[9fans] Install CD hanging on "probing floppy"

[9fans] Install CD hanging on "probing floppy"

[Justin Jackson]

I tried to install Plan 9 on a mass-produced Acer machine (Pentium 4,
2.4 GHz, so not too old) and it's freezing after printing, "plan9.ini
probe...probing floppy...probing floppy"...

I don't really need the floppy drive, so I unplugged it hoping that
would make a difference. It didn't.

I'm still a Plan 9 beginner, so any help and advice would be greatly
appreciated.

Thanks!

-Justin

Re: [9fans] Install CD hanging on "probing floppy"

[Steve Simon]

I have been playing with an 2004 vintage P4 machine which
similarly hangs at probing floppy... but after a long time,
perhaps 30 secs it continues.

Have you tried waiting for this long?

Have you tried Erik's alternative distribution:
ftp://ftp.quanstro.net/other/plan9.iso.bz2

It has subtly different drivers and might suit your machine better.

-Steve

Re: [9fans] Install CD hanging on "probing floppy"

[Justin Jackson]

I'll let it sit for a while and see if it goes anywhere...

Is the distribution you linked to anything like 9atom? Trying 9atom
seems to be a common suggestion for these issues, so I gave it a shot
and it freezes too, though the output is a little bit different. It
prints:

PBS1...Plan 9 from Bell Labs
ELCR: 0E20
pcirouting: 8086/24DB at pin 1 irq 5
cpu0: 2793 MHz Pentium IV/Xeon loop 53571
apm ax=f000 cx=f000 dx=fdf9 di=0 ebx=100469 esi=0
found 5 e820 entries

...and then freezes.


On Mon, Mar 22, 2010 at 5:02 AM, Steve Simon <steve@quintile.net> wrote:
> I have been playing with an 2004 vintage P4 machine which
> similarly hangs at probing floppy... but after a long time,
> perhaps 30 secs it continues.
>
> Have you tried waiting for this long?
>
> Have you tried Erik's alternative distribution:
> ftp://ftp.quanstro.net/other/plan9.iso.bz2
>
> It has subtly different drivers and might suit your machine better.
>
> -Steve
>
>

Re: [9fans] Install CD hanging on "probing floppy"

[erik quanstrom]

On Mon Mar 22 07:12:02 EDT 2010, jjackson385@gmail.com wrote:
> I'll let it sit for a while and see if it goes anywhere...
>
> Is the distribution you linked to anything like 9atom? Trying 9atom
> seems to be a common suggestion for these issues, so I gave it a shot
> and it freezes too, though the output is a little bit different. It
> prints:
>
> PBS1...Plan 9 from Bell Labs
> ELCR: 0E20
> pcirouting: 8086/24DB at pin 1 irq 5
> cpu0: 2793 MHz Pentium IV/Xeon loop 53571
> apm ax=f000 cx=f000 dx=fdf9 di=0 ebx=100469 esi=0
> found 5 e820 entries
>
> ...and then freezes.

i've experienced this too.  but not on a pentium iii machine.

the root of the problem is that ich5 (8086/24db) is one of
intel's first attempts at a sata/ide controller, and it doesn't
work very well.  there are ways for the sata controller to
wedge the ide side of things, and vice versa.

9atom has a number of defenses against this.  you may
be able to boot with it, but mixing sata and ide on ich5
basically doesn't work.  the easy and cheep solution is
to get a sata cdrom.

- erik

Re: [9fans] Install CD hanging on "probing floppy"

[EBo]

> ...
> > PBS1...Plan 9 from Bell Labs
> > ELCR: 0E20
> > pcirouting: 8086/24DB at pin 1 irq 5
> > cpu0: 2793 MHz Pentium IV/Xeon loop 53571
> > apm ax=f000 cx=f000 dx=fdf9 di=0 ebx=100469 esi=0
> > found 5 e820 entries
> >
> > ...and then freezes.
>
> i've experienced this too.  but not on a pentium iii machine.

I think his is a pentium iv and the p-iii runs, but the new gateway (AMD
Phenom(tm) II X4 805 Processor) is the one that hangs.  Also, that is *with* a
sata cdrom.  Actually, poking around I've found a possible bios bug.  turning
off the ide support in the bios helps the cdrom to work, -- it runs, but not
installs -- because it cannot see any of the sata disks.  When I swap out the
sata dvdrom for an ide-dvdrom, enable both ide and sata (ahci) it installs,
but then has trouble booting...

One bright bit of sucess: I was able to install 9atom on my Acer 5720z laptop
-- but the thernet is not recognized.  That is why I am hammering some more on
the gateway dx4300 -- at least it is open archecture and I can install an old
3com 100bT connection...

> the root of the problem is that ich5 (8086/24db) is one of
> intel's first attempts at a sata/ide controller, and it doesn't
> work very well.  there are ways for the sata controller to
> wedge the ide side of things, and vice versa.
>
> 9atom has a number of defenses against this.  you may
> be able to boot with it, but mixing sata and ide on ich5
> basically doesn't work.  the easy and cheep solution is
> to get a sata cdrom.

Maybe it is some weird compatibility issue with the specific DVD...  It was
the one that came from the manufacturer...

I'll keep banging on this and post any updates I find.

Oh, before I forget.  Eric, thanks a LOT for providing the 9aton ISO!!!!!


  EBo --

Re: [9fans] Install CD hanging on "probing floppy"

[Justin Jackson]

> the root of the problem is that ich5 (8086/24db) is one of
> intel's first attempts at a sata/ide controller, and it doesn't
> work very well.  there are ways for the sata controller to
> wedge the ide side of things, and vice versa.
>
> 9atom has a number of defenses against this.  you may
> be able to boot with it, but mixing sata and ide on ich5
> basically doesn't work.  the easy and cheep solution is
> to get a sata cdrom.

Erik,

That's really interesting...how do you keep up with all that hardware?

I'll give it a try with a sata cdrom. Thanks!


-Justin

Re: [9fans] Install CD hanging on "probing floppy"

[erik quanstrom]

> Erik,
>
> That's really interesting...how do you keep up with all that hardware?
>
> I'll give it a try with a sata cdrom. Thanks!

it's the accumulated detrius of a few years' running with
various hardware.  the original terminal i had at coraid
(which i still have) is a pentium iv with an early ich
southbridge has these issues, which i solved.  only to be
confronted by an unfortunately constructed mp table.

- erik

Re: [9fans] Install CD hanging on "probing floppy"

[cinap_lenrek]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 642 bytes --]

9load will be gone soon.  muzgo and i are working on 9pcload wich will
use /dev/reboot to start the final kernel and use the native plan9
drivers.  9pcload will itself be loaded by some simple bootblocks.  we
have iso (el torito in non emulation mode - no floppy emulation) and
pxe working already.  for harddisk here are lba and chs bootblocks
available that load 9pcload from a patchable lba offset and a multi
staged loader that will detect lba/chs automatically and is more
flexible on finding 9pcload is in the works.

this terminal and my thinkpad are already network booted without any
9load involvement!

:)

--
cinap

[-- Attachment #2: Type: message/rfc822, Size: 2588 bytes --]

From: "Steve Simon" <steve@quintile.net>
To: 9fans@9fans.net
Subject: Re: [9fans] Install CD hanging on "probing floppy"
Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2010 10:02:09 +0000
Message-ID: <a32f10179711d0c1986fe79e72063e65@quintile.net>

I have been playing with an 2004 vintage P4 machine which
similarly hangs at probing floppy... but after a long time,
perhaps 30 secs it continues.

Have you tried waiting for this long?

Have you tried Erik's alternative distribution:
ftp://ftp.quanstro.net/other/plan9.iso.bz2

It has subtly different drivers and might suit your machine better.

-Steve

Re: [9fans] Install CD hanging on "probing floppy"

[EBo]

I've been having similar trouble trying to install native on 3 of my 4
machines.  Using an old PIII-500 box I was finally able to get it running once
I reconfigured some of the hardware.  Once I got that running I started
hammering on my my new Gateway.  The issue I appear to be having on my other 3
machines is that they all, if I'm not mistaken, is they all have SATA drives.
 When I plugged an IDE DVD into the gateway it booted.  Unfortunately it is
not seeing *ANY* of my 3 SATA devices.  I've had similar problems with my Acer
laptop.  I'm currently doing a backup of one of my old IDE backup hard drives
so I can plug that in and see if that will work.

Can you give us a link to your ISO's for us to try?

  Thanks and best regards,

  EBo --


cinap_lenrek@gmx.de said:

> 9load will be gone soon.  muzgo and i are working on 9pcload wich will
> use /dev/reboot to start the final kernel and use the native plan9
> drivers.  9pcload will itself be loaded by some simple bootblocks.  we
> have iso (el torito in non emulation mode - no floppy emulation) and
> pxe working already.  for harddisk here are lba and chs bootblocks
> available that load 9pcload from a patchable lba offset and a multi
> staged loader that will detect lba/chs automatically and is more
> flexible on finding 9pcload is in the works.
>
> this terminal and my thinkpad are already network booted without any
> 9load involvement!
>
> :)
>
> --
> cinap
>



--

Re: [9fans] Install CD hanging on "probing floppy"

[David Leimbach]

[-- Attachment #1: Type: text/plain, Size: 1356 bytes --]

Cool!

On Mon, Mar 22, 2010 at 4:21 AM, <cinap_lenrek@gmx.de> wrote:

> 9load will be gone soon.  muzgo and i are working on 9pcload wich will
> use /dev/reboot to start the final kernel and use the native plan9
> drivers.  9pcload will itself be loaded by some simple bootblocks.  we
> have iso (el torito in non emulation mode - no floppy emulation) and
> pxe working already.  for harddisk here are lba and chs bootblocks
> available that load 9pcload from a patchable lba offset and a multi
> staged loader that will detect lba/chs automatically and is more
> flexible on finding 9pcload is in the works.
>
> this terminal and my thinkpad are already network booted without any
> 9load involvement!
>
> :)
>
> --
> cinap
>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: "Steve Simon" <steve@quintile.net>
> To: 9fans@9fans.net
> Date: Mon, 22 Mar 2010 10:02:09 +0000
> Subject: Re: [9fans] Install CD hanging on "probing floppy"
> I have been playing with an 2004 vintage P4 machine which
> similarly hangs at probing floppy... but after a long time,
> perhaps 30 secs it continues.
>
> Have you tried waiting for this long?
>
> Have you tried Erik's alternative distribution:
> ftp://ftp.quanstro.net/other/plan9.iso.bz2
>
> It has subtly different drivers and might suit your machine better.
>
> -Steve
>

[-- Attachment #2: Type: text/html, Size: 1857 bytes --]

Re: [9fans] Install CD hanging on "probing floppy"

[erik quanstrom]

> Have you tried Erik's alternative distribution:
> ftp://ftp.quanstro.net/other/plan9.iso.bz2

please don't use that!  that's just the base image that
i change the kernel (and a few other things) from.
the correct path is
	ftp://ftp.quanstro.net/other/9atom.iso.bz2

- erik

Re: [9fans] Install CD hanging on "probing floppy"

[Adriano Verardo]

Steve Simon wrote:
> I have been playing with an 2004 vintage P4 machine which
> similarly hangs at probing floppy... but after a long time,
> perhaps 30 secs it continues.
>
> Have you tried waiting for this long?
>
> Have you tried Erik's alternative distribution:
> ftp://ftp.quanstro.net/other/plan9.iso.bz2
>
> It has subtly different drivers and might suit your machine better.
>
> -Steve
>
>
>
>
The same behaviour of Advantech pc6773 (an industrial PC board) when there
are enabled floppy ports with no drive connected (or correctly powered).
Disabling the port(s) in the BIOS or connecting drive(s) avoid the 9load
delay.

adriano