[SOLVED] HardDrives show in BIOS and POST but not NAS4Free

[w4kh]

New to NAS4Free (and to BSD, but some SCO Unix and Debian Linux experience)

Attempting Full Install to Hard Drive

Software:
NAS4Free 9.1.0.1 (revision 573) x86-liveCD iso

Hardware:
ASUS P5KPL MB - BIOS Rev 702
A_M_I_ OEMRSDT Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU E1500@2.20GHz
3582MiB RAM
Intel ICH7 UDMA100 controller
160GB PATA (new unformatted) HD (for Software)
(2) Seagate 1GB ST31000340AS HD (for Data - later)
Pioneer DVD/CD RW

I have tried the install with only the IDE drive, and with the IDE and SATA drives, always with the same result

When I try to install (Menu Option 9 "Install/Upgrade NAS4Free from LiveCD/LiveUSB" and then Select 3 "Install 'full' OS on HDD + DATA + SWAP partition") the installer says it will erase all data and asks if I wish to continue
when I "OK", it errors and comes up to the "Select CD/DVD/USB Drive for Installation" with only the CD0 shown as install medium

The error that flashes by is:
(pass0:ata0:0:1:0): ATA_IDENTIFY. ACB: ec 00 00 00 00 40 00 00 00 00 01 00
(pass0:ata0:0:1:0): CAM status: ATA Status Error
(pass0:ata0:0:1:0): ATA status: 51 (DRDY SERV ERR), error: 04 (ABRT )
(pass0:ata0:0:1:0): RES: 51 04 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 01 00

What is happening (what am I doing wrong) that I can not install a full NAS4Free to an IDE HD with two 1GB SATA drives as data? Without the two SATA drives the hardware ran my wife's Windows box until I finally got her using Linux, so what must I do to make NAS4Free install?

[al562]

Hi W4kh,

Thanks for posting information as required by the rules and guidelines . Use report generator next time, you might find it easier .

This error indicates a problem with the drive at ata0:0:1:0. A request for status was not answered or received.
You need to determine which drive that is (CD/DVD, or 160GB, or other). Try installing just to the 160Gb to narrow down the problem. This could be anything, bad drive; your 160 Gb drive is certainly not new, fresh out of the box, it's been used before. Bad cable, port, controller, BIOS settings on Motherboard, etc. How about drive settings? Master/slave? Maybe conflict with CD/DVD? You need to troubleshoot, try different CD/DVD, try testing 160Gb drive with manufacturers' diagnostic software.

Let us know what you find and we will try to help troubleshoot further.

Regards,
Al

[LA70]

Hi,

CD0 is your install medium, next step is to specify installation target. So just tap enter to continue.
regards

[w4kh]

CD0 is your install medium, next step is to specify installation target. So just tap enter to continue.
regards

Yes, I know cd0 is install medium, and also that it is write protected, it being a cdR...
I am testing the 160GB disk drive and other aspects to see what might be the locus of my problem. Given that the BIOS and POST operations both see the drives and recognize what they are by model and characteristics, I am puzzled in that no obvious solution jumps out...
More when I have additional data - thanks al562 for your suggestions, many of which I had tried and neglected to document in my original post... film at eleven

[supercazzola]

I agree with Al. it is possible you have both CD drive and IDE set to Master. usually the best way is to check the jumpers on both drives.

[w4kh]

I agree with Al. it is possible you have both CD drive and IDE set to Master. usually the best way is to check the jumpers on both drives.

That was one of the very first things I checked... 160GB PATA drive is set to MASTER (Slave Present) and cd0 is set to SLAVE
Something else is happening, though at this point I don't know what...
I am about to try a different Motherboard with a different chipset and see what shakes out there... More when I know more...

[w4kh]

Different motherboard allowed a "Full Install", but somewhat reluctantly...
Previous troublesome motherboard allowed good video all the way through, which is to say I could see the options and command windows and menus with no problems.
New motherboard, not so much... Until I diddled a bunch with the vga setting in BIOS I got blank screens after the CD booted into the install/liveCD phase... (YES, I know the video issue has NOTHING to do with NAS4Free and is a motherboard issue)
System is now "Full Install" and ready... the two 1TB drives are formatted and built into a RAID1 array (noisy little buggers, too!) and the RAID1 array is mounted...

Clearly the original issue was solved by employing a different motherboard, which in turn introduced some different issues... The "Good News" is, my NAS4Free is now up and addressable from the Web GUI (https)...

Thanks to all who helped. I have more questions, but have some searching (of archives and my soul) to do before opening my next can or worms

[fsbruva]

Use zfs mirroring instead of raid1!!

[w4kh]

Use zfs mirroring instead of raid1!!

Given that most of the Docs suggest using the BSD "standard" UFS (because some filesystem types - especially Micro~t - have reliability issues) and NAS4Free has easy drop-down menus to select software RAID with not much mention of ZFS beyond "it's one of the choices", nor of mirroring ZFS, why would one make that choice?

What are the pluses and minuses of ZFS mirroring versus RAID1/UFS?

Help a BSD newbie with enough experience in of Linux/Unix to understand a detailed response...

[armandh]

ZFS mirror is what I use
all the pluses of ZFS data security
and since there is no complex striping it is lower on cpu/mem use
but not as frugal with the drive space.

I always think of the least complex as the most secure

[w4kh]

all the pluses of ZFS data security
and since there is no complex striping it is lower on cpu/mem use
but not as frugal with the drive space.

I always think of the least complex as the most secure

Thanks for the tip, although my curiosity sent me off chasing documentation for ZFS for hours and hours... After all that reading, I think I shall try it...

Only "issue" right now is that I have neither physical space nor unused SATA ports in the box I am using for NAS4Free to install another hard drive... the USB stick I dd'ed the LiveUSB image to doesn't boot the system, and I am not willing to try debugging that when there are other ways to skin this cat... Good News {tm} is that I have an unused IDE/PATA port open with enough physical room overhead to install a Disk on Module drive, which is being shipped, though probably NOT soon enough!

until then, I'll back up to an LTO-3 drive and try not to save too much until NAS4Free is functional!

Film at 11