Is Promise Ultra 100 TX2 controller compatible with VL 6?

[GrannyGeek]

Do I need to do anything to get the Promise Ultra 100 TX2 to work with VL6? Is support built into the kernel?

Today I ordered a 500-gig PATA drive I'll install in an external USB2 case that now has a 200-gig drive in it. I need more space for backups. I'll replace an 80-gig drive in my older 1.3 GHz computer with the 200-gig drive because things are getting tight in there due to my photo files and music files. The motherboard does not support 48-bit LBA for drives larger than 137 gigs.

Right now there are two 80-gig drives in that computer. The first drive has a 4-gig FAT32 partition at the beginning of the drive for Win 98SE and XP's boot code and a 4-gig partition at the end for VectorLinux 6 Light, which I use for packaging. Immediately ahead of that partition is a 512-meg Linux swap partition. The rest of the drive is a mix of FAT32 and NTFS partitions primarily for Windows XP (files I share are on the FAT32 partition). I'm not replacing that drive. I boot to Linux with the XP boot loader.

The 80-gig drive I'm replacing with the 200-gig drive has a FAT32 partition primarily for music files and the rest of the drive contains a 500-meg Linux swap partition followed by three Linux partitions of 15 gigs each for VL6 Standard Deluxe and for testing new versions of VectorLinux. LILO is on the boot sector of the VL6 Standard partition (/dev/hdb9).

I would keep the first 80-gig drive (the boot drive) "as is" on the motherboard ATA connector. I would hook up the 200-gig drive to the Promise Ultra 100 TX2. I would then create partitions of the size I want and simply copy the data over from the old drive (using the VL6 Light Live CD to copy the Linux partitions on the old drive to the new drive).

Would I need to install anything first to get the Ultra 100 working in Linux?

One other possible option--
I've heard that even if the motherboard BIOS does not support 48-bit LBA, the operating system can see and use drives larger than 137 gigs. XP is supposed to be able to do this and I think Linux can, too. Is this true? I could put LILO on the VL 6 Light's boot sector on the 80-gig drive if that would work better.

Any advice welcome!
--GrannyGeek

[haywire]

Granny,

I have a couple of ultra 33, ultra 66 and ultra 100 pci cards. My vector linux box, which is an intel desktop board, would not work with any of these
cards, as much as I tried. I think it was an issue with that board's bios.

Strange because they all work in  my windows machine fine or on other motherboards with linux fine, vector sees it as a raid/ide controller I believe. Its just my dumb luck that my fastest motherboard for linux worn't work with them. Kind of sucks but I decided to build a USB hard drive box and give that a try...

I plan on putting 7 or 8 hard drives in an enclosure and connecting them up via one of those usb things that will turn one usb port into 8?
Not sure this will work, but its a fun project to work on. Plenty of video and mp3 storage...

How did your project work out?

Steven

[GrannyGeek]

The Ultra 100 TX2 controller is working fine. I have a 200-gig drive attached to the controller. I left the two 80-gig drives where they were and just added the third drive. I'm really enjoying all the drive space.

I had used this controller a few years ago on this motherboard. I wondered if I'd have to reinstall the software that loads something or other so the drive is recognized in Windows or maybe all OSes. However, it was already there--still from installing the controller years ago. I didn't have to do anything to have the drive recognized in VectorLinux.

I've had a 200-gig hard drive in a USB enclosure that I use for backups with this computer. Actually, I have three USB drives and two Firewire drives, but three are attached to another computer and one is available to attach to my laptop.

Let us know how things go with your project.
--Judy M.

[haywire]

Granny,

Well I have a one usb port to 7 usb port adapter, and verified that works okay with linux, at least I think so.
Now I have to find a bunch of use to ide adapters and a suitable power supply/enclosure to hold 6 or 7
ide hard drives.

I have plenty of space right now so thats a back burner project for me. I'll be ordering a couple of ide/usb adapters this week to try things out.
I also got a cf/ide aparter recently so I'd like a compact flash card to play with too.

Steven