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Booting Linux using AHA2940UW (no IDE), with aic7xxx as module?
Hi,
Does anyone know if it's possible to boot a SCSI based Linux system with the
SCSI driver (aix7xxx.o in my case) compiled as a module? My SCSI card has a
BIOS support.
I'm moving my old Linux system to brand new hardware, which is completely SCSI
based. (not because it's faster, but because I got a great deal on this).
As I have to boot from my SCSI disks, I wonder if I can use the aic7xxx.o
driver as a module. I've tried that, but so far, no success. (I've modified
the boot ram disk image, added aix7xxx.o, added it in the proper config files
- /etc/rc.d/rc, if I remember correctly, etc.).
What I get is this: LILO boots the kernel fine, (I see all the kernel
initialization messages), but the ramdisk load fails with tons of I/O errors,
reported along with sector numbers.
What I want to know is whether what I'm trying is possible at all, or am I
just wasting my time. In the meantime I'll compile a new kernel with aic7xxx.o
compiled in, but I still want to know whether having it as a module is
possible at all or not. I could also install RedHat from scratch and select
the AHA2940 controller during the install phase, and I know this would have
worked fine, but:
a. I don't want to reinstall my system for every minor change (like I have to
with M$ products)
b. I want to learn.
I understand that LILO loads the kernel through the AHA2940 BIOS INT13
support, but the question is: How is the ramdisk loaded? Is it loaded by the
kernel driver (in which case the module must be compiled into the kernel), or
is the ramdisk also loaded by the BIOS (in which case, it should be possible
to load the boot device driver as a module).
thanks,
Udi