# Can't get Promise SX6000 to be recognized for the life of me

## mpeg4v3

I'm sick of always having some problem that no one else on the entire Internet has had.

I just got an SX6000 and have created a 3 disk RAID5 array using Seagate 200gb EIDE drives. After waiting the ~3 or so hours for the array to be created, I was finally ready to get it working in my File server, running Gentoo and kernel gentoo-dev-sources 2.6.5-r1.

I had HEARD that the SX6000 was extremely easy to get working; merely compile in i2o support and make sure no Promise stuff was compiled. Of course, as is everything when it comes to Linux and me, it was not this simple.

I2O will not recognize the card no matter what I do. I've got the Card set to Other OS in the options, I've tried I2O compiled into the kernel as well as a module, I've tried the Promise drivers in the kernel, I've tried every single thing I've read posted on the net. I've tried kernels 2.6.5-r1 and 2.6.9-r9 (the two I happened to have sitting around on the computer, both gentoo-dev). I am completely, and utterly, stumped. And, of course, not a single result on Google points to someone that actually has a fix for my problem. Of course. 

I'm extremely close to trying to compile Promise's driver, but I have this odd feeling it wasn't made with 2.6.x in mind.

Does anyone have ANY suggestions on how I can get this bloody card to just freaking be recognized? If you need more info I'll gladly post it.

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## cokey

im not sure about the 2.6 kernel but with the 2.4 you had to make sure Loadable Module support was compiled in and then make dep with the source code from here

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## mpeg4v3

The source code from Promise only works with the 2.4 kernels, not the 2.6 kernels.

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## mpeg4v3

I just tried moving around the card, switching PCI slots it is in, and that had no effect.

Does anyone have ANY ideas or suggestions at all?

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## mpeg4v3

Well, it appears as if it's a firmware problem. I tried all three of the firmwares on Promise's site, and the only one that even remotely got anywhere was the earliest one, and i2o will pick the controller up now, but it doesn't recognize the card properly and won't work.

So it looks like my only solution is to run kernel 2.4 with the Promise driver. The problem with that is that I would much, much prefer to use 2.6 and I can't use Reiser4 if I use 2.4. But because the module is not written for 2.6 and I have utterly no programming experience, I have no idea where to even begin to convert it to work with 2.6.

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## cokey

have you contacted promise at all? Before you go changing everything email them, there might be a driver sent downstream that is being tested in the kernel

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## mpeg4v3

Yeah, I sent them off an email tonight, I'm just not getting my hopes up too much considering there hasn't been a driver update in a year and a half or so. 

Oh well, at the very worst, I'll have to use a 2.4 series kernel.

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## mpeg4v3

Well, no reply yet... I think I'm just going to have to go to a 2.4 kernel until (or even if) Promise sends a 2.6 compatible driver.

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## cokey

tell us when you get a message from them

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## truent

Can anyone tell me what does and doesnt work with this card in gentoo under 2.6?  Does it not recognize the card at all?  Could you use a 2.6 kernel and this card and just not use their hardware raid but create a software raid instead?

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## cokey

it looks inconclusive. Your best bet would be to download a kernel and try it. If you are sucessful on RAID0 but not RAID 1 then tell us.

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## truent

I would, but hell.. Thats an expensive purchase for a maybe.  Was hoping a current owner could let me in on that info.  I have a preexsiting raid and have no problem software raiding with the card and in fact would rather do so.  All I would need is the card recognized simply for its ide capabilities.

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## cokey

ahhhh you never told me that you were thinking of buying a card. The best idea is to find out which cards are definately supported and then buy one of those.

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## truent

The problem is there are very VERY few pata 6 channel cards, so few this is really the only one I have yet to locate  :Smile: 

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