hdparm assitance

hdparm assitance

Post by Richard Everhar » Fri, 20 Oct 2000 11:40:52



In another posting here, someone asked for assistance in speeding up
their system under linux (SuSe 6.4 for me).  I have the same problem:
800mhz Athelon, 128mb memory, NVidia GeForce w/ 32mb memory, and in some
respects my system crawls.  

So, I took the advice of one of the wise posters and tried hdparm.  I
read the man page and tried hdparm -d1 /dev/hdb and also hdparm -d1 -X34
/dev/hdb.  Both tries the same thing happened: about 30 seconds or less
after issuing this command everything locked up forcing me to do a hard
reboot.  Also, the hd light stayed on when this happened and never went
out, until I rebooted that is.

So, the question is, is my hard drive not capable of using this command
and how would I know?  It's you basic maxtor drive, 15gig.  Thanks!

Rich

p.s. also any any insight in make my system as fast as it should be
would be much appreciated.

 
 
 

hdparm assitance

Post by Bill Pringlemei » Fri, 20 Oct 2000 12:23:46


I don't know if your kernel (and other tools) are compiled for your
processor.  They might be `optimized' for a 386.  However, I don't
think this would make a large difference.  The hard drive speed
definitely does.

Try the command `hdparm -i /dev/hda' or whatever your hard drive is.
This should list the modes that the drive is capable of.  However, it
maybe that your IDE controller isn't recognized.  Do you have your
mother board documentation?  It should have the chipset used to do
this stuff.  For mine it is Aladdin Ali chipset, for an AMD-K6.

I needed this code in my kernel before I had my hard drive using the
faster setting.  For your info, drives are about 3-6MBps with PIO.  Using
the UDMA, they are 22 MBps and higher (using hdparm -Tt to test).
There is a UDMA Howto/Mini-Howto.

"Ultra-DMA"
  The Linux Ultra-DMA Mini-Howto

  v2.1, 27 May 1999
...

Your hardware is fairly new and will probably need some better
drivers.

hth,
Bill

 Richard> So, the question is, is my hard drive not capable of using
 Richard> this command and how would I know?  It's you basic maxtor
 Richard> drive, 15gig.  Thanks!

--
I always have fun because I'm out of my mind!!!

 
 
 

hdparm assitance

Post by David Efflan » Fri, 20 Oct 2000 12:44:48



>In another posting here, someone asked for assistance in speeding up
>their system under linux (SuSe 6.4 for me).  I have the same problem:
>800mhz Athelon, 128mb memory, NVidia GeForce w/ 32mb memory, and in some
>respects my system crawls.  

More RAM would help, especially if you run anything like StarOffice.

Quote:>So, I took the advice of one of the wise posters and tried hdparm.  I
>read the man page and tried hdparm -d1 /dev/hdb and also hdparm -d1 -X34
>/dev/hdb.  Both tries the same thing happened: about 30 seconds or less
>after issuing this command everything locked up forcing me to do a hard
>reboot.  Also, the hd light stayed on when this happened and never went
>out, until I rebooted that is.

>So, the question is, is my hard drive not capable of using this command
>and how would I know?  It's you basic maxtor drive, 15gig.  Thanks!

The first things to play around with are -c1 and -m settings.  Check the
results with -tT or is it -Tt.  I never did figure out the dma setttings,
but Mandrake optimizes that for me anyway.  I actually get better results
disabling dma for my hdc anyway, maybe because it is on the same ide
channel as my cdrom.

--

http://www.autox.chicago.il.us/  http://www.berniesfloral.net/
http://cgi-help.virtualave.net/  http://hammer.prohosting.com/~cgi-wiz/

 
 
 

hdparm assitance

Post by James Blanfo » Fri, 20 Oct 2000 13:18:03


Quote:> read the man page and tried hdparm -d1 /dev/hdb and also hdparm -d1 -X34
> /dev/hdb.  Both tries the same thing happened: about 30 seconds or less

the most important is hdparm -c1 turning on 32 bit file transfers.  SuSE is
very conservative and probably defaults to 16 bit, which is ssssslow.

I also remember people having trouble with more memory causing the puter to
run slower and 128 mb pops into my head.  In the linux faq there's a section
"When I add more memory my system slows to a crawl?"  Also you may have to set
 mem: 128mb in lilo.  Read the manual and do it right, I'm just drunk and
babbling.

     -  Jim

 
 
 

hdparm assitance

Post by moonie; » Sun, 31 Dec 1899 09:00:00



>James,

>Could you send me a pointer to the faq you mentioned?  Thanks.

>Rich

open an e-term (command line) and type: man hdparm
easy enough?
--
moonie ;)

Registered Linux User #175104
   http://counter.li.org

KDE2
Kernel 2.4.0-test5
XFree86 4.0 Nvidia .94 drivers
RAID 0 Striped
Test-Pilots-R-Us ;)

 
 
 

hdparm assitance

Post by Richard Everhar » Sat, 21 Oct 2000 09:45:31


James,

Could you send me a pointer to the faq you mentioned?  Thanks.

Rich


> > read the man page and tried hdparm -d1 /dev/hdb and also hdparm -d1 -X34
> > /dev/hdb.  Both tries the same thing happened: about 30 seconds or less

> the most important is hdparm -c1 turning on 32 bit file transfers.  SuSE is
> very conservative and probably defaults to 16 bit, which is ssssslow.

> I also remember people having trouble with more memory causing the puter to
> run slower and 128 mb pops into my head.  In the linux faq there's a section
> "When I add more memory my system slows to a crawl?"  Also you may have to set
>  mem: 128mb in lilo.  Read the manual and do it right, I'm just drunk and
> babbling.

>      -  Jim

 
 
 

hdparm assitance

Post by James Blanfo » Sat, 21 Oct 2000 13:27:00




Quote:> James,

> Could you send me a pointer to the faq you mentioned?  Thanks.

I believe it was recently posted in comp.os.linux.misc.

You may also want to try:
http://metalab.unc.edu/pub/Linux/docs/faqs/
There's a lot of info out there, use some search engines.  Try searching Deja
news for memory lilo and linux.

Good Luck,

     -  Jim

 
 
 

hdparm assitance

Post by Eggert.Eh.. » Sun, 31 Dec 1899 09:00:00




Quote:>Try the command `hdparm -i /dev/hda' or whatever your hard drive is.
>This should list the modes that the drive is capable of.  However, it
>maybe that your IDE controller isn't recognized.  Do you have your
>mother board documentation?  It should have the chipset used to do
>this stuff.  For mine it is Aladdin Ali chipset, for an AMD-K6.

My hdparm -i /dev/hdb tells:

/dev/hdb:

 Model=ST36531A, FwRev=3.11, SerialNo=VS801298
 Config={ HardSect NotMFM HdSw>15uSec Fixed DTR>10Mbs RotSpdTol>.5% }
 RawCHS=13446/15/63, TrkSize=0, SectSize=0, ECCbytes=0
 BuffType=0(?), BuffSize=128kB, MaxMultSect=32, MultSect=off
 DblWordIO=no, OldPIO=2, DMA=yes, OldDMA=2
 CurCHS=13446/15/63, CurSects=12706470, LBA=yes, LBAsects=12706470
 tDMA={min:120,rec:120}, DMA modes: mword0 mword1 *mword2
 IORDY=on/off, tPIO={min:240,w/IORDY:120}, PIO modes: mode3 mode4
 UDMA modes: mode0 mode1 mode2
 Drive Supports : ATA-1 ATA-2 ATA-3 ATA-4

In my ignorance I thought this means I can enable DMA. However, if I try

hdparm -d1 -X34 /dev/hdb

it tells me that is not allowed, and sets it back to 0. What does that mean
?  The c1 option works, however.

Regards
Eggert

--
Eggert Ehmke

 
 
 

hdparm assitance

Post by Bill Pringlemei » Sun, 31 Dec 1899 09:00:00


Notice the line that says DMA=yes, OldDMA=2.  Also the line with
DMA modes: ... *mword2.  Options with asterisks are those that the
drive is currently using.  Your drive does support UDMA but I don't
think you have a kernel compiled with an EIDE controller that
supports UDMA.  You may have better luck with PIO.  Here is a
synopsis of my drives,

UDMA 2 Samsung SV0644A, 51MB/sec cache, 12.40 MB/sec read
UDMA 2 Maxtor 5373U6, 51MB/sec cache, 10.65 MB/sec read
UDMA 2 IBM-DTTA-351010, 51MB/sec cache, 10.08 MB/sec read

(-d0)
PIO Samsung SV0644A, 51MB/sec cache, 5.46 MB/sec read
PIO Maxtor 5373U6, 51MB/sec cache, 5.47 MB/sec read
PIO  2 IBM-DTTA-351010, 51MB/sec cache, 5.08 MB/sec read

Removeable drive on another machine with UDMA4
UDMA 4 Maxtor 5373U6, 51MB/sec cache, 22.35 MB/sec read

Try disabling the DMA, it might actually be better.  You need
to read the UltraDMA faq and get a code to use the UDMA on your
EIDE controller to really speed things up.  My mp3 use to skip,
I cann't make a load on my machine (with 3Dnow optimized) that
will cause skipping.

hth,
Bill

 Eggert> My hdparm -i /dev/hdb tells:

/dev/hdb:

 Model=ST36531A, FwRev=3.11, SerialNo=VS801298
 Config={ HardSect NotMFM HdSw>15uSec Fixed DTR>10Mbs RotSpdTol>.5% }
 RawCHS=13446/15/63, TrkSize=0, SectSize=0, ECCbytes=0
 BuffType=0(?), BuffSize=128kB, MaxMultSect=32, MultSect=off
 DblWordIO=no, OldPIO=2, DMA=yes, OldDMA=2
 CurCHS=13446/15/63, CurSects=12706470, LBA=yes, LBAsects=12706470
 tDMA={min:120,rec:120}, DMA modes: mword0 mword1 *mword2
 IORDY=on/off, tPIO={min:240,w/IORDY:120}, PIO modes: mode3 mode4
 UDMA modes: mode0 mode1 mode2
 Drive Supports : ATA-1 ATA-2 ATA-3 ATA-4

 Eggert> In my ignorance I thought this means I can enable
 Eggert> DMA. However, if I try

 Eggert> hdparm -d1 -X34 /dev/hdb

 Eggert> it tells me that is not allowed, and sets it back to 0. What
 Eggert> does that mean ?  The c1 option works, however.

--
munitions Ortega strategic Mossad quiche SEAL Team 6 $400 million in
gold bullion supercomputer jihad nuclear spy Nazi kibo Honduras
cracking

 
 
 

1. Biometric Intrusion Detection , Survey Assitance Requested

If you are serious security professional, I would like to enlist your help in
completing a survey of major companies with user authentication needs. We are
developing  Biometric authenitication software thta provides for an
unobtrusive and continuous monitoring of all online users on any network. The
System a series of AI like algoithms capable of learning and adapting to
differing user profiles. If you work for or with organizations with
significant authentication concerns and are willing to take 2 minutes out of
your busy schedule please contact me.I will e-mail you the URL for the survey.


Thank for checking this posting out.

2. <font color="blue"><B>kmail</B></font> question

3. assitance with understanding of libraries...

4. CC problems (/usr/lib/crt1.o)???

5. Assitance please in stop Linux going out to DNS

6. Linux on MACs ???

7. A pkgadd Muppet requires assitance ...

8. netscape: can't resolve symbol 'XkbLookupKeySym'

9. (u)dma and hdparm question

10. Enabling DMA with hdparm...

11. new version of hdparm.c anywhere?

12. (2.4.1-ac15) Wont set using_dma = 1 with hdparm

13. hdparm and removable IDE?