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From: se@fileserv2.MI.Uni-Koeln.DE (Stefan Esser)
Newsgroups: comp.os.386bsd.questions
Subject: Re: upgrade 1.1.5->2.0 AARGH #*&@^$#@*$
Date: 14 Feb 1995 00:05:43 GMT
Organization: Institute for Mathematics, University of Cologne, Germany
Lines: 101
Distribution: world
Message-ID: <3hos4n$d8d@news.rrz.uni-koeln.de>
References: <3hoc3r$fue@iaehv.IAEhv.nl>
NNTP-Posting-Host: fileserv2.mi.uni-koeln.de
Keywords: ASUS SP3G, NCR, FreeBSD 2.0, PROBLEMS
In article <3hoc3r$fue@iaehv.IAEhv.nl>, gigawalt@iaehv.IAEhv.nl (Walter Belgers) writes:
|> Hi,
|>
|> I've been busy trying to upgrade my system and installing FreeBSD 2.0
|> but after 10 days of work, no result. Here's the score:
|>
|> I ran FreeBSD 1.1.5 on my 386DX40. No problems, I was very happy with
|> it. I decided to upgrade to 486 and bought an ASUS SP3G board and SONY
|> CDROM drive (SCSI). Then the problems began.. To make a long story
|> short: the CDROM drive wouldn't work. I finally installed FreeBSD 2.0
|> using an Adaptec 1542CF and a Toshiba CDROM player, thereby disabling
|> the on-board NCR SCSI controller. I have also disabled most BIOS
|> speed-up settings, set the DRAM cache to Write-back etc etc but I
|> constantly get
Write back can cause that kind of
problems, it's NOT the SAFE choice ...
|> - bus error (core dump)
|> - memory fault (core dump or fatal + reboot)
|> (I can't even run fsck any more..)
|> - ld.so call to bind from unknown location (when installing from CDROM)
|> - checksum errors (when installing from CDROM, this happens randomly)
|> - segv errors
|> - lock_clear_recursive: wrong thread
This are typical problems resulting
from, hmm, subobtimal choices in the
BIOS setup ...
I'm working with this Motherboard,
and it is currently used as one of
the development machines for the
NCR driver (and works reliable with
it ...).
|> In other words: I now have no working operating system and wish I'd
|> never bought the #@*&$^ motherboard and sticked with 1.1.5. This is my
|> last resort to find out if there are people who have succesfully
|> installed FreeBSD 2.0 on an ASUS SP3G (I have a Cyrix DX66 btw).
Ohh, well, the Cyrix chips are ill
famed for buggy cache implementations.
If you have access to an Intel 486,
then try whether that improves the
situatuion.
The ASUS SP3G works fine if configured
this way (only relevant values shown):
BIOS FEATUES SETUP
------------------
Virus Warning Disabled
CPU Internal Cache Enabled (1)
External Cache Enabled
...
Boot Up Floppy Seek Disabled (2)
...
CHIPSET FEATURES SETUP
----------------------
DRAM Write Page Mode Enabled
DRAM Code Read Page Mode Enabled
DRAM Refresh Mode Normal (3)
DRAM Wait State 0 WS (4)
CPU To DRAM write buffer Enabled
CPU To PCI write buffer Enabled
PCI To DRAM write buffer Enabled
PCI Memory Burst Write Enabled (5)
...
External Cache Wait State 0 WS
Cache Update Policy Wr-Through (6)
PCI Posted Write Buffer Enabled (5)
ISA GAT Mode Enabled (7)
DMA Line Buffer Mode Enhanced
ISA Master Buffer Mode Enhanced
...
Comments:
(1) The Cyrix might work with Primary Cache disabled ...
(2) The Boot Up Seek isn't useful with 80 track floppies
(3) The system crashes within a few minutes if "Hidden" is selected
(4) If your RAM might be too slow, try 1 WS
(5) PCI Bursts require the Posted write Buffers and don't work with
a few PCI graphics cards (S3 928 based cards, AFAIK)
(6) Wr-Back is slower than Wr-Throiugh (without Dirty-Tag RAM) and
a few FreeBSD releases worked with WB and Bus Master Controllers,
other don't (panic very early in the boot phase)
--
Stefan Esser Internet: <se@ZPR.Uni-Koeln.DE>
Zentrum fuer Paralleles Rechnen Tel: +49 221 4706019
Universitaet zu Koeln FAX: +49 221 4705160
Weyertal 80
50931 Koeln