[sclug] Re: [OT] Linux support for large HDD

[Ian Park]

Alex Butcher wrote:

8<----------------------------------------------------------------------
My understanding is that the three components you need for a 48-bit LBA
device to be supported are:

a) the BIOS, if you're intending to boot from files over the 137GB limit
b) the OS
c) the ATA controller.

You may or may not run into problems on c). Give it a whirl, and let us
know!  :-)
8<----------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks Alex - I will do. I'm going to Jamie's Computer Club on Wednesday 
in the hopes of picking up a box to replace my current Smoothwall (which 
will be the basis of the server); I then have to buy the hard disk and 
start juggling...

James Wyper wrote:

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I have a similar class of machine (IBM 330GL ; 350Mhz PII).

hda is the original 3.2GB disk, hdb is an 80GB one that I added myself.

The large-disk HOWTO said that the 80GB drive would "just work".
Wrong.

Originally I needed to use a boot floppy with Ontrack (or Discwizard
Starter edition as it was then called) before the system would
recognise more than the first 32GB of hdb.  However, more or less in
desperation, I recompiled my (then 2.4.19) kernel with
CONFIG_IDE_STROKE = Y.  This removed the dependency on Ontrack and I
could boot from the hd.

The large-disk HOWTO has since been updated by the maintainer to
reflect  my (perhaps peculiar) circumstances.

I've now upgraded to the 2.6 kernel which is much easier - you merely
need to add append="hdb=stroke" to the relevant stanza in lilo.conf
(assuming you use lilo)
8<----------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks James for that useful pointer. I will take account of it when I 
set up the box. I was thinking of using a suitably tailored version of 
Debian Sarge, though the PCW article suggested BenHur 
(http://pyramid.de/e/) - I'll have to have a look to see whether that's 
a Linux(-based) OS.

I'll post to let you know how I get on - thanks for the prompt and 
helpful replies!

All the best

Ian
-- 
Ian Park
17 Pyle Hill
Newbury
Berkshire
RG14 7JJ
Tel: +44 (0)1635 821420
email: ian at chalmers-park.name