Re: [PATCH] 2.5.75-bk update help texts for PDC202 (was [PATCH] Update COnfigure.help for PDC202 options)

[Ruth Ivimey-Cook <Ruth.Ivimey-Cook@ivimey.org>]

On Saturday 12 Jul 2003 1:00 am, Bartlomiej Zolnierkiewicz wrote:
> > +	  Promise Ultra 33 [PDC20246]
> > +	  Promise Ultra 66 [PDC20262]
> > +	  Promise FastTrak 66 [PDC20263]
> > +	  Promise MB Ultra 100 [PDC20265]
> > +	  Promise Ultra 100 [PDC20267]
>
> This is probably okay.

The device names are taken from the driver source and where possible confirmed 
from the Promise web site (looking in BIOS files).

> > +	  This driver adds up to 4 more EIDE devices sharing a single
> > +	  interrupt. This device is a bootable PCI UDMA controller. Since
>
> I've seen this "up to 4 more EIDE devices sharing a single
> interrupt" also in comments for HighPoint controllers...
> I think all such comments are bogus.

In this case I kept the old comments, as I wasn't sure that they were 
incorrect. I will have a go at rehashing this paragraph.

> > +	  "Special UDMA Feature" to force UDMA mode for connected UDMA capable
> > +	  disk drives.
> I think this comment is highly specific to Ultra33 cards...

It is true that I have never needed it for either of the Ultra 100's I have, 
although having it enabled didn't seem to hurt.

> Also if you use this driver and choose to override BIOS you can probably
> use as much cards as you want (currently driver limits it to 5,
> but this is easy to change).
> There is already confusion here, please don't make it worse ;-).

As above, this is duplicated from the original help. So I'm not making things 
worse. That said I am hoping to make things better.

I will change it to make it clearer that the statements about Ultra33 are 
specific to Ultra33.
Are you telling me that I should change it to be unlimied # cards?

> This is probably okay.
 > +	  at boot-time for max speed.  Ultra33 BIOS 1.25 or newer is required
> > +	  for more than one card.
>
> Ultra33? This is driver for new Promise controllers.

OOps... will fix.

> Please read recent "IDE/Promise 20276 FastTrack RAID..." thread.
> Also ataraid driver is not ported to 2.5 yet.

I will: I hadn't noticed it.  [ looks ] So there is another patch for the  
(ugh!) 'special feature' -- do you want me to:
 - integrate that patch with mine & resubmit
 - take input from that patch into mine & resubmit
 - go away :-(

Does ataraid work well on 2.4? I have never used it as I have preferred the 
user-space tools available for Linux-raid. On 2.5 KConfig as ataraid doesn't 
work I guess the right thing is to always configure as non-raid, so not 
requiring a user-question and therefore no help.

I have updated my Configure.help patch in ways that I hope address your 
concerns above. I can see from Steven Drake's patch that I should also modify 
Config.in: should we continue I will do that & send a patch for it.

If we come to consensus on this patch I will update Steven's KConfig one also.


--- Documentation/Configure.help.orig	2003-07-11 19:40:17.000000000 +0100
+++ Documentation/Configure.help.pdc	2003-07-12 01:53:41.000000000 +0100
@@ -1229,30 +1229,57 @@
 
   If unsure, say N.
 
-PROMISE PDC20246/PDC20262/PDC20265/PDC20267/PDC20268 support
+PROMISE PDC20246/PDC20262/PDC20263/PDC20265/PDC20267 support
 CONFIG_BLK_DEV_PDC202XX_OLD
-  Promise Ultra33 or PDC20246
-  Promise Ultra66 or PDC20262
-  Promise Ultra100 or PDC20265/PDC20267/PDC20268
-
-  This driver adds up to 4 more EIDE devices sharing a single
-  interrupt. This add-on card is a bootable PCI UDMA controller. Since
-  multiple cards can be installed and there are BIOS ROM problems that
-  happen if the BIOS revisions of all installed cards (three-max) do
-  not match, the driver attempts to do dynamic tuning of the chipset
-  at boot-time for max-speed.  Ultra33 BIOS 1.25 or newer is required
-  for more than one card. This card may require that you say Y to
-  "Special UDMA Feature".
+  Promise Ultra 33 [PDC20246]
+  Promise Ultra 66 [PDC20262]
+  Promise FastTrak 66 [PDC20263]
+  Promise MB Ultra 100 [PDC20265]
+  Promise Ultra 100 [PDC20267]
+
+  This driver adds support for the older series of Promise EIDE disk
+  interface devices. Each device supports up to 4 disk drives that
+  can use UDMA disk access (33MHz for Ultra 33 up to 100MHz for Ultra
+  100).
+
+  If multiple cards are installed you might have problems booting if
+  the BIOS versions for the cards are different. Therefore the driver
+  attempts to do dynamic tuning of the chipset at boot-time.
+
+  If you are using an Ultra 33, BIOS version 1.25 or newer is required
+  to support more than one card and you should say Y to "Special UDMA
+  Feature" to force UDMA mode for connected UDMA capable disk drives.
 
   If you say Y here, you need to say Y to "Use DMA by default when
   available" as well.
 
-  Please read the comments at the top of
-  <file:drivers/ide/pci/pdc202xx_old.c>.
+  If unsure, say N.
+
+PROMISE PDC202{68|69|70|71|75|76|77} support
+CONFIG_BLK_DEV_PDC202XX_NEW
+  Promise Ultra 100 TX2 [PDC20268]
+  Promise Ultra 133 PTX2 [PDC20269]
+  Promise FastTrak LP/TX2/TX4 [PDC20270]
+  Promise FastTrak TX2000 [PDC20271]
+  Promise MB Ultra 133 [PDC20275]
+  Promise MB FastTrak 133 [PDC20276]
+  Promise FastTrak 133 [PDC20277]
+
+  This driver adds support for the older series of Promise EIDE disk
+  interface devices. Each device supports up to 4 disk drives that
+  can use UDMA disk access (33MHz for Ultra 33 up to 100MHz for Ultra
+  100).
+
+  If multiple cards are installed you might have problems booting if
+  the BIOS versions for the cards are different. Therefore the driver
+  attempts to do dynamic tuning of the chipset at boot-time.
+
+  If you say Y here, you need to say Y to "Use DMA by default when
+  available" as well.
 
   If unsure, say N.
 
-Special UDMA Feature
+Override-Enable UDMA for Promise Controllers
 CONFIG_PDC202XX_BURST
   This option causes the pdc202xx driver to enable UDMA modes on the
   PDC202xx even when the PDC202xx BIOS has not done so.
@@ -1262,14 +1289,24 @@
   used successfully on a PDC20265/Ultra100, allowing use of UDMA modes
   when the PDC20265 BIOS has been disabled (for faster boot up).
 
-  Please read the comments at the top of
-  <file:drivers/ide/pci/pdc202xx_old.c>.
-
   If unsure, say N.
 
-Special FastTrak Feature
+Use FastTrak RAID capable device as plain IDE controller
 CONFIG_PDC202XX_FORCE
-  For FastTrak enable overriding BIOS.
+  Setting this option causes the kernel to use your Promise IDE disk
+  controller as an ordinary IDE controller, rather than as a FastTrak
+  RAID controller. RAID is a system for using multiple physical disks
+  as one virtual disk.
+
+  You need to say Y here if you have a PDC20276 IDE interface but either
+  you do not have a RAID disk array, or you wish to use the Linux
+  internal RAID software (/dev/mdX).
+
+  You need to say N here if you wish to use your Promise controller to
+  control a FastTrak RAID disk array, and you you must also say Y to
+  CONFIG_BLK_DEV_ATARAID_PDC.
+
+  If unsure, say Y.
 
 SiS5513 chipset support
 CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SIS5513