Controller think's it the boss, confuses Linux and me

[Redwolf]

I have a problem with Linux and my IDE controller. When my IDE controller is installed, it seems to think IT's the boss, and not the on-board controllers. Like when I but a pri master drive on the controller, it's /dev/hda, NOT /dev/hde like it should be. This makes some problems. Like when I install Linux, and it doesn't see the controller during the installation. So I put the target drive in as Pri Master on the Mobo controller, and it works fine. Then I go to reboot, adn WHAMMO, nothing works but Windows. Why? Well, If I start it as the pri master still, it looks for /dev/hda, which doesn't exist because nothing is on my controller. If I start it from the controller, then it doesn't work for some reason (hangs at LILO, giess because it's no longer on the main MBR or something), and the rescue disk doesn't see the controller. ACK! So, this is really a hardware question. How can I lower the 'priority' of my add-on controller?

MSI KTV4 w/ KT400 chipset
Silicon Image 680 controller (PCI, AT133)

[Scott Tiger]

I'm not sure I understand your problem here. I'm guessing you have a motherboard with 2 ide ports and and IDE controller card. If I'm wrong with that assumption don't bother reading the rest of this blather..

The primary IDE on the motherboard is always /dev/hda. AFAIK there's nothing you can do to change that.

The primary IDE on the IDE controller card is going to be /dev/hde and there's nothing you can do about that either (assuming you only have two IDE ports on motherboard).

I'm guessing your problem is that you're installing Linux (to a machine you dual boot with two hard drives) with the hard drive attached to one of the motherboard's IDE controllers, then shutting the computer down, removing the drive and reattaching it to the PCI IDE controller and then starting the computer up again. This won't work. Even if the kernel is detecting the IDE controller (which it isn't if the installer can't see it) the entries in LILO won't be right nor will they be in /etc/fstab. This is why LILO is hanging on you. At the very least you'd have to change those to file entries AND get the kernel to recognize the PCI IDE controller. I know CMonster has gotten the first part of the equation to work before 'cause I remember him doing something like that to his son's dual boot machine (I think he swapped drives or something - he didn't have controller card issues).

So if I'm reading your problem right (and it's kinda late so I could be off in left field here) then the correct solution here is to get your distro of choice to recognize the PCI IDE controller at the time of installation AND have the target hard drive installed in the position you want to run it from.


HTH's

[Redwolf]

My problem is that the main hard drive on my mobo's Primary IDE controller is NOT always /dev/hda. The hard drive on the primary channel of my extrernal controller is! Havoc ensues.

However, I didn't know that LILO won't work if the drive is on different controllers. That is helpful indeed. Thanks.

Either I can fix it your way, or figure out how to get the recovery disk to recognize my controller, so I can fix the installation to work.

[Redwolf]

Does no-one know?

[Scott Tiger]

That's a serious problem if you primary IDE controller isn't always /dev/hda. Unless I'm miss understanding something here you've got a serious problem if that's the case. What type of controller card do you have? I've used a Promise card for a little over a year now and have had many versions of Linux and Windows running on it (at the same time) but the /dev/hd?'s never change.

Hopefully Peter M will stop buy.

[Redwolf]

I'm using a generic Silicon Image 680 based controller. That's an ATA 133 card BTW.

Strange thing is, when I put the card in a defferent mobo, this doesn't happen. There doesn't appear to be a setting in the BIOS that affects this, but I may try a new BIOS flash if one has been released.