Microport disk problem

[Peter S. Mager]

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Date:  Mon, 10 Jul 89 17:36:01 EDT
From: psm at wyserd.UUCP
Message-Id:  <8907102136.AA01890 at buita.bu.edu>
To: psm at bu-it.bu.edu
Subject: Microport dsik interface problem
Status: R

I am having the following problem when trying to install Microport's
Sys V/386 Release 3.0e.1L on an ESDI disk (a Miniscribe 9380E 304 MB disk
with a Western Digital 1007 WA2 controller):
The installation procedure reads in the boot kernel from the boot (floppy)
disk; this is step A.  When it gets to step B (accessing the hard disk),
it times out awaiting an interrupt, times out a few more times with
device busy, then hangs.   This appears to be the first time the Unix system
attempts to access the hard disk.

This version of the OS works fine with a Seagate 4096 MFM disk and the
Western Digital 1003 controller.  The ESDI disk works fine with DOS.
Microport claims that it supports this ESDI disk configuration and that
its OS should work.  Any ideas?

I am running this on a Wyse 3216 (16 MHz 386) with 4 MB memory.

The specific messages and prompts from the build process follow:

Build Disk
 disk type 185
 RAM disk 0 found: size = 32Kb
  buffers=900K
Unix Sys 5/386 Release 3.0e.1L
 total real memory=3712K
 available memory = 2132K
Mkfs: /dev/dsk/ramd0?
 bytes per logical block = 1024
 total logical blocks = 32
 total inodes = 16
 gap (physical blocks) = 7
 cylinder size (physical blocks) = 400
 mkfs: Available blocks = 28

<> mounted as </tmp>

Step B (p. I-4,1. of manual):

Do you wish to proceed with V/386 installation (y/n)?y 

hd: TIMED OUT awaiting INTERRUPT
    STATUS: 90
    BUSY TIMED OUT after RECAL, STATUS: 90
    readblock: do_wcommand(dd=C0106E4C) Failed
    Can't Read Active Partition End Record
   BUSY TIMEOUT 21: STATUS: 90
   BUSY TIMEOUT 1: STATUS: 90

hangs.

Please reply to me at "wyserd!psm"@buita.bu.edu or
harvard!buita!wyserd!psm with any comments or suggestions.
I will post a summary if there is any resolution of this problem.

Peter Mager  (617) 890-2084