At boot doesn't recognize aic9405 controller sas/sata

[Daniel Robitaille]

Binary package hint: linux-source-2.6.15

bug initially reported using reportbug

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Michele Bendazzoli <email address hidden>
To: Ubuntu Bug Tracking System <email address hidden>
Date: Wed, 24 May 2006 17:16:35 +0200
Subject: linux: At boot doesn't recognize aic9405 controller sas/sata
Package: linux
Severity: normal

-- System Information:
Debian Release: testing/unstable
 APT prefers dapper-updates
 APT policy: (500, 'dapper-updates'), (500, 'dapper-security'), (500, 'dapper')
Architecture: i386 (i686)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash
Kernel: Linux 2.6.15.7-ubuntu1
Locale: LANG=it_IT.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=it_IT.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)

After a fresh installation, the system refuse to boot because the
controller isn't recognized by kernel. Only after installing a custom
kernel with the driver for aic94xx compiled directly in the kernel (not
as module), the system became usable.

[Simon Law (sfllaw)]

Hi Michele,

Could you please provide what the last 25 lines of the kernel's
message when you boot with an Ubuntu kernel?

Also, please attach your the output of the `dmesg` command to
this bug.

For both of these, you should use the following link:
https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+bug/46510/+addattachment

Thanks.

[Michele Bendazzoli (mickymouse)]

Simon Law ha scritto:
> Hi Michele,
>
> Could you please provide what the last 25 lines of the kernel's
> message when you boot with an Ubuntu kernel?
>
> Also, please attach your the output of the `dmesg` command to
> this bug.
>
> For both of these, you should use the following link:
> https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+bug/46510/+addattachment
>
> Thanks.
>
> ** Changed in: linux-source-2.6.15 (Ubuntu)
> Status: Unconfirmed => Needs Info
>
>
Hi Simon

File system type is ext2fs, partition type 083
Kernel /boot/vmlinuz-2.6.15-23-server root=/dev/sda1 ro quite splash
[linux-bzimage, setup=0x1c00, size=0x16b75f]
initrd /boot/initrd.img-2.6.15-23-server
[linux-initrd @ 0x1f830000, 0x69f743 bytes]
save default
boot
uncompressing linux ... , booting the kernel.
[42949377.900000] PCI: can't allocate resource region 7 of bridge
0000:00:01.
[42949377.900000] PCI: can't allocate resource region 8 of bridge
0000:00:01.
[42949377.900000] PCI: can't allocate resource region 9 of bridge
0000:00:01.
[42949377.900000] PCI: can't allocate resource region 7 of bridge
0000:00:01.
[42949377.900000] PCI: can't allocate resource region 8 of bridge
0000:00:01.
[42949377.900000] PCI: can't allocate resource region 9 of bridge
0000:00:01.

Then system halt.
Instead, when the system is boot from the custom kernel, after the syx
rows (if I remember correctly, I had to phone with another person to
write the previous ones:-), a row indicating that the sda is recognized
(added) appears.
If you want the exactly text of the last row (where the system recognize
the disk) let me know.

Hope this help

Michele

[Dave Gilbert (ubuntu-treblig)]

Can someone merge 53138 that I filed into this one; it just looks like the driver doesn't get put into the initrd; the driver in the kernel works fine for me.

(38421 could probably also merge?)

[Daniel T Chen (crimsun)]

/usr/share/initramfs-tools/hook-functions::auto_add_modules() does not reference aci94xx at all, therefore it's not added to the initramfs thereby causing this bug report's symptom.

[Iván Campaña (ivan-campana)]

I just installed edgy on a IBM xseries 206m, had the same problem, after installing it couldn't boot because it was not able to load the drivers.

I wasted almost a 2 days reading different ways to solve it from debian tutorials, none of those worked. The real solution took less than 15 minutes and would have save me from quite a headache.

Probably someone with experience read this bug description and understood the way to solve it, but since I read this over and over and could find an exit, here is the way to solve the problem:

After installing edgy or dapper from the live cd, don't reboot. Keep working with the live CD. Open a terminal and create a directory to mount the just installed system and chroot to that directory example:
#sudo -s
#mkdir /media/linux_206m
#mount /dev/sda1 /media/linux_206m
#chroot /media/linux_206m

(Assuming that sda1 is the partition where ubuntu is installed.)

Once you get there just edit this file: /etc/initramfs-tools/modules
Add a new line at the end of the file and write aic94xx
Close the file and execute this command:
        update-initramfs -u -k all

Wait till it finish and problem solved, remove the live cd, reboot and it should recognize the adaptec card and boot normally, no need to modify the kernel, recompile, download anything or use extra tools.

Hope it helps someone.

[Mark Honman (wania-mark)]

On dapper (6.06.1 LTS) the method outlined in the previous comment can also be used.
However the file to be modified is /etc/mkinitramfs/modules

Here is the procedure when using the Alternate CD
After the install has completed and ejected the CD
#chroot /target
#mount /boot
edit /etc/mkinitramfs/modules or /etc/initramfs-tools/modules and add a line containing "aic94xx"
#update-initramfs -u -k all

[Christian Noelle (noelle)]

I encounter a strange problem with dapper here. I installed a Debian Sarge with loading a precompiled binary of the driver provided by one of the grml folks. This went fine. Then I read the comment from Mark that dapper has the drivers. I gave it a try: Booted up the 6.06.1 LTS Server CD, switched to console, made sure that the driver was loaded, switched back, fired up partman and and the screen blanks. Switching to the debug output, I see partman complaining that there were no volume groups found.

What the heck!?

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Per a decision made by the Ubuntu Kernel Team, bugs will longer be assigned to the ubuntu-kernel-team in Launchpad as part of the bug triage process. The ubuntu-kernel-team is being unassigned from this bug report. Refer to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelTeamBugPolicies for more information. Thanks.

[maximilian attems (maks-debian)]

Newer initramfs-tools no longer hardcodes list of modules, thus aic94xx is inside of a generated initramfs.
This is fixed from maverick on.