tlug: PCMCIA problem during TurboLinux install

[Marcus Metzler <mocm@example.com>]

Manuel M. T. Chakravarty writes:
 > Hi!
 > 
 > A colleague of me asked me about installing Linux on his
 > Sharp Mebius PJ (Sharp's B5 notebook).  As it has a NeoMagic
 > graphics chip, I told him that it should be no problem and
 > claimed that a TurboLinux install shouldn't take much longer
 > than an hour...but, much to my embarrassment, we ran into
 > some serious problems.
 > 
 > The machine doesn't have a builtin CD-ROM, so we need to use
 > some PCMCIA services.  I wanted to try an ftp install and we
 > tried using a PCMCIA Ethernet card (3com) that I used
 > successfully to install TL on my VAIA 505 -- so there is
 > definitely no problem with the card itself.  However, the
 > PCMCIA package didn't recognize the card, claiming it is an
 > `anonymous memory card'.  Nevertheless, in the log that I
 > get on one of the alternative consoles it seems that
 > pcmcia-cs recognizes the `i82365' and successfully loads the
 > corresponding module.
 > 
 > >From the PCMCIA FAQ and a similar experience with some other
 > machine, I know that when probing the memory area fails,
 > pcmcia-cs always comes up with the idea that it found an
 > `anonymous memory card'.  So, I am quite sure it is just
 > this automatic probing that fails.  On a running Linux
 > machine I could `insmod' `i82365.o' with some explicit
 > arguments or edit /etc/pcmcia/config.opts to change the
 > probed memory area, interrupts etc, but it is not so easy
 > during an install.
 > 
 > Any ideas about what I can do?  Can I somehow give some
 > options to `i82365.o' or is there a /etc/pcmcia/config.opts
 > in the ramdisk image (there is none on the extrahw and supp
 > disks as far as I saw).  Do I have to create a new
 > initrd.img file *shiver*?  Does anybody have experience with
 > Linux on a Sharp Mebius PJ?
 > 
You have to patch the pcmcia-cs sources. The PJ uses a new Ricoh
controller which is of course not recognized by the i82365.o module. I just
patched the i82365.c and some other files, so that it would be
recognized as the known ricoh controller which is supported by
pcmcia.cs (I forgot the number). After that the normal PCIC support
worked the cardbus support doesn`t, yet.
I gave Scott an image of a new extrahw disk which allows you to
install Turbolinux. Unfortunately I found out that this only works for 
the 1.9beta2 version. If you use that image and the 2.0 install disk
it doesn`t work. There is some problem with the kernel version, but
you can install the TL2.0 version with the beta disks. I could also
make a new extrahw image foe the 2.0, but I was too lazy (or better to 
busy :) ) to do that yet. If you really need it, I can try to do it
over the weekend.

Marcus

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Marcus Metzler
Department of Physics    | $B")(B $B#2#7#4!<#8#5#1#0(B
Toho University          | $B@example.com)A%66;T;0;3#2!<#2!<#1(B
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