Using device in linux without bios detection

Y0jiMb0 · 05-17-2004, 01:08 PM

Hi!
Is it feasible to do that, ie, is linux able to use a piece of hardware which isn't detected at boot time?

(I'm thinking in a dvd writer attached to a controller: the controller is detected, but the controller BIOS doesn't detect the dvd writer)

TIA

Regards

jailbait · 05-17-2004, 03:16 PM

"Is it feasible to do that, ie, is linux able to use a piece of hardware which isn't detected at boot time?"

Yes, the only thing that Linux depends on the BIOS detecting is the boot device.

You might run into problems with installing Linux. All of the installers include automatic hardware detection. I don't know if the various installers have to use the BIOS when they scan for all hardware. If the install doesn't find the device and include support for it then later you will have to configure the device by hand which can be a pain.

So when you install make sure that the device is plugged and turned on and pray.

___________________________________
Be prepared. Create a LifeBoat CD.
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Steve Stites

michaelk · 05-17-2004, 04:01 PM

AFAIK if it is a SCSI controller then the answer is no. The BIOS has to detect the device some time. If not at boot then during a bus rescan.

With IDE I do believe it is possible.

Y0jiMb0 · 05-17-2004, 04:30 PM

Thanks for the replies!
The device is IDE; it is a 8212 RAID PCI controller, and the problem is that, AFAIK it only works with the module provided by the manufacturer (namely, the one here ) so it's difficult to get the controller detected during installation, unless there is a generic kernel module for such a controller; is it the case?

However, if michaelk is right, how can it be done? How can I use my dvd writer connected to the controller, althought the controller doesn't detect the dvd writer at boot time?

Regards

Y0jiMb0 · 05-19-2004, 03:49 AM

How can I "scan the bus", looking for devices which aren't detected when linux boots?

I did "cdrecord -scanbus", but it doesn't look for new devices, just the ones already detected; the output I get is

Code:

Cdrecord 2.00.3 (i686-pc-linux-gnu) Copyright (C) 1995-2002 Jörg Schilling
Linux sg driver version: 3.5.30
Using libscg version 'schily-0.7'
scsibus0:
        0,0,0     0) 'YAMAHA  ' 'CRW3200E        ' '1.0b' Removable CD-ROM
        0,1,0     1) *
        0,2,0     2) *
        0,3,0     3) *
        0,4,0     4) *
        0,5,0     5) *
        0,6,0     6) *
        0,7,0     7) *
scsibus1:
        1,0,0   100) *
        1,1,0   101) 'ITE     ' 'IT8212F         ' '1.3' Disk
        1,2,0   102) *
        1,3,0   103) *
        1,4,0   104) *
        1,5,0   105) *
        1,6,0   106) *
        1,7,0   107) *

The device 0,0,0 is my cd writer.
1,1,0 is a HD plugged in the primary IDE channel of my controller, as slave; the device is "/dev/sda".
The DVD writer, which I'd like linux to detect it, must be in 1,2,0 (secondary channel of my controller, master).
That doesn't seem to work: "cdrecord -scanbus" doesn't scan the bus really deeply, but quite superficial.

I know that a RAID controller is intended for mirroring hard disks, arrays and such things, but is it so unnatural that such devices work as "normal" controllers?
I mean, should I expect this controller working for DVD writers, or they (these controllers) are so specific, that they only work with HDs?

Anyone has a clue???

TIA