Hi all,
I'm still here beacuse I'm not able to have dma working for the hard disk.
Kernel source release is 2.6.12.2 and here an excerpt from .config

root@traffik:/usr/src/linux# grep CONFIG_BLK_DEV .config
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_FD is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_XD is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_DAC960 is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_UMEM is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_COW_COMMON is not set
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_LOOP=m
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_CRYPTOLOOP is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_NBD is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SX8 is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_UB is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_RAM is not set
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_RAM_COUNT=16
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDE=y
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDE_SATA is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_HD_IDE is not set
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEDISK=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDECD=y
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDETAPE is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEFLOPPY is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDESCSI is not set
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_CMD640=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_CMD640_ENHANCED=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEPNP=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEPCI=y
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_OFFBOARD is not set
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_GENERIC=y
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_OPTI621 is not set
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_RZ1000=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEDMA_PCI=y
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEDMA_FORCED is not set
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_AEC62XX=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_ALI15X3=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_AMD74XX=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_ATIIXP=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_CMD64X=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_TRIFLEX=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_CY82C693=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_CS5520=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_CS5530=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_HPT34X=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_HPT366=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SC1200=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_PIIX=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_NS87415=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_PDC202XX_OLD=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_PDC202XX_NEW=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SVWKS=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SIIMAGE=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SIS5513=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SLC90E66=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_TRM290=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_VIA82CXXX=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_4DRIVES=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_ALI14XX=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_DTC2278=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_HT6560B=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_QD65XX=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_UMC8672=y
CONFIG_BLK_DEV_IDEDMA=y
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_HD is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SD is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SR is not set
# CONFIG_BLK_DEV_3W_XXXX_RAID is not set

I assume all chipset support is include in the kernel image.
Here the output of hdparm /dev/hdc :

/dev/hdc:
multcount = 0 (off)
IO_support = 0 (default 16-bit)
unmaskirq = 0 (off)
using_dma = 0 (off)
keepsettings = 0 (off)
readonly = 0 (off)
readahead = 256 (on)
geometry = 16383/255/63, sectors = 60011642880, start = 0

and of hdparm -I /dev/hdc :

/dev/hdc:

ATA device, with non-removable media
Model Number: IC25N060ATMR04-0
Serial Number: MRA301KEKR32KH
Firmware Revision: MO3OAD4A
Standards:
Used: ATA/ATAPI-6 T13 1410D revision 3a
Supported: 6 5 4 3
Configuration:
Logical max current
cylinders 16383 65535
heads 16 1
sectors/track 63 63
--
CHS current addressable sectors: 4128705
LBA user addressable sectors: 117210240
LBA48 user addressable sectors: 117210240
device size with M = 1024*1024: 57231 MBytes
device size with M = 1000*1000: 60011 MBytes (60 GB)
Capabilities:
LBA, IORDY(can be disabled)
bytes avail on r/w long: 4 Queue depth: 1
Standby timer values: spec'd by Vendor, no device specific minimum
R/W multiple sector transfer: Max = 16 Current = 0
Advanced power management level: 128 (0x80)
Recommended acoustic management value: 128, current value: 254
DMA: mdma0 mdma1 mdma2 udma0 udma1 udma2 udma3 udma4 *udma5
Cycle time: min=120ns recommended=120ns
PIO: pio0 pio1 pio2 pio3 pio4
Cycle time: no flow control=240ns IORDY flow control=120ns
Commands/features:
Enabled Supported:
* NOP cmd
* READ BUFFER cmd
* WRITE BUFFER cmd
* Host Protected Area feature set
* Look-ahead
* Write cache
* Power Management feature set
Security Mode feature set
SMART feature set
* FLUSH CACHE EXT command
* Mandatory FLUSH CACHE command
* Device Configuration Overlay feature set
* 48-bit Address feature set
Automatic Acoustic Management feature set
SET MAX security extension
Address Offset Reserved Area Boot
* SET FEATURES subcommand required to spinup after power up
Power-Up In Standby feature set
* Advanced Power Management feature set
* General Purpose Logging feature set
* SMART self-test
* SMART error logging
Security:
Master password revision code = 65534
supported
not enabled
not locked
not frozen
not expired: security count
not supported: enhanced erase
50min for SECURITY ERASE UNIT.
HW reset results:
CBLID- above Vih
Device num = 0 determined by the jumper
Checksum: correct

And, finally, some lines from dmesg :

Uniform Multi-Platform E-IDE driver Revision: 7.00alpha2
ide: Assuming 33MHz system bus speed for PIO modes; override with idebus=xx
Probing IDE interface ide0...
Probing IDE interface ide1...
hdc: IC25N060ATMR04-0, ATA DISK drive
hdd: Slimtype DVDRW SOSW-833S, ATAPI CD/DVD-ROM drive
Probing IDE interface ide2...
Probing IDE interface ide3...
Probing IDE interface ide4...
Probing IDE interface ide5...
ide1 at 0x170-0x177,0x376 on irq 15
hdc: max request size: 1024KiB
hdc: 117210240 sectors (60011 MB) w/7884KiB Cache, CHS=16383/255/63
hdc: cache flushes supported
hdc: hdc1 hdc2 hdc3

Thanks in advance
>m<

Assuming doesnt usually solve anything. What's your chipset? and make sure its enabled (as module or built in) in the kernel.

edit: show us the output of
lspci

Yes, I had the same error on an older laptop when compiling 2.6.10 because the generic IDE driver didn't work 100% with my IDE controller.

There must be a specific driver for your IDE controller, so you need to find out what IDE controller your machine has (as xushi said, it should show up under lscpci, and there is always Google) and find and enable the driver for it in the kernel configuration.

heh, since we're talking about it, i had the same problem too. I forgot to change my IDE DMA config and it was set to the Intel PIIXn chipset.. Changing it to VIA (built in, not as module) and recompiling did the job..

hence, show us the output of lspci, find the IDE chipset you use, go to Device Drivers > ATA Support > Generic DMA Support > and choose the right one.

Most people have this problem when recompile a kernel and sometimes dont even get know.... and like was said you cant use it like module (not if you dont use initrd) so compile it built in the kernel, this is your problem: you do not have the right module compiled in the kernel.

I think im to addict to this forum O_o

Posts: 109

almost there

I have similar problems, someone else said that the toshiba tecra m3 harddrive is mk6025ga but there is not option in kernel 2.6.12
lspci says:
00:1f.2 IDE interface: Intel Corp.: Unknown device 2653 (rev 03)

have a look here :
http://madpenguins.net/articles/tecram3.html
and here :
http://newsletter.toshiba-tro.de/main/index.html

I suspect you need Intel PIIXn driver for your IDE controler

so from what that says all i have to do is enable scsi/sata dma and change lilo and fstab from hda3 to sda3? Can anybody verify that that works becuase i really dont feel like fixing the mess that it will make if it doesnt.

Why would you change your drive from hda to sda ? Have you a
sata drive ?

http://madpenguins.net/articles/tecram3.html
For some reason I cannot get DMA on, on the hard drive. I'll have to play with this for awhile.
UPDATE:I now have DMA working. The 2.6 kernel fixed it. Also, be careful. For some reason my kernel was changed from hda to sda when using the 2.6 kernel's. So you'll have to update lilo from hda to sda on everything in there and your fstab.

it makes no sense

There is an email address, so you could msg him
Sure, it is curious, sd* devices files are for scsi, sata
or emulated scsi drive like usb, and AFAIK there is
no DMA mode on those drives (SATA has no DMA mode)

ok i emailed him and waiting for a response

ok, I'm back...
I've been looking for some more information on my laptop hw because lspci is not exhaustive at all:

00:00.0 Host bridge: Intel Corp.: Unknown device 2590 (rev 03)
00:01.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corp.: Unknown device 2591 (rev 03)
00:1d.0 USB Controller: Intel Corp. I/O Controller Hub USB (rev 04)
00:1d.1 USB Controller: Intel Corp. I/O Controller Hub USB (rev 04)
00:1d.2 USB Controller: Intel Corp. I/O Controller Hub USB (rev 04)
00:1d.3 USB Controller: Intel Corp. I/O Controller Hub USB (rev 04)
00:1d.7 USB Controller: Intel Corp. I/O Controller Hub USB2 (rev 04)
00:1e.0 PCI bridge: Intel Corp. 82801BAM/CAM PCI Bridge (rev d4)
00:1e.2 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corp. I/O Controller Hub Audio (rev 04)
00:1e.3 Modem: Intel Corp. I/O Controller Hub Modem (rev 04)
00:1f.0 ISA bridge: Intel Corp.: Unknown device 2641 (rev 04)
00:1f.2 IDE interface: Intel Corp.: Unknown device 2653 (rev 04)
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corp. I/O Controller Hub SMBus (rev 04)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation: Unknown device 0167 (rev a1)
02:00.0 FireWire (IEEE 1394): Texas Instruments TSB43AB21 IEEE-1394a-2000 Controller (PHY/Link)
02:01.0 Ethernet controller: Broadcom Corporation: Unknown device 170c (rev 02)
02:02.0 Network controller: Intel Corp.: Unknown device 4220 (rev 05)
02:04.0 CardBus bridge: ENE Technology Inc: Unknown device 1412 (rev 10)
02:04.1 FLASH memory: ENE Technology Inc: Unknown device 0530 (rev 01)
02:04.2 Class 0805: ENE Technology Inc: Unknown device 0550 (rev 01)
02:04.3 FLASH memory: ENE Technology Inc: Unknown device 0520 (rev 01)
02:04.4 FLASH memory: ENE Technology Inc: Unknown device 0551 (rev 01)

However, Acer specifications are:

Acer TravelMate4152LMi
Pentium M740 (1.7GHz) Chipset Intel 915PM/915GM Express 533MHz FSB
...
hdc should be E-IDE UltraDMA-100 and IDE controller should be ATA/100 (may be SATA one so also included support for it)

root@traffik:~# hdparm /dev/hdc

/dev/hdc:
multcount = 0 (off)
IO_support = 3 (32-bit w/sync)
unmaskirq = 0 (off)
using_dma = 0 (off)
keepsettings = 1 (on)
readonly = 0 (off)
readahead = 256 (on)
geometry = 16383/255/63, sectors = 60011642880, start = 0

root@traffik:~# hdparm -d1 -X udma2 /dev/hdc

/dev/hdc:
setting using_dma to 1 (on)
HDIO_SET_DMA failed: Operation not permitted
setting xfermode to 66 (UltraDMA mode2)
using_dma = 0 (off)


root@traffik:~# hdparm -tT /dev/hdc

/dev/hdc:
Timing cached reads: 3512 MB in 2.00 seconds = 1755.39 MB/sec
Timing buffered disk reads: 8 MB in 3.36 seconds = 2.38 MB/sec

As you can reading in the system cache is really fast, but using disk buffer is really slow

/dev/hdc:

ATA device, with non-removable media
Model Number: IC25N060ATMR04-0
Serial Number: MRA301KEKR32KH
Firmware Revision: MO3OAD4A
Standards:
Used: ATA/ATAPI-6 T13 1410D revision 3a
Supported: 6 5 4 3
Configuration:
Logical max current
cylinders 16383 65535
heads 16 1
sectors/track 63 63
--
CHS current addressable sectors: 4128705
LBA user addressable sectors: 117210240
LBA48 user addressable sectors: 117210240
device size with M = 1024*1024: 57231 MBytes
device size with M = 1000*1000: 60011 MBytes (60 GB)
Capabilities:
LBA, IORDY(can be disabled)
bytes avail on r/w long: 4 Queue depth: 1
Standby timer values: spec'd by Vendor, no device specific minimum
R/W multiple sector transfer: Max = 16 Current = 0
Advanced power management level: 128 (0x80)
Recommended acoustic management value: 128, current value: 254
DMA: mdma0 mdma1 mdma2 udma0 udma1 *udma2 udma3 udma4 udma5
Cycle time: min=120ns recommended=120ns
PIO: pio0 pio1 pio2 pio3 pio4
Cycle time: no flow control=240ns IORDY flow control=120ns
Commands/features:
Enabled Supported:
* NOP cmd
* READ BUFFER cmd
* WRITE BUFFER cmd
* Host Protected Area feature set
* Look-ahead
* Write cache
* Power Management feature set
Security Mode feature set
SMART feature set
* FLUSH CACHE EXT command
* Mandatory FLUSH CACHE command
* Device Configuration Overlay feature set
* 48-bit Address feature set
Automatic Acoustic Management feature set
SET MAX security extension
Address Offset Reserved Area Boot
* SET FEATURES subcommand required to spinup after power up
Power-Up In Standby feature set
* Advanced Power Management feature set
* General Purpose Logging feature set
* SMART self-test
* SMART error logging
Security:
Master password revision code = 65534
supported
not enabled
not locked
not frozen
not expired: security count
not supported: enhanced erase
50min for SECURITY ERASE UNIT.
HW reset results:
CBLID- above Vih
Device num = 0 determined by the jumper
Checksum: correct

I hope this can help..

In case anyone reading this thread still can't get it to work (like me) you can try editing /etc/mkinitrd/modules to load your motherboard's module, since your system may be like mine and loads the modules in initrd first, and once the ide_generic module is loaded, it's too late to do anything with insmod or modprobe or /etc/modules.