Date: Tue, 23 Sep 2003 18:11:36 -0700 (PDT) From: Dan Strick <strick@covad.net> To: gentoo@tmgcon.com Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: FreeBSD on GigaByte GA-8EGXDR-E? Message-ID: <200309240111.h8O1BadJ000934@ice.nodomain> In-Reply-To: <200309241136.10460.gentoo@tmgcon.com>
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> From: Tom Munro Glass <gentoo@tmgcon.com> > To: Dan Strick <strick@covad.net> > Subject: Re: FreeBSD on GigaByte GA-8EGXDR-E? > Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2003 11:36:10 +1200 > > Hi Dan, > > Try: > > http://tw.giga-byte.com/Server/Products/Products_ServerBoard_GA-8EGXDR-E.htm > > As far as I know, it's a current model. I found it. For some reason it is categorized on the Gigabyte web site as a networking product rather than as a motherboard. I don't have any direct experience relevant to the compatibility of this motherboard with FreeBSD because my new Gigabyte motherboard, the 8KNXP, uses a different support chipset, the Intel 875P/ICH5R, and has a very different set of motherboard devices. I found that while FreeBSD runs reasonably well on my motherboard, FreeBSD does not support a large number of the more exotic motherboard devices. The situation is expected to improve a little bit when FreeBSD-5.2 comes out, whenever that happens. Not soon I gather. I frequently browse the freebsd-current mailing list. FreeBSD-current looks sufficiently unstable that I don't want to mess with it. FreeBSD-5.1 is flaky enough. Your motherboard seems to have an even more exotic set of motherboard devices and features. I would check the HARDWARE.TXT file for the FreeBSD release you intend to run. Devices not mentioned in the HARDWARE.TXT file are moderately likely to prove problematic. I see that your motherboard has an AWARD BIOS. The AWARD BIOS on my motherboard does something strange that confuses the standard FreeBSD master bootstrap program (booteasy) as to which disk is really being booted so that I have to type F5 at it three times in order to boot. If the Intel ICH5R serial ATA controller on my motherboard is configured to operate in "native" mode, the AWARD BIOS fails to enter my serial ATA disks into the BIOS disk list. Since I have to boot off my serial ATA disks, I have to configure them in "legacy" mode. That means I can't use one of my standard ATA ports and that means I can't use standard ATA disks on my system (unless I buy an extra PCI ATA controller card for them). You may get lucky, but I expect you to have some exiting experiences in your future. Dan Strick strick@covad.net P.S. I find that Gigabyte email tech support is extremely sluggish and not very helpful. If you have clout, please light a fire underneath those guys.
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