Question

freenas compact flash installation

Asked by: HelpdeskJBC

Hy
I'm using the latest version of freenas (0.7RC1) and i try to install it on a CF Card with CF / IDE adapter

first i've downloaded the image from the homepage, than i have used the software physical disk writer to extract the image directly to the cf card (with a usb card reader)
after that i put the cf card in the ide andapter and startup the test pc
After starting i've got a lot of dma timeout errors... strange

so i tried it with a bootable cd... after the startup from the cd (no problem)
I take the update /install menue (9) and than the point (1) install embedded release on flash drive

after choosing the cdrom drive acd0, the programm detected more than one CF disc
da0 (desc: Generic Card Reader CF 3.0C)
da1 (desc: Generic Card Reader MS 3.0C)
da2 (desc: Generic Card ReaderMMC/SD 3.0C)
da3 (desc: Generic Card Reader DM 3.0C)

I take the first one (but it doesn't matter every disc came to the same errors)  

gzip: stdout: Broken pipe
Error: Failed to dd image on /dev/da0

so i tried the full installation menue point (3)
here comes the error message:

diskinfo: da0: Device not configured
Error: Not enough space available on disk
Error: Failed to create partitions

please help
thanks

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Asked On
2009-10-14 at 14:36:18ID24812992
Tags

freenas

,

CF

,

Compact Flash

,

IDE

,

DMA

Topics

FreeBSD

,

Hard Drives & Storage

,

Miscellaneous Hardware

Participating Experts
1
Points
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Comments
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Answers

 

by: cminearPosted on 2009-10-15 at 13:02:46ID: 25584238

Trying to 'dd' an ISO onto a CF or hard drive will typically not result in a bootable CF or hard drive; ISO is a completely different filesystem than those typically used on CF or hard drives (UFS or FAT, for example).  That's not to say that it couldn't be done, but it's probably not a road you want to go down.

Just to check some other basics:
 - your system meets the minimum requirements? http://www.freenas.org/index.php?option=com_openwiki&Itemid=30&id=sug:en#hardware_requirements
 - are you sure your system does not have any problems?  All equipment is new, or recently working fine with other systems/deployments?

If the CF card is 64MB or more, I'm wondering if your 'dd'ing of the ISO onto the CF card has now created a situation where the installer cannot handle it.  I would suggest reformatting the CF card in a Windows system and try the install with CD again.

 

by: HelpdeskJBCPosted on 2009-10-16 at 02:33:45ID: 25587967

there are seperate images one for burning to the cd and one for extracting directly to the cf card
and the extracting works until the startup where the dma timeput happens... I've found a solution long time ago for deactivating dma for the harddrives (change something in the config files), but i have forgotten this solution and the other problem is that its not optimal deactivating dma for all hard drives...

the system is also not the problem ( i tried different pcs P3 800Mhz 512Mb Ram, AMD 939 dual core, P4 etc.) CF Card has 1 GB
after formating the same problems occure :-(

 

by: cminearPosted on 2009-10-16 at 07:13:33ID: 25589743

I just realized that a 'da' device for a CF/IDE adapter doesn't seem right.  IDE hard drives in FreeBSD are always 'ad' devices, so I would expect a CF card connected through the IDE controller would also appear as a 'ad' device.  (Admittedly, I have never personally used a CF/IDE adapter, so I'm making bold assumptions.)  Plus, if the CF/IDE adapter and CD-ROM drive are the only devices connected, then you wouldn't see 'da1', 'da2', and 'da3' at all.  

In your question, you indicate that you have used a USB card reader.  So I'm thinking that you have that device still connected, and if you had the CF card in the CF/IDE adapter, it wouldn't be installed, obviously.  However, I would expect that 'ad0' would have been an option.  

Here is my suggestion.  (This could be either an experiment or just a clarification from you on what you've done so far.)  Make sure the USB card reader is disconnected, and that the CF card is seated in the CF/IDE adapter, and that adapter is connected to the system.  Then drop in the CD and boot up.  As it boots, watch for the 'ad0' device.  Whether you see it or not, proceed with the install attempt.  If the 'ad0' device was not attached, the install will likely fail as no "hard drive" will be available to install to.  (If a 'da0' device still appears, instead of 'ad0', then try installing to that, and share that.)

If 'ad0' is not being detected, then you need to do some hardware troubleshooting.  Have you tried this adapter in another system?  Is that IDE controller enabled in the BIOS?  Are the master/slave settings correct?

Another option would be to have the CF card in the USB card reader, and install to it that way.  Then boot with this USB/CF device.  (That assumes the BIOS would support USB booting.)

(When I'm talking about a CF/IDE adapter, I imagine a product like http://www.amazon.com/Syba-SY-IDE2CF-NB25-Compact-Adapter-2-5-Inch/dp/B001B19HGA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1255700857&sr=8-1
or http://www.amazon.com/CompactFlash-Card-Hard-Adapter-IDE-40/dp/B0019H2GNM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=miscellaneous&qid=1255700857&sr=8-3
Let us know if that is an incorrect assumption.)

 

by: HelpdeskJBCPosted on 2009-10-16 at 11:18:43ID: 25591949

no the card reader is on a other system not on the test pc...
the test pc only has connected the cdrom acd0 and the ide/cf converter
the comact flash is listed in the bios correct witz 1024 MB and everything ok...
maybe change something like the head zylinders or something?

mybee i will try to set it up with xp

i'm not eaven able to boot from the cd when the cf card is in the ide adapter
because of the dma timeout errors he is caged and always makes the same changing any LBA values or something like taht and writes dma_timeout retry change LBA to 512 or 128 or 16 and so on ...
ad0: Timeout - read_dma retrying (1 retry left) LBA=512
after switching the LBA values he starts back from the beginning... only when i pull the card of he wrotes some errors and starts from the cd

on the cd i tried to install but than also comes the error "device not configured"
i have 2 ide converter... one from www.compushop.at one cheap from ebay hongkong
the cheap works better ;-) ive testet many systems... on a Pentium 3, and now on a athlon xp...

and i think there is no problem to set up win xp! i'm in the setup and the only error is that he needs more than 1050 mb storage, but he recognized the CF as bootable harddisk...

any ideas? must be a driver problem from the freenas system? maybe i had to change something in the system like dissable dma during startup or something like that, but don't dissable dma for all drives i need the performance...

now i will try boot up from the cardreader or usb stick
to be continued...





 

by: HelpdeskJBCPosted on 2009-10-16 at 12:48:27ID: 25592709

i changed in the bios the scan disk settings to LBA (other values are auto, large and one more thing...)
ok and i started up from the cd... the errors are still alive ... dma time out etc. but this time i was waiting... and waiting... and waiting and after a while he has started from the cd... so i took the menue point 9 and beginn the installation ... than he show me the menue like i write in the first article ...
da0 (desc: Generic Card Reader CF 3.0C)
da1 (desc: Generic Card Reader MS 3.0C)
da2 (desc: Generic Card ReaderMMC/SD 3.0C)
da3 (desc: Generic Card Reader DM 3.0C)

but this time there was one more!
ad0 scandisk...
so i tried this one...
but there also cames the dma timeout error...
ad0: TIMEOUT - READ_DMA retrying (0 retry left) LBA=0
ad0: TIMEOUT - READ_DMA time out LBA=0
Error: Failed to dd image on */dev/ado`!

and what does "dd" mean?

I still belive the CF card or the adapter is not realy compatible with the DMA Controller...

 

by: cminearPosted on 2009-10-21 at 07:35:57ID: 25624383

Assuming it is the same thing, 'dd' is Unix's native 'software physical disk writer'.  See: http://www.freebsd.org/cgi/man.cgi?query=dd&apropos=0&sektion=0&manpath=FreeBSD+7.2-RELEASE&format=html

While I don't exactly see the install process, it would appear that the FreeNAS installer does try to use 'dd'.

Have you checked the write lock on the CF card, if it has one?  I suspect that's not the problem as you have been using elsewhere just fine.  Hopefully, seating it in the CF/IDE adapter doesn't set it....

One other item I would try, if you have it, is connecting an actual IDE hard drive and trying the same install process.  That would help check if its a problem with the IDE channel (although not a perfect test.)  Another option would just getting the FreeBSD 7.2 ISO and just trying to install that.  If it doesn't work, then FreeBSD clearly has a problem with this CF-CF/IDE pairing.  Still, the install methods are slightly different, so it again isn't a perfect test.

 

by: HelpdeskJBCPosted on 2009-11-27 at 14:00:41ID: 25923153

i have downloaded the freebsd iso and burned it to cd
after booting from the cd he writes the same errors like in the freenas os

ad0: Timeout - Read_DMA retrying (1 retry left) LBA = 128
and so on...

There is no problem to set it up on a normal harddrive... so there is a compatiblity problem with the cf card or the cf card ide adapter... but why i have no problems to set up win xp on this card? ...
(ok only problem is that he wants more than 1GB to install, but i dont get any errors from the card)

 

by: HelpdeskJBCPosted on 2010-03-24 at 04:06:08ID: 28436715

I'm tired with the cf card
I used a USB Stick as system drive and it works for me
maybe the nas system has no driver for the cf card or anything else, i will try it in the future again

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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