RE: Iomega Ditto Easy 800 not detected by bpck-fdc (2)
[email protected] Tue, 2 Jul 2002 07:40:57 -0400
| Newsgroups | gmane.linux.tape |
|---|---|
| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
I'd like to thank Smed and Alessio for their pointers on getting my Ditto 8000 parallel to work. I have tried and tried for the past year and I guess it was a combination of the new ftape build 4x-06-13...and the right rebuild of the kernel that made it all come together. When I look back at the docs in ftape (plus the HOW-TO) all the directions are there on how to make ftape work. My only guess is that the 06-13 version of ftape had what was needed as a few of us have succeeded in the past couple of weeks with the same version. Anyways, thanks again to Smed and Alessio as well as to the maintainers of this list and to anyone who work on ftape itself! Kevin Foss Ottawa, Canada -----Original Message----- From: smed [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Friday, 28 June, 2002 09:36 To: [email protected] Subject: Re: Iomega Ditto Easy 800 not detected by bpck-fdc (2) I've left the appended message below for reference....I know its a lot of text but it will help keep everything together in one place. Attached are two files.... #1 MCONFIF which is the configuration file for compiling the ftape driver for the bpck-fdc module #2 is my kernel configuration file for Linux 2.2.19 Couple of things I noticed while skimming through the kernenl configuration file. Plug and play IS compiled into the kerenel......however the option to automatically detect and configure parallel ports is NOT compiled at all. This could be significant. Also.....Parallel Port IDE support is compiled as a module....and the BPCK Module is set in this part of the config file as well. I think in the 'make menuconfig' utility this is identified as the MicroSolutions driver.....you have to look this section over completely while configuring your kernel. I've got to compare these two files on my machine with the working Ditto 800 with the same two files on my other machine with the 'still not working' Colorado trakker to see if there are any MAJOR configuration differences that I may have overlooked so far. Getting these tape drives to work has definitely been the most challenging Linux project I have embarked on so far.....and I HATE hardware. I'd be willing to bet that people who are experienced and proficient at getting the older legacy Intel hardware to work with Linux can make some serious bucks! Good Luck.... I'll share more if I make any progress with the other drive I'm trying to configure. smed On Thu, Jun 27, 2002 at 12:38:54PM -0400, smed wrote: > > Folks: > > I can and will provide some more detail on MY system and what my configuration looks like > so that those of you can get an idea of how I'm setup. > > There are a couple of caveats: > #1 - I can't get to this until this weekend for sure....sorry swamped > #2 - I honestly do NOT know what the contributing factor was that made it work.... > this took me no-shit over 12 man hours before it miraculously worked upon a reboot ( and I hate rebooting) > #3 - I am having a (minor) issue. Since this machine is a 'headless' server....it really doesn't matter.... > but when I load the bpck-fdc module using modprobe and it loads all of its dependent modules (parport, parport_pc, ftape & zftape) > the console monitor blanks out - forever - until a reboot has occurred. Don't know why....not sure if this problem > can be corrected or not. It must have something to do with the driver for the virtual terminals...becuase I have ZERO virtual > terminals after the modules load. Currently I have the modules loading in /etc/rc.d/rc.local > > I can give you some detailed background about the machine - this may be helpful....or it might not be imporatant at all. > > Pentium class 233mhz > 128MB RAM > Slackware Linux 8.0 (of course?) 2.2.19 kernel > > I have recompiled the kernel on this machine more times than I can count in an effort to make that tape drive work. > Last compile right before I discovered that the tape drive worked...I had excluded compiling ftape during 'make menuconfig' > Also: I had compiled all parport support and printer support and anything related to tha parallel port, as a modules. I did this > in an effort to isolate the broken part of this process by using brut force and the process of elimination. Stil....the last compile > and reboot included many changes that I can't recall completely. All I know for sure was that I followed this process upon last compile: > > cd /usr/src/linux (linux 2.2.19) > make clean > make menuconfig { this where I removed ALL built-in support for parallel port in the kerenel - did not choose to compile ftape at all for any reason) > make dep { as per the instructions in the /ftape-src-directory/INSTALL.txt } > > then I switched to the ftape source directory > > cd /usr/src/ftape-4something > make clean > make distclean { to clear out some files that are prohibitive as per the same INSTALL docuement above } > { editted the MCONFIG file to use the bpck-fdc option *** see this file }. > make > make install > > cd ./modules > { edit the ./insert file to include specific parameters for loading the modules } > . ./insert > > This is where the modules loaded....and I was able to get a status from the tape drive: > > > ftmt --file='/dev/qft0' status > > > NOTES: I did all of this as root....naturally. > I did a lot of checking out what the /proc filesystem was doing.... > I had a seperate terminal open just to monitor how this filesystem reacted during each of the changes I was making. You need > to monitory the /proc/parport filesystem to see if it's picking up the parameters being passed to the kernel > eg. cat /proc/parport/0/hardware { should be showing you all good valies for irq, dma, etc. } check your BIOS to confirm these values. > You also need to monitor /proc/ftape to see this information as well. > Parallel IDE support is important in this whole process....and at this point I"m thinking this is where I"m getting screwed up... > when you compile your kernel - compile parallel IDE support as a module and load it manually.....I have to investigate this modules > relationship to the whole process....I'm really starting to think it's critical and might be my main source of difficulty. > > Thoughts: > > I've been working with Linux since 1995.....running Slackware only ever since.....I have not experiemted much with any other distro... > so I can't explain how this operations might work for other distros. All I know is that Slack is usually rock-solid. > > I've configured a bunch of 'legacy' hardware in my day....mainly sound cards give me a shit-load of trouble..... > THIS EXPERIENCE has been the WORST case scenario for me and Linux hardware.....however I am CHEAP and was determined to make it work. > > KEEPIN ALL OF THAT IN MIND: I'm still not sure what I did to make it work....and am not sure if I could repeat the process. > > > I am ALSO working on another machine here at work Slackware 7.1 - 2.2.16 kernel > This machine is attached to a Colorado Trakker 250 tape drive that works fine under windows and I've got a huge stash of > tapes for this machine....and it's in mint condition. > I have been working equally as hard to get the trakker.o module to load and have followed similar steps as above and I have YET > to make this tape drive work either. This machine has had SEVERAL recompiles and I've already isolated all parallel support to > modules....nothing built into the kernel....still no luch. > I WAS able to get the trakker driver loaded one time on a fluke....but the /proc/ftape device didn't show up and, needless-to-say, > the tape drive wouldn't respond. > > > I will furnish in another e-mail the following configuration files: > > /usr/src/ftape-driver/MCONFIG { the main configuration file for compiling the driver } > /usr/src/linux/.config { my kernel configuration file....not sure how much this can be helpful....but it probably is } > /usr/src/ftape-driver/modules/insert { this file is a script that loads the newly compiled ftape modules using insmod } > > Ok....that's all I've got right now off the top of my head....... > I"ll see if I can get the above mentioned files posted by the end of the day. > > GOOD LUCK! and PLEASE keep me posted to any new developments........I would like to get this issue under wraps. > Good old lower capacity tape drives are easy to come by and can be an inexpensive way to backup critical data. > > > Enjoy! > > smed > > > > > On Thu, Jun 27, 2002 at 07:38:27AM -0400, [email protected] wrote: > > Smed, > > Can you provide the sequence that you loaded the modules and any of > > the parameter associated with each module? I get similar errors to just > > about everyone that can't get their Ditto Easy 800 loaded. > > > > Kevin Foss > > Ottawa, Canada > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: smed [mailto:[email protected]] > > Sent: Friday, 21 June, 2002 12:16 > > To: [email protected] > > Subject: Re: Iomega Ditto Easy 800 not detected by bpck-fdc (2) > > > > > > > > I recently got my Ditto 800 working with the linux 2.2.19 kernel. > > I had to recompile about a bagillion times. > > Try loading all the modules in sequence. > > don't build the parport and parport_pc modules into the kernel...load them > > seperately > > and make sure and setup the appropriate parameters in /etc/modules.conf > > don't load the ftape-compressor....it's not needed. > > > > I honestly don't know how I got it to work, however I know I had to > > recompile the > > kernel and the modules nearly a dozen times. > > > > I'm still working on another colorodo trakker 250 tape drive that I can not > > get to > > work. I'm thinking of upgrading to a 2.2 kernel just to see if the support > > is better. > > > > smed > > > > > > > > On Fri, Jun 21, 2002 at 05:53:06PM +0200, Alessio Martini wrote: > > > [follows from the previous message] > > > > > > I also discovered that I obtain the same error message both when the > > > parallel cable is plugged and when it's unplugged. The problem is not the > > > cable, since I can print to a printer which is connected through the > > Iomega > > > Ditto drive. > > > Moreover, it doesn't matter if parport and/or parport_pc modules are > > > loaded: I always get the same error message in /var/log/messages: > > > > > > Jun 21 00:06:26 due kernel: bpck-fdc.c: bpck_fdc_register @ 0xd291cce0 > > > Jun 21 00:06:26 due kernel: [005] bpck-fdc.c (bpck_fdc_query_proto) - > > > Got 0xf8, expected either 0xc0 or 0x40. > > > Jun 21 00:06:26 due kernel: [006] 0 bpck-fdc.c (bpck_fdc_detect) - can't > > > find bpck interface for ftape id 0. > > > Jun 21 00:06:26 due kernel: [007] 0 bpck-fdc.c (bpck_fdc_detect) - > > > ft_parport_probe(fdc, &bpck->parinfo) failed: -6. > > > > > > Alessio Martini > > > > > > > > > > > > Alessio Martini > > > Piazza del Rosario, 9 > > > 28922 Verbania Pallanza (VB) > > > Italy > > > > > > Tel.: +39-0323-503071 > > > e-mail: [email protected] > > > > > > > > > - > > > To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-tape" in > > > the body of a message to [email protected] > > > More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html > > - > > To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-tape" in > > the body of a message to [email protected] > > More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html > - > To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-tape" in > the body of a message to [email protected] > More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-tape" in the body of a message to [email protected] More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html