ACHI support

[Matthew Saltzman]

On Tue, 2007-08-21 at 15:03 -0600, Karl Larsen wrote:
> Matthew Saltzman wrote:
> > I installed F7 on a T61 and am trying to work out some of the quirks.
> > The first one is:
> >
> > The live DVD and the install DVD both fail to recognize the hard disk if
> > the controller is in AHCI mode.  The workaround is to switch the
> > controller mode in the BIOS to compatibility.
> >
> > It appears from what I've been able to find on the Web that AHCI mode
> > should be supported by the ahci kernel module.
> >
> > Is it the case that if I install the ahci driver in the initrd, it will
> > work with the controller in AHCI mode?
> >
> > Thanks.
> >
> >   
>     I read this mail 12 times and it is still a mystery to me at least. 
> I have no idea what the AHCI mode might be. If you got it loaded in the 
> BIOS compatibility why go back to AHCI. And finally why would a Linux 
> kernel need an AHCI mode?

AHCI is a mode for the SATA disk controller.  It is higher performance
than older controllers and offers additional features, such as
hot-plugging, but compatibility mode degrades the performance and
removes the extra features.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Host_Controller_Interface

I paid for it, and I want to use it!  8^)

> 
>     I will have a new BIOS soon and wonder if I will need to do the same 
> thing?

Maybe.  Some (most?) AHCI controllers work without having to do anything
special.

-- 
                Matthew Saltzman

Clemson University Math Sciences
mjs AT clemson DOT edu
http://www.math.clemson.edu/~mjs