From: nbladt@autelca.ascom.ch (Norbert Bladt)
Subject: [386BSD] EISA 486/33 with Adaptec 1742A - The story ...
Summary: Still can't install the system
Keywords: EISA 1742A
Organization: Ascom Autelca AG, Guemligen, Switzerland
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 11:03:40 GMT

I am "using" 386BSD since some weeks.
I have a standard 486/25 Mhz ISA system with the Adaptec 1542B at work (is
working well) and a 486/33 Mhz EISA system with Adaptec 1742A (in 1542B mode)
at home (has some troubles getting started).

I am using the new scsi-drivers from Julian Elischer (thanks to you
for your work, Julian).
This is what I have accomplished so far (all real work like compiling the kernel
sources, creating new boot floppies, etc. was done on the ISA 1542B system):

I build a new kernel with the new scsi-drivers.
I created new dist.fs and fixit.fs floppies.
This all works on the ISA system with 1542B.
After booting the new kernel on my EISA system, my harddrive and even the
Archive 150 MB SCSI streamer are detected by 386BSD, now.
However, if I try to run install on the EISA system the following
happens:

	"install" reports a negative number of Megabytes available on my
	harddisk.

It seems to me that the total disk-space read by "install" from somewhere
is always 0 (zero). And "install" subtracts one MB from this number.
Proof:
	1. If there is no room on the harddisk left (all for MS-DOS),
	"install" reports:
			You have -497 MB free.
	Since I have a 496 MB drive, the calculation for free space is:
		Total_capacity_of_drive - 496 MB - 1 MB = -497 MB
		-> Total capacity is 0 MB !
	2. If there is 100 MB reserved for MS-DOS which I would like to use,
	"install" reports:
			You have -101 MB free.
	Calculation in this case:
		Total_capacity_of_drive - 100 MB - 1 MB = -101 MB,
		again: total capacity must be zero.

I tried to install 386BSD on my harddisk without using the "install" program.
This is for two reasons:
	1. "install" does not work (see above) and
	2. I should have more than 5 MB swap space because I have 16MB RAM !
I could install the system somehow but I couldn't get it to boot from my
harddisk. It always displayed just the message:
	cyl 0 ...	(all values 0 incl. the "offset" which should be != 0).
And then, it just hangs. I guess the reason is that the offset is 0.
This was with the old boot-blocks (asboot, bootas) which should work (and they
do with the 1542A ISA system at work).

Then I switched to the new boot-blocks (with use of BIOS), again from Julian
(thanks again). Now I could boot from the harddisk but it overwrote my DOS
partition table. It seems to me that I can't have a MS-DOS partition
with the new boot-blocks.

If I somehow install 386BSD (EISA system) on my harddisk and I boot from the
floppy I can use both, the harddisk and the streamer. Although, after a while
the system hangs with "aha0: timed out" and I have to reboot. At least,
I can use my harddisk now.
But, I want to boot from the harddisk, finally.

I will take the disk which is now connected to the ISA 1542B system
home and try to use it. If it boots at home, I will take the disk
I have at home now and install the system on the ISA 1542B system.
Then I can use this disk with my EISA 1742A system.

But, that is not a real "solution" to my problem. I can imagine
getting problems if I try to build new kernels, etc. at home.

Now, is there anybody who is running 386BSD (i.e. installed it
successfully) on an EISA system like mine, i.e. with SCSI controller ?

Norbert Bladt.

BTW: I tried both versions of the disktab entry for my drive.
One with geometry translation and one without. No difference.
I am using the Fujitsu 2624SA drive which has more sectors per track
on the outer cylinders than on the inner ones. Although, the
"SCSI sense" reports: 64 sectors/track, 11 heads, 512 bytes/sector
and 1429 cylinders ! I guess this means, that the drive is doing
translation somehow ! Do the 386BSD drivers have to care about this ?
-- 
Norbert Bladt, Ascom Autelca AG, Worbstr. 201, CH-3073 Guemligen, Switzerland
Phone: +41 31 999 65 52			FAX: +41 31 999 65 44
Mail: nbladt@autelca.ascom.ch   UUCP: ..!uunet!mcsun!chsun!hslrswi!aut!nbladt
Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd