing so
> > the Xfont server stops working and the X system cycles trying to
> > initialise itself without succeeding. Attempting to run XF86Setup causes
> > the system to hang and nothing short of a full reset brings it back.
> > I have to run the system in run level 3.
> >
> > Help please.
> >
> > Hugh Bragg.
>
> Does anyone have any idea how I might repair the problem as I'm unable
> to
> install oracle properly of use the normal configuration tools.
>
> Hugh.
