[ltp] Flash HD in R51 (via CF and ultrabay)

[Richard Neill]

> I know. But you don't always get the right sizeinfo for them. I already
> have one that does not fit into the HD-bay...

You want something to adapt
	Compact Flash (Type II)
to
	Notebook IDE

> 
>> YMMV about whether the thinkpad will boot with ONLY an ultrabay device 
>> and no device in the normal HDD socket.. It seems to be thinkpad 
>> specific - certainly when I tried the X22 with USB boot (which 
>> normally works fine), the BIOS failed if the HDD socket was empty.
> 
> Oh bugger. Well if i put the CF into the normal HD bay ..

That will work fine. On the X22, I had to remove the keyboard (quite 
easy; see service manual) to get sufficiently "into" the HDD bay to push 
the adapter into place. Although I could probably have done it the hard 
way with long-nose pliers.
.
> 
>> i)You may want to back up your *data* elsewhere periodically - since 
>> CF cards aren't all that reliable, especially with a journalling FS.
> 
> No problem. I plan to have the OS in 1-2 squashfs-images and all writeable
> files in a unionfs (with a ramfs for writing). Rsync'ing the write-branch
> for ramfs onto the CF on shutdown should not create that much writes. If i
> get 1 year per CF ...

For testing purposes, just try a quick standard install (eg the knoppix 
hd-install). I don't think you even need to be as careful as that. Just 
prevent anything which writes too frequently:
   /tmp
   /var/log
and disable swap, atime and (probably) journalling.


> My backups are on a central server, i would lose 1 week max.
> 
>> ii) The physical mounting of a CF/IDE adapter isn't that great.
> 
> That is bad news. I hoped to get a CF-IDE with holes for the HD-mount
> screws. But all these adapters are way shorter then a normal HD so the
> regular HD-Bay is out. Which brings me back to the boot-on-ultrabay 
> problem.

It's fairly OK - the CF+adapter is sufficiently light-weight to be held 
in place by its contacts alone. Some foam or balsa will improve the 
support. You don't really need to screw it in.

> 
>> iii)The HDD plastic cover is normally fixed to the HDD itself. So, if 
>> you want to hold this in place, you'll need some workaround. I just 
>> made an interference fit with some expanded polystyrene foam, which is 
>> fine for me, since I never move the machine.
> 
> That is just cosmetics, i can worry about it later.
> 
> I think this boils down to testing. There are not that many freaks/geeks
> seeking total silence and are willing to go that extra step. Oh well,... i
> will just buy the stuff and hope for the best.
> 
> Thanks a lot for your answer, it proves it worked on at least 1 thinkpad .
> 

Good luck. Also, try the ACPI fan-control scripts (on thinkwiki) - you 
can make it normally silent.

Richard



P.S. Some of the CF/IDE adapters take 2 cards. You *might* be able to 
get /dev/hda and /dev/hdb ...  (if it physically fits).