tlug: PCMCIA problem during TurboLinux install

["Manuel M. T. Chakravarty" <chak@example.com>]

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?

Any help would be very much appreciated,

Manuel
--------------------------------------------------------------
Next Nomikai: 18 September, 19:30 Tengu TokyoEkiMae 03-3275-3691
Next Meeting: 10 October, Tokyo Station Yaesu central gate 12:30
--------------------------------------------------------------
Sponsor: PHT, makers of TurboLinux http://www.pht.co.jp