Problem creating filesystem

Problem creating filesystem

[Carlos Fernandez Sanz]

I have just purchased a new HD and I'm getting problems creating a
filesystem for it. I've done some research and some people claim the problem
might be kernel related so I'm asking here just in case.

The HD is a Maxtor 80 Gb, plugged to the Promise controller that comes with
Asus A7V motherboards. The controller is ide2, and the HD is /dev/hde. ide0
and ide1 are working with no problems.

-----------------
fdisk shows some warnings (but doesn't refuse to create the partition):

[root@alhambra /sbin]# fdisk /dev/hde
Device contains neither a valid DOS partition table, nor Sun, SGI or OSF
disklabel
Building a new DOS disklabel. Changes will remain in memory only,
until you decide to write them. After that, of course, the previous
content won't be recoverable.

The number of cylinders for this disk is set to 15871.
There is nothing wrong with that, but this is larger than 1024,
and could in certain setups cause problems with:
1) software that runs at boot time (e.g., old versions of LILO)
2) booting and partitioning software from other OSs
   (e.g., DOS FDISK, OS/2 FDISK)
Warning: invalid flag 0xffffa855 of partition table 5 will be corrected by
w(rite)

Command (m for help): n
Command action
   e   extended
   p   primary partition (1-4)
p
Partition number (1-4): 1
First cylinder (1-15871, default 1):
Using default value 1
Last cylinder or +size or +sizeM or +sizeK (1-15871, default 15871):
Using default value 15871

Command (m for help): p

Disk /dev/hde: 16 heads, 63 sectors, 15871 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 1008 * 512 bytes

   Device Boot    Start       End    Blocks   Id  System
/dev/hde1             1     15871   7998952+  83  Linux

Command (m for help): w
The partition table has been altered!

Calling ioctl() to re-read partition table.

WARNING: If you have created or modified any DOS 6.x
partitions, please see the fdisk manual page for additional
information.
Syncing disks.
------------------
When trying to create the filesystem, I get this:

[root@alhambra /sbin]# ./mke2fs /dev/hde1
mke2fs 1.18, 11-Nov-1999 for EXT2 FS 0.5b, 95/08/09
/dev/hde1: Invalid argument passed to ext2 library while setting up
superblock
-------------------

I'm using
Linux version 2.2.17-14 (root@porky.devel.redhat.com) (gcc version
egcs-2.91.66 19990314/Linux (egcs-1.1.2 release)) #1 Mon Feb 5 16:02:20 EST
2001

The IDE controller is
  Bus  0, device  17, function  0:
    Unknown mass storage controller: Promise Technology Unknown device (rev
2).
      Vendor id=105a. Device id=d30.
      Medium devsel.  IRQ 10.  Master Capable.  Latency=32.
      I/O at 0x9000 [0x9001].
      I/O at 0x8800 [0x8801].
      I/O at 0x8400 [0x8401].
      I/O at 0x8000 [0x8001].
      I/O at 0x7800 [0x7801].
      Non-prefetchable 32 bit memory at 0xdd800000 [0xdd800000].
[root@alhambra /proc]#

Any suggestion?

Re: Problem creating filesystem

[Guest section DW]

On Mon, Feb 26, 2001 at 06:48:16PM -0500, Carlos Fernandez Sanz wrote:

> I have just purchased a new HD and I'm getting problems creating a
> filesystem for it.  The HD is a Maxtor 80 Gb
> 
> Disk /dev/hde: 16 heads, 63 sectors, 15871 cylinders
> Units = cylinders of 1008 * 512 bytes
> 
>    Device Boot    Start       End    Blocks   Id  System
> /dev/hde1             1     15871   7998952+  83  Linux
> 
> Command (m for help): w
> The partition table has been altered!
> 
> Calling ioctl() to re-read partition table.
> 
> Syncing disks.
> ------------------
> When trying to create the filesystem, I get this:
> 
> [root@alhambra /sbin]# ./mke2fs /dev/hde1
> mke2fs 1.18, 11-Nov-1999 for EXT2 FS 0.5b, 95/08/09
> /dev/hde1: Invalid argument passed to ext2 library while setting up
> superblock
> -------------------
> 
> I'm using
> Linux version 2.2.17-14 (root@porky.devel.redhat.com)

Reboot. Look at the boot messages. You should see your disk mentioned
and the partitions listed (hde: hde1).
If they disappear too quickly, say "dmesg | grep hde".

Test the size of hde1 with "blockdev --getsize /dev/hde1"
or "fdisk -s /dev/hde1" or so. If you get 0 that explains
the mke2fs error.

Make sure your tools are up to date. Old versions often have
an overflow somewhere.

Re: Problem creating filesystem

[Jeremy Jackson]

Carlos Fernandez Sanz wrote:

> I have just purchased a new HD and I'm getting problems creating a
> filesystem for it. I've done some research and some people claim the problem
> might be kernel related so I'm asking here just in case.
>
> The HD is a Maxtor 80 Gb, plugged to the Promise controller that comes with
> Asus A7V motherboards. The controller is ide2, and the HD is /dev/hde. ide0

how did you get it to recognise this controller?  kernel command line?
stock RH7's kernel 2.2.16-22 doesn't have automatic support.  I'd be
interested to know if 2.2.17-14 does, as I could use this on a system.

>
> and ide1 are working with no problems.
>
> -----------------
> fdisk shows some warnings (but doesn't refuse to create the partition):
>
> [root@alhambra /sbin]# fdisk /dev/hde
> Device contains neither a valid DOS partition table, nor Sun, SGI or OSF
> disklabel
> Building a new DOS disklabel. Changes will remain in memory only,
> until you decide to write them. After that, of course, the previous
> content won't be recoverable.

This is normal for a blank disk; hopefully that's all this is.

>
>
> The number of cylinders for this disk is set to 15871.
> There is nothing wrong with that, but this is larger than 1024,
> and could in certain setups cause problems with:
> 1) software that runs at boot time (e.g., old versions of LILO)
> 2) booting and partitioning software from other OSs
>    (e.g., DOS FDISK, OS/2 FDISK)

this is fine. just a note for the inexperienced.

>
> Warning: invalid flag 0xffffa855 of partition table 5 will be corrected by
> w(rite)

normal - related to first message.

>
>
> Command (m for help): n
> Command action
>    e   extended
>    p   primary partition (1-4)
> p
> Partition number (1-4): 1
> First cylinder (1-15871, default 1):
> Using default value 1
> Last cylinder or +size or +sizeM or +sizeK (1-15871, default 15871):
> Using default value 15871
>
> Command (m for help): p
>
> Disk /dev/hde: 16 heads, 63 sectors, 15871 cylinders
> Units = cylinders of 1008 * 512 bytes
>
>    Device Boot    Start       End    Blocks   Id  System
> /dev/hde1             1     15871   7998952+  83  Linux
>
> Command (m for help): w
> The partition table has been altered!
>
> Calling ioctl() to re-read partition table.
>
> WARNING: If you have created or modified any DOS 6.x
> partitions, please see the fdisk manual page for additional
> information.
> Syncing disks.

although it doesn't look like it's necessary, it's a good idea to
reboot here. (it usually gives a additional error if reboot needed)

>
> ------------------
> When trying to create the filesystem, I get this:
>
> [root@alhambra /sbin]# ./mke2fs /dev/hde1
> mke2fs 1.18, 11-Nov-1999 for EXT2 FS 0.5b, 95/08/09
> /dev/hde1: Invalid argument passed to ext2 library while setting up
> superblock

sounds like an overflow.  try using badblocks to verify that the kernel
will allow access to all sectors in the partition.

badblocks -b 1024 -sv `fdisk -s /dev/hde1`

if that works, it looks like overflow in mke2fs or e2fs libraries; try:

delete partition 1 and make 2 more, each half of the disk,

try mke2fs /dev/hde1

if that works try mke2fs /dev/hde2;

if they both work then the overflow is likely the size of the disk;
but you have access to all of it in just two halves, until a fix is found.

>
> -------------------
>
> I'm using
> Linux version 2.2.17-14 (root@porky.devel.redhat.com) (gcc version
> egcs-2.91.66 19990314/Linux (egcs-1.1.2 release)) #1 Mon Feb 5 16:02:20 EST
> 2001
>
> The IDE controller is
>   Bus  0, device  17, function  0:
>     Unknown mass storage controller: Promise Technology Unknown device (rev
> 2).
>       Vendor id=105a. Device id=d30.
>       Medium devsel.  IRQ 10.  Master Capable.  Latency=32.

Unrelated to disk "problem", you might want to set your PCI latency timer in
BIOS to 64 or more.

>
>       I/O at 0x9000 [0x9001].
>       I/O at 0x8800 [0x8801].
>       I/O at 0x8400 [0x8401].
>       I/O at 0x8000 [0x8001].
>       I/O at 0x7800 [0x7801].
>       Non-prefetchable 32 bit memory at 0xdd800000 [0xdd800000].
> [root@alhambra /proc]#

[Newbie] Re: Problem creating filesystem

[Rogerio Brito]

On Feb 26 2001, Jeremy Jackson wrote:
> Carlos Fernandez Sanz wrote:
> > The IDE controller is
> >   Bus  0, device  17, function  0:
> >     Unknown mass storage controller: Promise Technology Unknown device (rev
> > 2).
> >       Vendor id=105a. Device id=d30.
> >       Medium devsel.  IRQ 10.  Master Capable.  Latency=32.
> 
> Unrelated to disk "problem", you might want to set your PCI latency timer in
> BIOS to 64 or more.

	Ok, I understand that this is probably off-topic and way too
	basic, but what exactly would this do, in layman terms? Would
	the latency being set to 32 result in any potential data
	corruption?  BTW, to set this quantity, one should use setpci,
	right?


	Thanks for any help, Roger...

-- 
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
  Rogerio Brito - rbrito@iname.com - http://www.ime.usp.br/~rbrito/
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Re: [Newbie] Re: Problem creating filesystem

[Jeremy Jackson]

Rogerio Brito wrote:

> On Feb 26 2001, Jeremy Jackson wrote:
> > Carlos Fernandez Sanz wrote:
> > > The IDE controller is
> > >   Bus  0, device  17, function  0:
> > >     Unknown mass storage controller: Promise Technology Unknown device (rev
> > > 2).
> > >       Vendor id=105a. Device id=d30.
> > >       Medium devsel.  IRQ 10.  Master Capable.  Latency=32.
> >
> > Unrelated to disk "problem", you might want to set your PCI latency timer in
> > BIOS to 64 or more.

This should be accessible in your BIOS setup.  I'm basing my comments on
one NIC driver complaining in my logs and overriding settings lower that 64;
however the general idea is to trade off latency for throughput.  If I go crazy,
like 192 or so, on *my* system, sound card starts to pop a bit, indicating that
it's fifo buffer is smaller that that and is emptying when other devices
are using the bus at the same time (it's like a timeslice)

>
>
>         Ok, I understand that this is probably off-topic and way too
>         basic, but what exactly would this do, in layman terms? Would
>         the latency being set to 32 result in any potential data
>         corruption?  BTW, to set this quantity, one should use setpci,
>         right?