Pro/Forums - View Single Post

scottz · 10-02-2004, 10:48 PM

Well folks, I've updated a DELL 705N (Snap 4100) to SnapOS 4.x and everything works except for the 48bit LBA issue (which I REALLY need).

Bios stamp 2.4.437
Plat Bytes 2.2.1
Model Byte 2

With "info log T" I'm getting
IDE: A 48 bit LBA capable Hard Drive was detected ...
IDE: 48 bit LBA is not supported on 4100 and 12000 platforms.
IDE: Setting the hard drive size to maximum addressable by 28 bits: 131071 MBytes.

Resetting the LBA Counter doesn't help.

I've dug up the info on the Promise PDC 20265 IDE chips used in this 4100 and they can/do support 48 bit LBA. 48Bit LBA support came later for them in late 2001/early 2002 so a Promise firmware upgrade is possibly needed. The Promise cards that used these chips are on the FastTrak 100, SuperTrak 100, and other Promise Ultra 100 UDMA cards, and I have found the firmware for them.

I've been hunting for a console connection of some sort as it seems somewhat logical to have another way into the board during manufacturing and testing. There are the other 4 lines on the RJ45 (pins 4,5,7,8) and the mysterious J8 connector (which looks like a 5th IDE connector) but apparently isn't.

Regardless, it seems even if it were possible to upgrade the onboard promise firmware, the hardcoded check for a 4100 above would still keep me from using it.

I've tried various methods to change the bios platform bytes, OEM Level, and Model without success (i.e. I can change them, but the check is either there or other issues came up that prevented the 4100 from working).

I'd like to try the UK SnapOS version or find out if it is the same image as the US version.

Right now I'm torn between trying to keep hacking this or just replacing the motherboard with an ITX one loaded with Darma or Zetta NAS images.

What really bugs me is the fact that the hardware is certainly capable of handling 48bit LBA drives, but there is no interest by Adaptec/SnapAppliance to enable it (and yet they still sell this box today!!). Seems to be more of a marketing issue than a technical one, but that's getting into conspiracy theories.

I'd appreciate any more ideas on things to try.

Many Thanks!

10-02-2004, 10:48 PM	#290
scottz Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: USA Posts: 7	Well folks, I've updated a DELL 705N (Snap 4100) to SnapOS 4.x and everything works except for the 48bit LBA issue (which I REALLY need). Bios stamp 2.4.437 Plat Bytes 2.2.1 Model Byte 2 With "info log T" I'm getting IDE: A 48 bit LBA capable Hard Drive was detected ... IDE: 48 bit LBA is not supported on 4100 and 12000 platforms. IDE: Setting the hard drive size to maximum addressable by 28 bits: 131071 MBytes. Resetting the LBA Counter doesn't help. I've dug up the info on the Promise PDC 20265 IDE chips used in this 4100 and they can/do support 48 bit LBA. 48Bit LBA support came later for them in late 2001/early 2002 so a Promise firmware upgrade is possibly needed. The Promise cards that used these chips are on the FastTrak 100, SuperTrak 100, and other Promise Ultra 100 UDMA cards, and I have found the firmware for them. I've been hunting for a console connection of some sort as it seems somewhat logical to have another way into the board during manufacturing and testing. There are the other 4 lines on the RJ45 (pins 4,5,7,8) and the mysterious J8 connector (which looks like a 5th IDE connector) but apparently isn't. Regardless, it seems even if it were possible to upgrade the onboard promise firmware, the hardcoded check for a 4100 above would still keep me from using it. I've tried various methods to change the bios platform bytes, OEM Level, and Model without success (i.e. I can change them, but the check is either there or other issues came up that prevented the 4100 from working). I'd like to try the UK SnapOS version or find out if it is the same image as the US version. Right now I'm torn between trying to keep hacking this or just replacing the motherboard with an ITX one loaded with Darma or Zetta NAS images. What really bugs me is the fact that the hardware is certainly capable of handling 48bit LBA drives, but there is no interest by Adaptec/SnapAppliance to enable it (and yet they still sell this box today!!). Seems to be more of a marketing issue than a technical one, but that's getting into conspiracy theories. I'd appreciate any more ideas on things to try. Many Thanks! Last edited by scottz; 10-03-2004 at 05:47 AM.