[How-To] Boot Entirely from SATA

[doknek]

I have read the whole thread but cannot find the command to created msdos partition / MBR. I also googled fdisk MBR without success. I will be posting options below, please guide me.

Option 1
$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', '
fdisk /dev/sdb
n (create new partition)
p (primary)
1
+10M
w
')

Option 2
$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', '
fdisk /mbr
')

Option 1 creates a linux type of partition. Option 2 fails. I have never created an MBR before.

[karog]

MBR is not a partition type. It is the disk header for the meta information about partitions. It sits in the first 512 byte block of the disk. fdisk creates that automatically. If you are wanting to boot arch linux from SATA on a pogo, you want two linux partitions, the first about 10 MBs so use +10M for size, and then default the rest of the disk for the second partiton.

What you did above in Option 1 is correct as far as you went, although it looks like you missed an <enter> for default start after the 1 for partition number and before the +10M for size. To create the 2nd partition do
$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', '
fdisk /dev/sdb
n
p
2
<enter> # to select default start
<enter> # to select default size rest of disk
w
')
Don't format the first, but format the 2nd using
$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', '
mke2fs -j -L rootfs /dev/sdb2')
The -j gives you ext3 and the -L rootfs labels the partition rootfs.

[doknek]

Karog: That clears it up. I feel stupid for asking such a question. Thanks.

[LeZerb]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('azraleus', 'I')s it possible to boot from SATA harddisk with 4096 bytes per sector? I bought SEAGATE BARRACUDA GREEN 1TB ST1000DL002 with 4K sector, re-ran procedures from first post several times, and my pogo won't boot from sata

Unfortunately, after getting my disk, I noticed what WarheadsSE post http://archlinuxarm.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=2146#p11531 that stage1 and u-boot are prepared for 512 bps disks.

Anyone had experience with harddisk like mine?

[s09g06]

Is anyone else having issues updating the system after setting up boot from SATA drive.

Also I could not get the system to boot from SATA drive for the longest time. I recently realized that I had to update the uImage in the downloaded root file system with the uImage in the initial .tar download. After replacing the uImage the system boots correctly and I am able to ssh in, but if I try to install any package, the system asks me to update pacman and a bunch of other system packages. I am not able to correctly update these and this always results in a broken system. I would appreciate if someone could help me with this.

[azraleus]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('LeZerb', 'H')ave you been able to use the 4k drive to boot pogoplug? I am currently looking for a 2.5" drive to buy - and some of the drives I consider have 4k sectors.

[karog]

I have a P21 and a B01 both booting happily from SATA. I recently put an SSD in my laptop and took out its Hitachi Travelstar 5K160 laptop drive. I prepared this drive for SATA boot, partitioning it and writing all the disk create stuff and a rootfs as I had on the other drives. I have another B01 in shipping. But with serial when I boot with this Hitatchi, I get
$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', '
Stage-1 Bootloader Mon Nov 14 22:36:34 EST 2011
Attempting to set PLLA to 850MHz ...
plla_ctrl0 : 0x0000020A
plla_ctrl1 : 0x00330000
plla_ctrl2 : 0x0065008B
plla_ctrl3 : 0x000000F1
PLLA Set

Setup memory, testing
Reading disk 0, Image 0
Sector : 0x0000009ANo FIS received

Hdr len: 0xA1A2A3A4
Hdr CRC: 0xB1B2B3B4
read failed
Reading disk 0, Image 1
Sector : 0x0000DF78No FIS received

Hdr len: 0xA1A2A3A4
Hdr CRC: 0xB1B2B3B4
read failed
')
It appears to set the PLLA for 850 as I intended but when it tries to read sector 0x9A which is the u-boot it fails. I googled "No FIS received" but found nothing useful. A correct boot should look like
$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', '
Stage-1 Bootloader Mon Nov 14 22:36:34 EST 2011
Attempting to set PLLA to 850MHz ...
plla_ctrl0 : 0x0000020A
plla_ctrl1 : 0x00330000
plla_ctrl2 : 0x0065008B
plla_ctrl3 : 0x000000F1
PLLA Set

Setup memory, testing
Reading disk 0, Image 0
Sector : 0x0000009A
Hdr len: 0x0001FB34
Hdr CRC: 0x2229BDCD
OK
Initialising disks
')
I ran smartctl on the disk and nothing seems wrong with it. I had no trouble partitioning the disk, making the file system, nor writing the disk create stuff nor the rootfs. And I read back the disk create stuff into other files and compare and they seem fine.

One of my working disks has 512 byte logical/physical and one has 512 logical/4096 physical. The non-working has 512 byte logical/physical. I also noticed that the two working disks have ATA version ATA8-ACS while the non-working Hitachi has ATA/ATAPI-7. Could this be the problem?

Can anyone tell me what is wrong?

[m4st3r]

Hey im from Germany and i hope you can help me,
i bought a PogoPlug Pro and a Western Digital WD2500AAJS and a fantec external Case.

So i do all what you wrote in your post, but the pogo is not working...
I flash the HDD like it is written on Page 28 from doknek.
When i connect the Drive, pogo is not starting. The LED is off and the HDD-Led on my Case is not really flashing.
My DHCP-Server is not showing me the Device. Only without HDD it is working.

I think the pogoplug pro needs the uImage.pci ?? or the uImage.nopci ?? i cant translate it with google
I tried it with both, pci and nopci. .. not working..

Pleeeaaassseee help me
I'm a noob in Linux, please talk normal and not nerdy to me

PS: I already tested it directly on SATA and on eSATA

[lnxbil]

Hi there,

Could someone please state the correct values for writing to the u-boot boot values of the attached SATA Disk in the file /etc/fw_env.config. I already have the patched fw_printenv.

Thank you
LnxBil

[shv]

My device is currently clocked with 700MHz. How can I change to overclocking e.g. with 850MHz without a complete repartitioning of the disk? Is it sufficient to execute disk_create again after changing the link to the 850MHz stage1 file or is it necessary to do something with fdisk again? What is the right procedure to activate overclocking on a drive which is ready to use?