Centos 5.3 driver update

[Segfault]

Not sure. Hmmm ... look:
0. Go to <Linux> - Google Search and search for RH kernel sources install;
1. Go to RH or CentOS support pages and find out how to get sources installed.

(I'm sure it's easy, like yum install kernel-sources or something along these lines.)

[MikeTbob]

You probably need to install the kernel-sources, kernel-headers and kernel-devel
HowTos/I need the Kernel Source - CentOS Wiki

[Sovetryne]

Not sure. Hmmm ... look:
0. Go to Google and search for RH kernel sources install;
1. Go to RH or CentOS support pages and find out how to get sources installed.

(I'm sure it's easy, like yum install kernel-sources or something along these lines.)

You probably need to install the kernel-sources, kernel-headers and kernel-devel
need the Kernel Source - CentOS Wiki

#yum install kernel-devel

Thanks - with this I came much further. Still no working driver. I am following the readme:

# gcc -v
# ln -s /usr/src/kernels/2.6.18-128.1.16.el5-x86_64
# make
# make clean
# modprobe -a sd_mod
# insmod t3sas.ko or # insmod t3sas.o

But the last command returns in "insmod: can't read t3sas.ko': No such file or directory". If I try t3sas.o, it says the same on that file.

I am not sure what I am doing wrong, since I don't have files called t3sas.o or t3sas.ko on my harddisk.

Albert

[Sovetryne]

#yum install kernel-devel

I am not sure what I am doing wrong, since I don't have files called t3sas.o or t3sas.ko on my harddisk.

Albert

After a reboot I repeated those commands, and voilá, there came a t3sas.ko.
So I can make my controller work - obviously. I still don't know how to test, but that is one thing.

So now I am asking two things:
How can I format the harddisk? I tried first to mount the harddisk by using
#mkdir /media/test
#mount /dev/scd0 /media/test
But that doesn't work.

The second thing is:
As I told in the start, I am having a driver disk from Promise, with the wrong driver - how do I make a correct IMG-file to be able to use this driver during installation? Or how do I add it to the ISO I am having?

When I look on the driver disk, I see several files:
install
modules.alias
modules.dep
readme
modinfo
modules.cgz
pcitable
rhdd

I guess, I have to add k3mod.ko to modules.cgz, somewhere, somehow. I hope somebody can help me!

Yours,

Albert van Harten

[Segfault]

0. /dev/scd is CD drive, hard drives are sda, sdb, so on.
1. You should not worry about formatting anything, install will do it for you.
2. My memories of RH are real vague, I used RH-5 once (back in 1998 I think). I believe there is a drivers image on install CD. I'd try adding your driver to that image. Also there may be a possibility to get a shell during install and load the driver from floppy or USB stick.

Starting a new thread with these questions might be a wise idea. Threads with zero replies get better exposure.

[Sovetryne]

@Segfault

0. OK; I thought scd was standing for "SCSI Device" Thanks
1. Nice
2. In which format may the driver be, can I just copy the .ko-file to a floppy, and then start Linux from cd, and point to the floppy?

I will open a new thread, although I found out how I can create a new .cgz-file (or was it czg? I don't remember). I also put the file on a diskette, but that didn't work.... I am now trying to repeat the whole procedure on a clean linux - right installed from cd - of course on a separate harddisk to be sure I can get back to the former situation.

[Segfault]

Dear Sovetryne
The kernel, building from source, stuff like that is easy for me because I'm a Gentoo user.
Now we are entering into the Red Hat world. Meaning I should get that CentOS install CD and play with it before I can give you any answers. Right now I have no time for this, hope you don't mind?

P. S. If you can get a shell (command prompt) during install then you can load that .ko driver without doing any hocus-pocus to it.
Good luck.

[Sovetryne]

Dear Sovetryne
The kernel, building from source, stuff like that is easy for me because I'm a Gentoo user.
Now we are entering into the Red Hat world.

I understand I never understood the argument of people, who hate Windows and love Linux: "There are so many different versions of Windows, and each version is divided in several editions".

Meaning I should get that CentOS install CD and play with it before I can give you any answers. Right now I have no time for this, hope you don't mind?

Ofcourse not! I am very, very thankful for the help you provided until now! I'd never demand something

P. S. If you can get a shell (command prompt) during install then you can load that .ko driver without doing any hocus-pocus to it.

I don't think that is possible, but I will try to understand. Else I will try to find out, how I can add the .ko-file to the ISO...

Good luck.

Thanks

[Sovetryne]

The solution:

This document is written by Albert van Harten.
It describes how to compile the Open Source driver for the Promise Fasttrak 2650 na 4650 on a CentOS Linux.
It might also work on Fedora or Redhat Enterprise Linux distributions, as long as the kernel is a 2.6.x

You need:
- a Linux machine with a Promise Fasttrak 2650 or 4650 card, a SAS harddisk and a SATA or PATA disk and a floppy drive
Note: the SATA or PATA disk are just temporary
- a Windows machine with a floppy drive
- a blank, formatted 1,44 HD diskette

First step: On a Windows-client
First, download http://www.promise.com/upload/Suppor...201.1.0.12.tgz on a Windows machine.
Unpack the .tgz-file with WinRAR or WinZIP. The content is a .tar-file.
Unpack the .tar-file with WinRAR or WinZIP.
Possibly the unpack utility asks automatically if you want to unpack the .tar-file.
Start rawwritewin.exe, select the rhel5_64.img and create a disk. Make sure you are having a blank, errorfree diskette in your disk drive.


Second step: The Linux machine you want to install the driver
Install Linux as normal, on a SATA or PATA-disk - you can't install YET on the SAS-disk. This will be done later

# yum install kernel-devel
Reply Y when needed
# ln -s /usr/src/kernels/2.6.18-128.1.16.el5-x86_64 /usr/src/linux
# cd /home
# wget http://www.promise.com/upload/Suppor...0v1.1.0.12.tgz
# tar -zxvf FT\ TX4650-2650\ Linux\ Kernl\ 2.6\ PSC\ v1.1.0.12.tgz
# cd tx4650
# make clean
# make


Following two lines are NOT necessary to create a driver disk, but helps to check if the driver is working. If you are doing this on another machine, without having the Promise Fasttrak card, then those two lines will definitely return with errors.
# modprobe -a sd_mod
# insmod t3sas.ko

Third step: rest of this document is mandatory to fulfill the procedure
# uname -r
The system returns with the kernel version. Note: if you are doing this with another distribution than the one you have planned to install, the kernel version could be different. Make sure, you have installed the same distribution on the SATA / PATA disk, as the one you want to install on the SAS disk.
Remember the kernel version - you'd better write it down.

# mkdir /tmp/floppy
# cd /tmp/floppy
# mkdir [kernelversion]
Note: in stead of typing [kernelversion], type the version number you just wrote down
# cd [kernelversion]
# mkdir x86_64
# cd x86_64
# cp /home/tx4650/t3sas.ko
# cd ../..
# ls -1 */*/*.ko > modules.list
# cpio -o --format=crc < modules-list | gzip -c -9 > modules.cgz

Insert the floppy, you created on your Windows machine, into the floppy drive on your Linux machine

# mkdir /floppy
# mount /dev/fd0 /floppy
# cp modules.cgz /floppy
# cd /floppy
# nano install
On line 7, change base_ver= to the kernel version you wrote down.
Save the install script, you just edited, by pressing Ctrl and X, and then Y

Now you created a proper installation disk.
Shut down the Linux machine, disconnect the SATA / PATA disk, connect your SAS-disk.
Start your Linux installation, and use your driver disk to install Linux on your SAS-disk

Any questions? Feel free to contact me:
Albert van Harten
Havécom Danmark
Sønderbro 27
6823 Ansager
Denmark
Tel.: +45 70 20 09 30 or +31 33 711 55 10
franl@mailme.dk

[Segfault]

Great! Just one little thing. There is dd utlity which does raw writing in Linux. Becomes handy for people who do not have Windows for step one.