problems installing 6.1-RELEASE on Dell PowerEdge 1855

[Alex Zbyslaw]

Lowell Gilbert wrote:

>FBSD <fbsd at unimatrixzero.com> writes:
>
>  
>
>>I'm trying to do a fresh install of FreeBSD 6.1-RELEASE on a new
>>Dell PowerEdge 1855 blade server.  The hardware notes for 6.1 say
>>the Dell PERC 4/IM SCSI raid controller is supported by the amr
>>driver.  The problem I'm having is that the kernel on the install cd
>>is trying to load the mpt driver, which sees the controller and then
>>fails to load with a timeout error.  How do I install FreeBSD with
>>just the amr driver and not the mpt driver?
>>    
>>
>
>I don't see offhand how that could be happening in the first place.  
>Time to ask the driver author, perhaps.
>  
>
Without some information about what FreeBSD is seeing, it's impossible 
to say what controller you really have and why it is being detected how 
it is.

If you can get to the point where you can run "pciconf -l -v" (fixit 
shell?) you can see exactly what information FreeBSD sees to identify 
the device.  You can then compare that to the IDs that the amr and mpt 
drivers latch on to.  (The cvs web tree would have that, or you could 
try posting back that info so that someone with 6.1 could check).

It wouldn't be unheard of for Dell to have *changed* which chips they 
use for a PERC 4/IM; or perhaps there is a documentation error. 

But if the mpt driver is latching on to the device it must be because it 
thinks it should.  If the amr driver does not recognise the device then 
what you are suggesting wouldn't work, even if it were possible.  Unless 
there is a bug, then, in general, only one hardware driver will ever 
recognise any specific device/chip.

If it really is the mpt driver which should be loaded, then, as Lowell 
says, asking the driver author (or trying hardware@) would be your best bet.

Did you try google for "Dell 1855 Freebsd"?

--Alex