nbladt@aut.autelca.ascom.ch (Norbert Bladt) (12/17/90)
Hi ISC and Adaptec gurus ! I am trying to install ISC 2.2 on the following system: 386 Motherboard 33 Mhz, 8 MB RAM Adpatec 1542B SCSI Controller Micropolis 350 MB Harddisk STB Powergraph VGA Board EIZO (Nanao) 9070-SZ monitor (16") As you may guess, I have a big problem, here. After inserting the boot floppy for ISC 2.2 the text Booting the UNIX System... is shown on the screen, but that's it. The system just hangs after accessing the floppy several times. I think, the main problem is, that there is NO HARDDISK info stored in the BIOS (CMOS) data area. The setup shows - no harddisk installed - for drives C: and D: (DOS naming). That may be the reason for hanging, because the ISC boot program can't find a disk. I tried several things to persuade this program to boot, anyway. Among them were: 1. disable Adaptec's on-board BIOS. 2. enter the data for the drive (64 heads, 322 cyl., 32 sec/trk) into the CMOS and 2.a disable Adaptec BIOS 2.b enable Adaptec BIOS (which installs the disk as drive D: now because I entered data for drive C:) Now, there is no C: (or first) harddisk in the system -> Boot hangs !?! As you can guess, no success up to now. BTW: I determined the data for the drive from one of the HW-configuration display programs available. These data may be wrong, but it shouldn't really matter for SCSI disks, right ? I have read in this newsgroup, that it is possible to use this combination of harddisk and controller for a second disk or tape. This might be true, because of the automatic installation and overwriting of the CMOS RAM (?) by the Adaptec BIOS. (I hate automatic procedures which can't be disabled !!!) Did someone solve this problem or should I give all my hard- and software (?) back and get a real system, i.e. which works ? Isn't it funny how MS-DOS forces SOME hardware and software companies to think, that there are NO OTHER OS's ?? (Other example: Intel Cache controller 82385) Oh, just one remark: Because we had a lot of problems with disks losing their information "can't read sector xyz", this could be a problem with the boot disk, too. But, i think, there is another problem than just that. So, if anyone can help me, ... Thank you very much in advance, Norbert Bladt. -- Norbert Bladt, Ascom Autelca AG, Worbstr. 201, CH-3073 Guemligen, Switzerland Phone: +41 31 52 92 14 Mail: nbladt@autelca.ascom.ch UUCP: ..!uunet!mcsun!chx400!hslrswi!aut!nbladt
cpcahil@virtech.uucp (Conor P. Cahill) (12/19/90)
In article <1220@aut.autelca.ascom.ch> nbladt@aut.UUCP (Norbert Bladt) writes: >As you may guess, I have a big problem, here. >After inserting the boot floppy for ISC 2.2 the text >Booting the UNIX System... >is shown on the screen, but that's it. The system just hangs >after accessing the floppy several times. There should be no problem using the adaptec with ISC unix. Your problem may be with some of the other cards in the system. >I think, the main problem is, that there is NO HARDDISK info >stored in the BIOS (CMOS) data area. The setup shows This is the way SCSI works. ISC can (and has on several systems that we have installed) find the SCSI devices attached to both adaptec and future domain controllers. >Because we had a lot of problems with disks losing their information >"can't read sector xyz", this could be a problem with the boot disk, too. One thing you might want to make sure is that the video monitor is far away from the machine while you are installing it. We just ran into a bunch of problems when installing a system with the monitor sitting on top of the machine (tower case with outer casing off) all caused by floppy errors. Moving the monitor to a desk as far away from the machine as we could get it solved the problems (and the errors on the floppy disks disappeared). -- Conor P. Cahill (703)430-9247 Virtual Technologies, Inc., uunet!virtech!cpcahil 46030 Manekin Plaza, Suite 160 Sterling, VA 22170
tima@bcs800.UUCP (Tim Addington) (12/19/90)
In <1220@aut.autelca.ascom.ch> nbladt@aut.autelca.ascom.ch (Norbert Bladt) writes: >As you may guess, I have a big problem, here. >After inserting the boot floppy for ISC 2.2 the text >Booting the UNIX System... >is shown on the screen, but that's it. The system just hangs >after accessing the floppy several times. I have had this same problem and it turned out to be an interrupt problem. that seems to be to point where ISC hangs if the Adaptec card is not set for the interrupt configured in the kernel. Have you tried setting the AHA card to different interrupt levels? I'm not sure what the boot floppy is expecting for an interrupt but it seem like maybe 11 (or 14)? Of course, this could just be the general crash and burn point for an Interactive boot and your problem could be something totally unrelated.
grant@bluemoon.uucp (Grant DeLorean) (12/22/90)
nbladt@aut.autelca.ascom.ch (Norbert Bladt) writes: > I am trying to install ISC 2.2 on the following system: > > 386 Motherboard 33 Mhz, 8 MB RAM > Adpatec 1542B SCSI Controller > Micropolis 350 MB Harddisk > STB Powergraph VGA Board > EIZO (Nanao) 9070-SZ monitor (16") > > As you may guess, I have a big problem, here. > After inserting the boot floppy for ISC 2.2 the text > Booting the UNIX System... > is shown on the screen, but that's it. The system just hangs > after accessing the floppy several times. This sounds somewhat familiar... Make sure your 1542B is set to use IRQ 11 and DMA 5. That is hard coded into the install kernel that way, and some of the 1542B cards seem to have gone out configured for DMA 6. Just make sure the jumpers are all in the same "default" locations as shown in the little pamphlet that came with the controller (the installation guide). > I think, the main problem is, that there is NO HARDDISK info > stored in the BIOS (CMOS) data area. The setup shows > - no harddisk installed - for drives C: and D: (DOS naming). > That may be the reason for hanging, because the ISC boot program > can't find a disk. Nope, that is the way it should be for the 1542 to work. You don't have any hard drives as far as the BIOS is concerned. :-} Take the hard drive definitions back out of the CMOS setup tables... > Isn't it funny how MS-DOS forces SOME hardware and software companies to > think, that there are NO OTHER OS's ?? Funny how it didn't happen to Adaptec, they will tell you that the 1542B is wasted under DOS (that was why they released the 1522, which isn't anywhere near as smart a controller). Grant DeLorean (grant@bluemoon) {...osu-cis!n8emr!, ...towers!, ...nstar!}bluemoon!grant ### So just remember, if a weirdo in a blue suit comes up and offers you some DOS, just say NO! (a message from the President's War on DOS committee) ###
pete@fidata.fidata.fi (Petri Helenius) (12/25/90)
I don't know, if Intel got out some 33Mhz-buggy-versions but at least with 25Mhz 386 you'll have no hope of installing ISC 2.2 prior processor revision SX219 (note that the SX does not stand for 386SX). And even with that processor some motherboards just refuse to bring up the OS. (they hang at the very point you're describing). If I were you I'll check your processor revision (it's on the top of the chip). -- -------------------------------------------------------------- Petri Helenius, Fimeko-Data Oy Phone +358-0-458 2421 ----------------------------------! Telefax +358-0-458 2425 Looking for Unix(r) FAX-system ? ! Internet pete@fidata.fi Mail queries to unifax@fidata.fi ! FidoNet 2:504/23.0 --------------------------------------------------------------
mark@zok.UUCP (Mark W. Snitily) (12/28/90)
In article <1yyJu4w163w@bluemoon.uucp> grant@bluemoon.uucp (Grant DeLorean) writes: >nbladt@aut.autelca.ascom.ch (Norbert Bladt) writes: > >> I am trying to install ISC 2.2 on the following system: >> >> 386 Motherboard 33 Mhz, 8 MB RAM You may also want to check the rev of your 80386/33 CPU. Quoting from an article posted back in early July '90: ... Today I spoke with an engineer with Transcomputer who has *solved* the mysterious ISC 2.2 install disk hang problem. Evidently the new 2.2 release enables instruction pipelining in the 386 processor, something which ISC neglected to tell us poor souls. Check your 386 processor, just below the i386 logo should be the processor version. If the chip is the SX211 version, you're in trouble because there is a bug in processor regarding instruction pipelining (don't confuse SX211 with the 386SX chip! we're talking about the processor revision number here!). The solution is to replace the chip with the "SX219" version, the hang problem will vanish completely. I indeed checked my processor and I have the faulty 386 chip. intel i386 A80386DX-33 IV SX211 <== There it is! L9310437 INTEL (m)(c) '85 I advise everyone to check their processor version before upgrading or purchasing 2.2, this problem will most likely affect *any* machine with the SX211 version chip. -- Arthur W. Neilson III | ARPA: art@pilikia.pegasus.com Bank of Hawaii Tech Support | UUCP: uunet!ucsd!nosc!pegasus!pilikia!art Happy Holidays. -- Mark Mark W. Snitily Consulting Services: 894 Brookgrove Lane Graphics, Operating Systems, Compilers Cupertino, CA 95014 (408) 252-0456 mark@zok.uucp West Coast UUCP X11 archive site If your mailer doesn't like the .uucp domain, these also work: ...!{mips,sgi}!zok!mark, mark%zok@mips.com, mark%zok@sgi.com For an interesting symmetry, look at the 1661 and 1991 calendars.