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Lmanrique

Member

Registered: 2022-01-08

Posts: 3  

Devuan ASCII dont recognize CF

Hi, i'm trying to install devuan on a really old pc , based on a AMD Geode Procesor (NonPae).
https://www.compulab.com/products/compu … s/cm-iglx/
First has a problema detecting the compact flash disk, so i went to bash, AND i create a forlder /etc/pcmcia then copy /etc/pcmciautils/*.conf to /etc/pcmcia. This work but i don't know ir this Is giving me the next problem.
Start great, start booting and Begin: Running /scripts/local-block ... done.
gave up waiting for root file system common problema:
Boot args
Check root-delay
Missing modules

ALERT! UUID = xxxxxxxxx does not existe

(inittramfs)

Please help me with this.

Altoid

Member

Registered: 2017-05-07

Posts: 1,429  

Re: Devuan ASCII dont recognize CF

Hello:

... trying to install devuan on a really old pc ...

I'd first check out these links from the OEM:

CM-iGLX Linux documentation
http://mediawiki.compulab.com/w/index.p … iGLX_Linux

This page contains links to information about Linux kernels, packages and software development for CM-iGLX modules.

- Getting started with Linux on CM-iGLX
- Gentoo Linux for CM-iGLX
- CM-iGLX Video Input Port

CM-iGLX Linux Gentoo kernel & filesystem image September 4, 2011
https://www.compulab.com/wp-content/upl … -linux.zip

You may want to check the documentation.
This is not an ordinary old pc, there are specific instructions for installing and booting with the image from the zip file.

When you have been able to get that done, have a look at the dmesg printout to see what hardware is being recognised and which drivers are being loaded.

That will give you an idea as to how to proceed with a Devuan kernel.

Best,

A.

Last edited by Altoid (2022-01-08 19:52:20)

Lmanrique

Member

Registered: 2022-01-08

Posts: 3  

Re: Devuan ASCII dont recognize CF

hi:
thank you, i already install gentoo, but didn't look for dmesg, i will doit as soon as i can.

in other hand, in this installation that i made with devuan: when i put the cf in a usb reader, all start normal and go well.
put the CF in the pci slot i didn't boot.

thank you by your replies

LMM

Altoid

Member

Registered: 2017-05-07

Posts: 1,429  

Re: Devuan ASCII dont recognize CF

Hello:

thank you ...

You're welcome.

... already install gentoo ...

Did you install the gentoo image as per the instructions on the page I linked to?
ie: gentoo.img uploaded to CMOS via etherlink and then configuring CMOS.

The boot disk in this CM-iGLX unit (ie: drive C:) is the on-board Flash Disk which holds the gentoo.img file. 

... installation that i made with devuan: when i put the cf in a usb reader, all start normal and go well.

I don't understand ...
Devuan boots properly from an image burned on a CF card inserted into a USB-CF reader* and plugged into the unit?

* Like this one: https://i.ebayimg.com/thumbs/images/g/F … s-l225.jpg

Best,

A.

steve_v

Member

Registered: 2018-01-11

Posts: 342  

Re: Devuan ASCII dont recognize CF

CF...
pcmcia...
pci slot

I'm confused.
Compact Flash (which I assume is what you mean by "CF") is pin-compatible with the IDE/PATA interface standard, and as such should be virtually indistinguishable from a traditional IDE hard disk. The specs on the page you linked do mention PCI and an IDE controller, but I see nothing about PCMCIA.

How is this CF card actually connected? Assuming the IDE, and the controller chipset is nothing too exotic (and Devuan has drivers for it), it should "just work", the same as any other IDE HDD.
Indeed, I have several real "really old pc"s (circa 1993-1998), and a simple passive CF-IDE adapter works perfectly in every OS I have tried, including Devuan/Debian. Hell, even DOS can boot from CF cards, on machines from the '80s. That's why retro enthusiasts like them so much.

Ed. AFAICT the driver for the Geode embedded IDE controller should be drivers/ata/pata_cs5535.c.
A cursory grep through the current Devuan (i686) kernel config suggests this driver is compiled as a module (CONFIG_PATA_CS5535=m), but I haven't checked to see if it's included in the initrd by default, as I don't have an i686 Devuan install handy.

All that said, if your board uses the LX800, which it looks like is the case, you may well be SOL with any release newer than Jessie. Debian (and by extension Devuan) dropped support for i586 some time ago.

Last edited by steve_v (2022-01-08 22:30:43)

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Lmanrique

Member

Registered: 2022-01-08

Posts: 3  

Re: Devuan ASCII dont recognize CF

hi, Altoid:

Did you install the gentoo image as per the instructions on the page I linked to?
ie: gentoo.img uploaded to CMOS via etherlink and then configuring CMOS.

The boot disk in this CM-iGLX unit (ie: drive C:) is the on-board Flash Disk which holds the gentoo.img file.

i tried etherlink on bios, i got connected but the iso never complete transfering, i flash the gentoo.img on a usb and boot.

Devuan boots properly from an image burned on a CF card inserted into a USB-CF reader* and plugged into the unit?

yes CF inserted into a USB-CF on usb port boot, and pluged in the pcmcia compact flash adapter don't boot, but something more strange is that when i boot drom de usb-cf adapter and put another disk on the pcmcia-cf adapter in can see the disk with fdisk -l.

hi, steve:

Compact Flash (which I assume is what you mean by "CF") is pin-compatible with the IDE/PATA interface standard, and as such should be virtually indistinguishable from a traditional IDE hard disk. The specs on the page you linked do mention PCI and an IDE controller, but I see nothing about PCMCIA.

yes sorry, the pc us a pcmcia compact flash adapter, i'm not an expert but the problem is how load drivers beacuse when i boot normal and put a disk on pcmcia adapter i see the disk with fdisk

All that said, if your board uses the LX800, which it looks like is the case, you may well be SOL with any release newer than Jessie. Debian (and by extension Devuan) dropped support for i586 some time ago.

i try to install many distros only devuan works, its also nonpae.

i will try to send pictures for major undertanding.

i want help to configure corectly or install the drivers module in the correct order to recognize the pcmcia-cf adpter, i boot normaly with the cf-usb connected to the usb port and see a disk on pcmcia-cf adpter.

thanks.

LMM

Last edited by Lmanrique (2022-01-08 23:28:28)

steve_v

Member

Registered: 2018-01-11

Posts: 342  

Re: Devuan ASCII dont recognize CF

Well, if you can see the disk but booting from it fails to find the rootfs, that suggests that either your bootloader and/or fstab is incorrectly configured, or there are drivers missing from the initrd (but available and loaded later).
Either way, I'm having quite some difficulty understanding your posts.

Aside, I don't know why you keep mentioning PAE, it's completely irrelevant here.

In aid of ruling out PCMCIA issues (itself a very old standard not widely used any more), the docs for that board indicate it has a standard IDE port. Again I suggest trying to boot from that, passive adapters for CF cards are cheap, readily available, and should require no special driver or configuration.
Your PCMCIA-CF adapter almost certainly includes an IDE controller of it's own, and that's only going to complicate matters.

Last edited by steve_v (2022-01-09 00:07:12)

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Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action. Four times is Official GNOME Policy.