Re: replacement for ide-generic in Wheezy?
Hello,
On 09/08/13 02:31, Gary Dale wrote:
> On 08/08/13 12:20 PM, Darac Marjal wrote:
>> On Thu, Aug 08, 2013 at 12:06:23PM -0400, Gary Dale wrote:
>>> On 08/08/13 06:28 AM, Jerome BENOIT wrote:
>>>> Hello Gary,
>>>>
>>>> On 08/08/13 11:39, Gary Dale wrote:
>>>>> The various ide modules (ide-generic, ide-cdrom, etc.) seem to be missing in the Wheezy kernel. However they still compile a 486 kernel so I'm assuming there is some intent to continue to support older hardware.
>>>>>
>>>>> In my case, I have an old laptop that I could run Squeeze on by including ide-generic in the /etc/initramfstool/modules file. However the same thing doesn't work in Wheezy because there is no ide-generic module.
>>>>>
>>>>> Googling around, I found one post that suggested it's been superseded by libata but I can't find that either.
>>>>>
>>>>> Is 486-era hardware still supported in the newer kernels or is this a lost cause?
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I guess that it is still supported by the kernel, but not by the kernel deb package as distributed by debian.
>>>> You may build your own kernel, and the following link is a good place to start:
>>>>
>>>> http://kernel-handbook.alioth.debian.org
>>>>
>>>> hth,
>>>> Jerome
>>>
>>> Thanks. This would be a truly bizarre situation - creating a 486
>>> kernel package for people but omitting the basic hardware drivers
>>> for hardware of the that vintage.
>>>
>>> The basic difference between the 486 and 686 kernels is support for
>>> PAE. Pentium processors lack PAE but would generally need the IDE
>>> drivers.
>>>
>>> In my case, I'm talking about Pentium-MMX @ 200MHz, which is far
>>> less powerful than a Raspberry Pi but still useful. However the
>>> CD-ROM and disk drives of that time need IDE drivers.
>>>
>>> It wasn't long after that PAE was added (in the Pentium Pro and
>>> later). Why would anyone make a 486 kernel and not include the
>>> drivers? I could understand, but not agree with, dropping 486
>>> support as some distros have done. But to simply not compile the
>>> drivers seems silly.
>>
>> Newer kernels, as you've mentioned, use libata to interface with
>> Parallel ATA devices (which is what most 486-era drives are). AIUI, this
>> is a new set of code that works both with SATA and PATA drives. Common
>> code means more people use it, less bit-rot etc. If does, however, come
>> with the side effect that /dev/hd* is now /dev/sd* (even if it's not a
>> SCSI disk. I suspect the initial S is now meaningless).
>>
>> If you need to access a drive that's pre-IDE (so MFM, RLL etc), then
>> yes, you'll need the old code.
>>
>> However, the chances are very likely that CONFIG_ATA_GENERIC (aka
>> ata_generic.ko) is the successor you want.
>>
>
> I found the ata_generic module in Squeeze, Wheezy and Jessie. However, it doesn't seem to help. While I'd expect that it would be in the initramfs, I included it in /etc/initramfs-tools/modules anyway but I still can't boot with the Wheezy kernel.
>
> It's presence in Squeeze probably stems from an ongoing attempt to move all IDE code into one module. I'm wondering if someone got a little overzealous in deciding that they'd covered their bases when they removed ide-generic.
>
>
Just build your own kernel.
Jerome
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