So far one successful and one unsuccessful. Here are the details:
--== #1 ==--
SUCCESSFUL
CPU = e6300 1.3v@443x7
Mobo = Biostar Tforce P965PT (non deluxe)
HD = SATA WD Raptor connected to ICH8
This setup works great with Slackware 11 (my distro of choice). The PATA controller is a Via VT6410 which has had support in Linux for quite a while. To install the OS you must boot the test26.s kernel in order for SATA drives attached to the ICH8 controller to be detected. Any HD's detected will be /dev/sdX. Format your / (root) and /boot (if you created one) partitions as ext2 because iirc the 2.6.18 kernel doesn't have ext3 support out of the box (could be very wrong on that, perhaps my install was mangled somewhere along the line). Install proceeds normally, install the 2.4.33 kernel even though it doesn't support ICH8. You'll understand why later in the post. Select packages to install and proceed all the way until it asks you to select a kernel to use. Instruct it to use the default kernel that was installed in the package selection section. Don't bother creating a boot disk. Write lilo to wherever you like (MBR for this setup).
**** NOTE**** Unless the DVD version of Slackware 11 is used the /testing directory on the install discs may be on a disc that is not in your CD/DVD drive. Unmount the cd with 'umount /var/log/mount', eject the disc (eject /dev/hdX), then remount using 'mount -t iso9660 /dev/hdX /var/log/mount. ****NOTE****
Once installation is completed do not select Exit. If you do the install disk will be unmounted from /var/log/mount and ejected. You need to activate another console (CTRL + F1/F2/F3 etc.). Once in console cd to /var/log/mount/testing/packages/linux-2.6.18/. The root partition is mounted to /mnt by the installer. Install the 2.6.18 packages using installpkg. YOU MUST USE THE -root SWITCH IN ORDER TO SPECIFY AN ALTERNATE ROOT DIRECTORY PATH. For example, type the following: installpkg -root /mnt kernel-generic-2.6.18.tgz (package name is probably actually different). Make sure you install the modules and headers as well. If you want the source that's your call, but 2.6.19 from ftp.kernel.org works great with this board.
Once the 2.6.18 packages have been installed LILO must be rerun. Type in the following to fix that:
chroot /mnt
cd /boot
rm -rf vmlinuz
ln -s vmlinuz-generic-2.6.18 vmlinuz
rm -rf System.map
ln -s System.map-generic-2.6.18 System.map
rm -rf config
ln -s config-generic-2.6.18 config
lilo
Go back to the first console (CTRL + F1), exit the installer and reboot. Slackware 11 should now boot. Two items to note. Firstly, remember that you must install the 2.4.33 kernel or lilo will not install during setup. Second, I believe the / (root) and /boot partitions must be ext2 for the initial boot. After I rebooted the first time it returned an error saying it could not mount root due to a missing ext3 module. This isn't a big deal since you can convert ext2 to ext3 after the install using: tune2fs -j /dev/sdXn. If someone can verify the lack of ability to boot ext3 after initial install, that would be great. It seems highly unlikely Pat V would leave ext3 support out of the 2.6.18 kernel/module packages. Should this be true though, just boot off of the Slackware install disc using the command 'test26.s root=/dev/sdXn noinitrd', and then compile a kernel with ext3 support.
Kernel compiles are beyond the scope of this post.
--== #2 ==--
UNSUCCESSFUL
CPU = e6300 1.3@7x444
Mobo = Gigabyte DS3
HD = SATA WD Raptor connected to ICH8
This board has been very weird with Slackware 11. First off, setting SATA Native Mode to disabled in the BIOS forces the ICH8 SATA ports on this motherboard to present hard disks as /dev/hdX devices and the test26.s kernel fails to detect any CD/DVD drives connected to the JMicron controller. Changing SATA Native to enabled fixed that and they then were detected as /dev/sdX and CD/DVD drives connected to the JMicron were then found at /dev/hde and /dev/hdf (master/slave respectively).
Installation proceeds smoothly using the same method as above with the Biostar 965PT motherboard. LILO installs without a problem. Upon reboot it always complains that it can not mount root (VFS panic). The only fixed tried so far was to boot off the install disc using 'test26.s root=/dev/sda5 noinitrd' and then compiling a 2.6.19 kernel with ICH8 and JMicron support. AHCI was compiled in as well. Both the legacy and new ICH8 and JMicron modules were compiled into the kernel. Can anyone verify if this causes conflict issues?
Even after compiling and installing a custom kernel with the proper modules compiled in, the same VFS panic, unable to mount root error appears. Honestly I haven't watched the screen very closely so it could be a simple problem of the /etc/fstab not pointing to the proper drive which leads to another strange point about this motherboard. If SATA Native Mode is DISABLED in the BIOS the ICH8 SATA 0 and 1 ports are swapped. Any device detected to port 1 is detected prior to port 0. Switching SATA Native Mode to enabled forces them to be detected in the proper order.
The other cause of the problem could be the ICH8 and/or JMicron modules must be placed into an initrd image and booted along with the kernel. Experience tells me this is only necessary for true SCSI drives attached to SCSI controllers (not SATA which although detected as /dev/sdX devices actually use the libata module). The nullification to that theory is this configuration works fine on a different Intel 965 board with ICH8 but no JMicron controller. It's very strange because the SATA disk is not connected to the JMicron SATA controller.
Given a few more hours of hacking away at this problem should present a solution. In the meantime, if anyone else has any experience with this please post your experience(s).
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