Topic: How do I get a SUNIX SATA2100 PCI SATA card working?

[SoftDux]

Hi all

I wanted to expand my motherboard's SATA capabilities, so I got a SUNIX SATA2100 PCI SATA card, which uses INITIO INI1622 chipsit, as per their website: http://www.sunix.com.tw/it/en/Product_Detail.php?class_a_id=0&sid=447

The only drivers available on their website is for Fedora Core 6, and the drivers on the CD supplied is for Redhat 9.0. So, how do I install get this card working on SME 7.3, with  2.6.9-67.0.1.EL Kernel?

[CharlieBrady]

So, how do I install get this card working on SME 7.3, with  2.6.9-67.0.1.EL Kernel?

My advice is that you find a plug-in card which "just works", or upgrade to a motherboard with sufficient SATA for your needs which "just works". Unless you really know what you are doing with drivers, you will have more trouble than it's worth if you try to do something non-standard.

[SoftDux]

well, I can't. There are only so many cards available in our country, and I was told this one works with Linux. But, only after purchasing it I see that the drivers are too old for CentOS4.6. The shop won't take it back, since the package has been torn open already.

The machine runs on a Socket 478, so replacing the motherboard means replacing the CPU & RAM as well. Bottom line is,  I can't justify the costs of replacing everything related to get a supported motherboard.

[william_syd]

What was the result of installing the card? Total failure?

Have you asked your question on the CentOS.org forums?

Hmmm

[SoftDux]

No, I haven't done that, since I find the forum to be a bit dead. Instead I asked on the "more lively" CentOS mailing list, but with no reply either. Google didn't even give me that forum post .....

lspci -v gives me the following:

00:0b.0 SATA controller: Initio Corporation INI-1623 PCI SATA-II Controller (rev 02) (prog-if 00 [Vendor specific])
        Subsystem: Initio Corporation INI-1623 PCI SATA-II Controller
        Flags: bus master, 66Mhz, medium devsel, latency 32, IRQ 217
        I/O ports at d800 [size=256]
        I/O ports at dc00 [size=256]
        I/O ports at e000 [size=256]
        I/O ports at e400 [size=256]
        I/O ports at e800 [size=256]
        Memory at ed10e000 (32-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=4K]
        Capabilities: [dc] Power Management version 2

But I don't see the extra HDD attached to it.

[root@intranet ~]# cat /proc/scsi/scsi
Attached devices:
Host: scsi0 Channel: 00 Id: 00 Lun: 00
  Vendor: ATA      Model: ST3250410AS      Rev: 3.AA
  Type:   Direct-Access                    ANSI SCSI revision: 05
Host: scsi1 Channel: 00 Id: 00 Lun: 00
  Vendor: ATA      Model: ST3250410AS      Rev: 3.AA
  Type:   Direct-Access                    ANSI SCSI revision: 05

Those are the 2 drives connected to the mobo

[william_syd]

Googling appears to make this chipset out as being linux unfriendly.

A few reports of the kernel ignoring the disk because the driver does not support LBA 48 bit addressing.

Take a look through dmesg | more for more info.

Sorry, I'm out of ideas.

[SoftDux]

thanx, it's a pity though...