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Xref: sserve comp.os.linux:17657 comp.unix.bsd:8534 Newsgroups: comp.os.linux,comp.unix.bsd Path: sserve!manuel.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!hp9000.csc.cuhk.hk!saimiri.primate.wisc.edu!caen!uunet!telebit!bjork From: bjork@telebit.com (Steven Bjork) Subject: Bad Motherboard, was Re: Adaptec 1542b "hangs" Message-ID: <1992Dec2.183254.29548@telebit.com> Sender: news@telebit.com Nntp-Posting-Host: napa.telebit.com Organization: Telebit Corporation; Sunnyvale, CA, USA References: <8438@salyko.cubenet.sub.org> <1992Dec2.001427.587@rtsg.mot.com> <Byn6uL.2oM@ra.nrl.navy.mil> Date: Wed, 2 Dec 1992 18:32:54 GMT Lines: 33 In article <Byn6uL.2oM@ra.nrl.navy.mil> eric@tantalus.nrl.navy.mil (Eric Youngdale) writes: [someone else's hang problems described below] >>] I have a problem with my Adaptec 1542b SCSI hostadapter and Fujitsu >>] M2614SA SCSI HD. >>] >>] When Linux is writing to the HD quite a lot (e.g. during installation), >>] the controller gets "hung" (indicated by the red LED shining brightly) >>] and nothing but hitting the reset-button will bring my computer back to >>] life. >Perhaps they know something about an incompatibility between your motherboard, >your disk drive and the Adaptec. Since the system hangs with both 386bsd and >linux, the chances of this being a kernel bug are fairly small. I have a 1542b that would sort of work under 386BSD. I found and fixed one bug in the 386BSD driver for the SCSI tape combo I was using (Emulex MT02 and Archive 5???) but still was having hangs as well. So, I noticed that the controller *would not* pass the dc00:9 DMA test on my motherboard, but *did* pass on one at work. Yes, it looks like my motherboard is flakey in some manner. It runs the 386BSD code fine until I ask for heavy DMA access by the SCSI controller. Exact same "total lockup" problem you report. Solution: Replace your motherboard :(. Mine is a C&T 33Mhz 386DX, 64k cache with 8meg ram. Runs ide stuff fine, just locks with the heavy DMA the Adaptec does. --Steven