Slackware-current and ICH7

blondais · 03-08-2008, 01:08 AM

As I see in slackware-current is about no

support for ICH7, so sda is becoming hda and working real slow.

Is there any hope this will be fixed, as patch already exist, in coming 12.1?

pdw_hu · 03-08-2008, 01:52 AM

What do you mean no ICH7 support? In the default kernel? The solution is called kernel compile

blondais · 03-08-2008, 05:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdw_hu

What do you mean no ICH7 support? In the default kernel? The solution is called kernel compile

Well. That's why question is about. Will or will not be this in 12.1?
Should I stay to 12.0 or think of upgrade to 12.1?

And if I'd like to compile kernel, I'd choose i.e. Gentoo. What I like Slackware for, it's easiest and most common Linux distribution for me.

Oh, and if there's already exist module changes for alsa in favor to support Intel HDA, why there wouldn't be the same for disk drives?

Franklin · 03-08-2008, 08:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blondais

As I see in slackware-current is about no

support for ICH7, so sda is becoming hda and working real slow.

Is there any hope this will be fixed, as patch already exist, in coming 12.1?

You are not correct in a number of ways:

1. I just installed -current (on ICH5) and the default install kernel (huge-smp) has support for this chipset:

Quote:

Intel ESB, ICH, PIIX3, PIIX4 PATA/SATA support (ATA_PIIX)

This option enables support for ICH5/6/7/8 Serial ATA
and support for PATA on the Intel ESB/ICH/PIIX3/PIIX4 series
host controllers.

and from the .config for the huge-smp kernel:

Quote:

CONFIG_ATA_PIIX=y

2. I have a laptop with ICH7 SATA and have, in the past, experienced the issue with the set-up choosing hda over sda. IIRC, choosing the correct kernel at install resolved the problem in the past. I have not seen this with 12.0 and I have not tried -current on the laptop. If the problem was fixed in the past, I would expect that trend to continue for later stable releases.

3. Your question:

Quote:

Well. That's why question is about. Will or will not be this in 12.1?
Should I stay to 12.0 or think of upgrade to 12.1?

has no meaning since there is no 12.1 (or whatever the next stable release will be). Base your upgrade decisions on the stable release, not what -current can and can't do today. If you can't figure your way arround basic install glitches then you should not be running -current at all.

FWIW, I installed current over nfs using the 12.0 disk 1 to initiate the install. This would solve the problem you imagine you have.

4.

Quote:

And if I'd like to compile kernel, I'd choose i.e. Gentoo. What I like Slackware for, it's easiest and most common Linux distribution for me.

If you think compiling Gentoo is less work than fixing this then I can't help you.

5.

Quote:

Oh, and if there's already exist module changes for alsa in favor to support Intel HDA, why there wouldn't be the same for disk drives?

I'm not sure what you are asking.

jets0n · 03-08-2008, 09:23 AM

It's not an error, it's just the way slackware generic kernels are compiled. Including ata_piix in initrd should fix it. As far as i have noticed, it's connected to ide disk drivers overriding the sata ones. I was unable to boot 2.6.24.3 until i realized that ide drivers must be compiled in as modules.

OT: A common error is that people forget to specify "combined_mode=libata", so their CD/DVD drive ends up as hd* instead as sr*, which essentially slows down CD drive alot. That parameter worked for me, try it. It's an issue i had on my lappy with ich7 chipset.