Subject: v 0.11 boot disk problem Date: Sun, 8 Dec 91 15:01:30 -0800 From: mpeters@polyslo.csc.calpoly.edu (Marc Peters) To: Linux-activists@joker.cs.hut.fi I just downloaded the new improved v0.11, but it doesn't want to load on my computer. It gives a couple errors similar to HD controller reset failed: 000 Kernel Panic: HD controller not ready and aborts the loading of the system. My computer has an MFM HD and controller which may account for the problem, but v0.10 didn't seem to mind. A friend has a machine with an IDE drive and controller, it gives the first error but loads the system and seems to work fine. If you could direct me toward a cure I'd be happy again, even if the cure involves replacing my HD and controller. But I'm wondering what differences could be in the new kernel that would obsolete my HD and if those changes can't be re-changed. Thank you for your time, Marc Peters
Subject: RE: v 0.11 boot disk problem Date: Mon, 9 Dec 1991 01:18:21 +0200 From: Ari Lemmke <arl@zen.cs.hut.fi> To: Linux-activists@joker.cs.hut.fi In-Reply-To: Marc Peters's message of Sun, 8 Dec 91 15:01:30 -0800 < 9112082301.AA00933@polyslo.csc.calpoly.edu> Linus downloaded new stuff .. so: Linux 0.11 should now be available at nic.funet.fi ... everything needed is in INSTALL directory (actually stuff in INSTALL directory is hard linked from other directories). The main README file changes constantly ... arl
Subject: hd_reset fails in 0.11 Date: Mon, 9 Dec 1991 02:57:40 +0200 From: Linus Benedict Torvalds < torvalds@cc.helsinki.fi> To: Linux-activists@joker.cs.hut.fi Marc Peters: "v 0.11 boot disk problem" (Dec 8, 15:01): > I just downloaded the new improved v0.11, but it doesn't want to load on my > computer. It gives a couple errors similar to > HD controller reset failed: 000 > Kernel Panic: HD controller not ready > and aborts the loading of the system. My computer has an MFM HD and > controller which may account for the problem, but v0.10 didn't seem to mind. > A friend has a machine with an IDE drive and controller, it gives the > first error but loads the system and seems to work fine. Thanks, this is why there are still debug-statements in the code. There are in fact two solutions (I hope) to the problem. Both of them require you to change the file "linux/kernel/blk_drv/hd.c" which does the harddisk specific stuff. As 0.10 doesn't try to reset the controller at bootup, it seems to work, and you can still use it to recompile 0.11. 1 - set static int reset to 0 at startup (currently 1). This means linux won't try to reset the controller in the beginning, but this is just a temporary hack: if there are errors later on that need a reset, you'll be in the same trouble. 2 - try to edit the timeouts in "reset_controller". If memory serves, it's a line that goes like this: outb_p(4,HD_CMD); >> for (i=0 ; i<100 ; i++) nop(); outb_p(xxx,HD_CMD); Change the max value to 10000 or something, and try again. I have only one controller to test, and timing-problems are always the worst kind. There are a couple of other timing-values that are completely arbitrary (guess a number between 1 and 100000, and if it works, it works :-), but this is the first suspect. I'd be very grateful if everybody who encounters this problem would try out (2), and report to me how big the value had to be before the reset made it (or indeed if it works even then). Don't do (1) unless nothing else works. I'd also be interested to know what kind of machine you are running (fast machine, slow disk?). Linus PS. I hope even old linux-users read the INSTALL-file: there is a change in how linux boots up. No more /bin/update, instead linux executes the shell script /etc/rc, which may mount/fsck etc, and start up update in the background.
Subject: hd_reset fails in 0.11 Date: Mon, 9 Dec 1991 03:51:38 +0200 From: Ari Lemmke < arl@zen.cs.hut.fi> To: Linux-activists@joker.cs.hut.fi In-Reply-To: Linus Benedict Torvalds's message of Mon, 9 Dec 1991 02:57:40 +0200 <199112090057.AA06512@kruuna.helsinki.fi> >2 - try to edit the timeouts in "reset_controller". If memory serves, >it's a line that goes like this: > outb_p(4,HD_CMD); > >> for (i=0 ; i<100 ; i++) > nop(); > outb_p(xxx,HD_CMD); >Change the max value to 10000 or something, and try again. I have only >one controller to test, and timing-problems are always the worst kind. >There are a couple of other timing-values that are completely arbitrary >(guess a number between 1 and 100000, and if it works, it works :-), but >this is the first suspect. I hacked one SCSI driver for Mach pc532 ... and there was a lot of static wait loops (aaaaaargh) .. what we did was changed wait loops as: Wait_uSec( 100 ); and Wait_uSec function has loop .. where is (should be) computed one uSec loop. But we have all only 25MHz 32532 chips .. so it was hard coded (ugh). There are many PC 386s around .. like mine .. I'm running my 386/25 with 16 MHz CPU, and don't have guts to run it full speed (gets really hot, and don't have peltier element or any other way to cool my machine just now ;-), so I'm running it about 6 MHz speed (my board has dip for it). arl
Subject: linux-.11 cures unexpected interupt problem Date: Mon, 9 Dec 91 19:56:31 PST From: pmacdona@sol.UVic.CA (Peter MacDonald) To: linux-activists@joker.cs.hut.fi Just a word of praise for linux-0.11. I still get unexpected HD interrupt messages, but I could compile the system, and comment out that message. Which means linux can live with my brain-dead IDE drive, something minix couldn't do without my modifying the harddisk driver.
Subject: Seg Faults under 0.11 From: "LCDR Michael E. Dobson" <rdc30@nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil> To: linux-activists@joker.cs.hut.fi (Linux Mailing List) Date: Tue, 10 Dec 91 10:44:17 EST I seem to be having some trouble with Out of memory errors under 0.11 that I didn't have under 0.10. Uncompress is failing with an: Out of memory. Segmentation Fault error on even small files. At bootup I show 3647 free blocks on the root hd device and 3145728 free bytes of mem. The cu from Will Rose's UUCP 1.2 package also fails with the above error even though I now have it compiling and linking with only some incompatible pointer type warnings, some unused variable warnings, and some implicit function declaration warnings. Can anyone shed some light as to what could be causing the above errors? -- Mike Dobson, Sys Admin for | Internet: rdc30@nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil | UUCP: ...uunet!mimsy!nmrdc1!rdc30 AT&T 3B2/600G Sys V R 3.2.2 | BITNET: dobson@usuhsb or nrd0mxd@vmnmdsc WIN/TCP for 3B2 | MCI-Mail: 377-2719 or 0003772719@mcimail.com
Subject: More Seg Fault troubles From: "LCDR Michael E. Dobson" < rdc30@nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil> To: torvalds@kruuna.helsinki.fi (Linus Torvalds) Date: Tue, 10 Dec 91 16:05:11 EST Cc: linux-activists@joker.cs.hut.fi (Linux Mailing List) Linus, I've found another set of conditions where I can reproducibly generate the out of memory Segmentation fault messages using a simple command. Environment: drwxr-xr-x root sys /usr/spool drwxr-xr-x uucp uucp /usr/spool/uucp ls -l /usr/spool from anywhere but within /usr/spool generates : /usr/spool total 1 out of memory Segmentation fault a plain ls /usr/spool generates: uucp with no errors looks possibly like a EPERM problem during the stat of the directory. -- Mike Dobson, Sys Admin for | Internet: rdc30@nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil | UUCP: ...uunet!mimsy!nmrdc1!rdc30 AT&T 3B2/600G Sys V R 3.2.2 | BITNET: dobson@usuhsb or nrd0mxd@vmnmdsc WIN/TCP for 3B2 | MCI-Mail: 377-2719 or 0003772719@mcimail.com
Subject: Re: More Seg Fault troubles From: "LCDR Michael E. Dobson" < rdc30@nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil> To: torvalds@cc.helsinki.fi (Linus Benedict Torvalds) Date: Wed, 11 Dec 91 12:02:13 EST Cc: linux-activists@joker.cs.hut.fi (Linux Mailing List) In-Reply-To: < 199112102246.AA07956@kruuna.helsinki.fi>; from "Linus Benedict Torvalds" at Dec 11, 91 12:46 am Linus, I've done some more investigating and can give you detailed info that should reproduce the bug on your system. Entry from /etc/passwd that causes problem uucp::5:5:/usr/lib/uucp **NOTE NO ":" on end of entry*** ls -l /usr/spool drwxr-xr-x uucp uucp 48 11 DEc 10:53 uucp /usr/spool total 1 out of memory Segmentation fault ls -lR /usr/spool is ok! cd /usr/spool ls -l is ok! Now for the interesting part: adding ":" to end of uucp entry in /etc/passwd cures problem!! So, you know the code involved, bug or "feature"? -- Mike Dobson, Sys Admin for | Internet: rdc30@nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil nmrdc1.nmrdc.nnmc.navy.mil | UUCP: ...uunet!mimsy!nmrdc1!rdc30 AT&T 3B2/600G Sys V R 3.2.2 | BITNET: dobson@usuhsb or nrd0mxd@vmnmdsc WIN/TCP for 3B2 | MCI-Mail: 377-2719 or 0003772719@mcimail.com