[ltp] Thinkpad T23 changes HD device in port replikator 2631

[Henrique de Moraes Holschuh]

On Sat, 18 Oct 2008, Helmut Hullen wrote:
> Hallo, Henrique,
> Du meintest zum Thema Re: [ltp] Thinkpad T23 changes HD device in port replikator 2631:
> >> When I put the T23 into a 2631 and then boot it Linux finds not only
> >> IDE0 and IDE1 but also IDE2 and IDE3, and it tells me that the HD is
> >> /dev/hde.
> >> "dmesg" also reports a CMD 648 - is such a controller built into the
> >> port replikator?
> 
> > Yes. And it is a piss-poor, buggy piece of crap of an IDE controller,
> > at that.  Make extremely sure your kernel has CMD64x support or it
> > will destroy your data (if the kernel manages to talk to it using
> > generic IDE support).
> 
> Kernel-configuration:
> 
>         CONFIG_BLK_DEV_CMD64X=y
> 
> (maybe therefore this controller gets IDE0 and IDE1)
> 
>         # CONFIG_PATA_CMD64X is not set
> 
> Do I need this option?

It is probably an IDE driver versus libPATA driver thing.  As a rule, using
libPATA is much better (but your IDE devices will end up in the SCSI layer,
/dev/sda, etc).  However, this is not always true for OLD stuff, and the
CMD64x is OLD.

So, I don't know if you should be using IDE or libPATA for CMD64x.

However, your kernel clearly is using CMD64x-specific code, so it is
supposed to be safe.

-- 
  "One disk to rule them all, One disk to find them. One disk to bring
  them all and in the darkness grind them. In the Land of Redmond
  where the shadows lie." -- The Silicon Valley Tarot
  Henrique Holschuh