Red Hat Bugzilla – Bug 222174
FC6 fails to install using ata_piix driver on Toshiba Portege S100
Last modified: 2007-11-30 17:11:52 EST
Description of problem: Trying to install FC6 onto my new Toshiba Portege S100. I know there are problems with the ata_piix driver, and you have to wait for a timeout to occur on the install process, but FC6 cannot still cannot see the HD. There is no 'legacy' mode for the HD in the BIOS on the laptop, so I am rather stuck. linux-laptops recommend that you use an external CDROM drive (which I don't have access to at the moment). Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable): Fedora Core 6 - Vanilla - 2.6.18-1.2798.fc6 How reproducible: Everytime Steps to Reproduce: 1. Put FC6 DVD into drive. 2. Gets to point that it detects SATA drive, and there is a pause (1 min long) 3. Get to the partitioning screen (Installation requires partitioning of your drive etc etc etc), but no HD are found. Actual results: Cannot continue with the installation Expected results: Should have found the SATA drive and continued the installation. Additional info: Rather annoying, because Ubuntu 6.10 seems to recognise the HD when installing - their version of the kernel obviously works from the off. I have used their live CD to print out lspci information. I don't really care for brown screens.
Created attachment 145274 [details] lspci -v output from Toshiba Portege laptop
Max, What are the modules that Ubuntu has loaded for that device? Can you attach the dmesg for FC and Ubuntu as well? Thanks,
Hi Konrad, As requested - dmesg from Ubuntu 6.10. Can you tell me what I need to type to get my USB memory key mounted from the install SH prompt - dmesg on FC6 can see the usb device, but has not allocated it a /dev/sd[x] drive mapping. I have typed dmesg >> fc6dmesg.txt but I cannot mount my USB as yet. Thanks for your help so far. Max
Created attachment 145289 [details] Ubuntu 6.10 dmesg
In regards to your USB device, make sure you have 'usb-storage' and 'sd-mod' modules loaded. That should make the USB memory key show up. In regards to your storage device, Ubuntu shows that the 'ahci' driver is loaded, while with Fedora Core it is 'ata_piix'. There is a over-ride bootup parameter for that (so that you can force Fedora to load 'ahci') but I cannot remember it. I am CC-ing Bill Nottingham on this BZ who might have a better memory that I do :-)
Created attachment 145355 [details] Fedora Core 6 dmesg from Toshiba
Hi Konrad, Yes, actually I think we managed to submit to the same bug at the same time! Anyway, I fixed the problem with the usb-storage by actually having it plugged in at the time of kernel startup, instead of plugging the key after the kernel startup. I have uploaded the dmesg from FC6 on the Toshiba. Thanks Max
Actually, there isn't an override - we just load both modules, and let them sort it out.
Whoops, I forgot - if you pass 'noprobe', you can pick the driver. But that's not specific to ata_piix/ahci.
Well, let me work on pushing the ahci driver to the disc bus and see what happens. What does concern is that if Ubutnu can pick out the correct driver, why does FC6 not correctly pick out the driver??? Just a thought on the selecting the correct driver - would passing 'ide=ahci' help at all?
Yes, thank you chaps. That worked, and my Tosh is now running FC6 happily. Could you fix (if poss) the problem with the incorrect driver being detected? Thanks Max
Max, Which workaround worked. The 'noprobe' or the 'ide=ahci' ?
Hi Konrad, The 'linux noprobe' option, and selecting the ahci driver manually worked correctly. I didn't try the other one, although...it might work in therory (I am not totally sure of the kernel arguments...Bill - is the 'ide=ahci' a valid argument??) Max
Not sure on ide=ahci - someone kernel side would have to comment. It won't change what drivers get loaded, but it might change how they respond once they do get loaded.