Very Computer

I have Linux 1.2.8 installed on a IDE /hda2 as root with 2 SCSI disk
drives with MS-DOS and some additional linux partitions on a AHA1542.
I have now got a new SCSI HD and copied all the Linux onto the last SCSI
hard disk (ID:3), hoping to delete the IDE stuff. When I came to
install LILO on a boot floppy, it came up BIOS drive 0x83 may not be
accessible 3 times.

When I boot, I just get garbage but I did manage to re-mount the
/hda2 to / with a SCSI kernel recovery disk and created a SCSI boot
floppy and that works OK. Trouble is that I cannot install LILO
and I will need to change things in the future once I have deleted
my IDE partition. The LILO DOCs do not give specific guidance

Any ideas?

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I had problems installing LILO for a long time and only recently resolved it.
After reading all of the LILO docs to no avail, I resorted to reading my
SCSI controller manual. Buried somewhere in the text was this: "Note that
the BT-445S's on board BIOS requires that your SCSI drives be configured for
SCSI ID 0 and 1. This requirement is important only if you intend to boot
your system from the BT-445S." I thought to myself: "Well, all I have is two
SCSI disks and they're set to ID 0 and 1, so I should be okay. I *think*
they're set to ID's 0 and 1..." Sure enough, when I checked, my tape drive
was SCSI ID 1, and my 2GB Linux drive was ID 2. Aiiigh!

Anyway, the m*of the story is this: LILO requires BIOS for BOOTING. Your
drives and partitions can be anywhere, but your root partition must be
visible to BIOS. I installed an AHA-1542CF in my roommate's computer and the
documentation says: "Your first two SCSI hard drives are best set to SCSI ID
0 and ID 1." I strongly suspect this means the card has the same limitation
as was better described in my card's doumentation.

If the above is your problem, there are a couple of solutions for using
LILO:

    1. make your new Linux drive ID 0 or 1 and make the non-booting DOS
       drive ID 2-6, if DOS can handle this

    2. leave the drives where they are, but set aside enough space on one of
       the first two drives for your Linux root partition. The remaining
       Linux partitions on the third drive will be mounted when Linux boots.

I've never had an IDE drive in my system, so I don't know if that will cause
addition confusion. If you are considering getting rid of it, though, just
disable it in BIOS to test the new setup.

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        Mark Cudworth

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