Re: IDE-flash device and hard disk on same controller

[Padraig Brady]

Heater, Daniel (IndSys, GEFanuc, VMIC) wrote:
> The IDE driver, file ide-probe.c currently contains this test do prevent
> hard drives and IDE-flash devices (ex CompactFlash) from co-existing on the
> same IDE controller. 
> 
>         /*
>          * Prevent long system lockup probing later for non-existant
>          * slave drive if the hwif is actually a flash memory card of some
> variety:
>          */
>         if (drive_is_flashcard(drive)) {
>                 ide_drive_t *mate =
> &HWIF(drive)->drives[1^drive->select.b.unit];
>                 if (!mate->ata_flash) {
>                         mate->present = 0;
>                         mate->noprobe = 1;
>                 }
>         }
> 
> This test's assumption that a spinning hard drive cannot coexist on the same
> controller as an IDE-flash device is incorrect.  I have a working setup with
> such a configuration.  I don't think that the IDE subsystem should punish
> everyone because _some_ hardware cannot tolerate this configuration.
> 
> One solution may be to remove this test from the IDE subsystem and force
> users with buggy hardware to explicitly  disable probing for a second
> device.  I think the parameters hdx=none or hdx=noprobe should work for
> them.
> 
> Comments??

Mentioned several times (and there is a workaround), see:
http://marc.theaimsgroup.com/?l=linux-kernel&m=100446144028502&w=2

I really think some of the default CF logic is bogus.

Pádraig.