Max disk size supported??

Hi, I'm in the process of using the fantastic software and instructions provided here to re-vamp an ix4-200d that was rescued from the bin.

Originally, the max individual disk size that was spec'd for these was 4Tb. Does changing any of the u-boot software or debian kernel enable the use of larger disks or is the limitation due to the CPU/Hardware/32bit ??

Thanks,

Rob.

Rob,

> Originally, the max individual disk size that was
> spec'd for these was 4Tb. Does changing any of the
> u-boot software or debian kernel enable the use of
> larger disks or is the limitation due to the
> CPU/Hardware/32bit ??

I don't have new u-boot for this box. So the Debian rootfs will be subjected to the stock u-boot limitation. I'm not sure this stock u-boot understand GPT partition. If it is not, then you cannot use the 4TB easily. If the manufacture stated 4TB max size, then either stock u-boot understands GPT, or they use RAID and boot with kernel on NAND/SPI flash.

What you can do is to format an USB drive with GPT partition (does not matter the capacilty), and then connect serial console, interrupt u-boot and try to initialize this drive. If u-boot can initialize it and read it successfully, then it supports GPT.

Note that the hardware 32-bit, but it has no relation to the 2TB limitation of MBR partition. In fact, other Kirkwood boxes, that I have new u-boot for, will handle >2TB HDD drives fine.

-bodhi
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Ah its a MBR v GPT thing, I've forgotten about that.

My intention is to flash your u-boot to this machine. Its loading fine via kwboot.

Quote
bodhi
These images support the following latest U-Boot features (among others):

- both FDT and non-FDT kernel booting
- supports EFI/GPT partition > 2TB (SATA and USB) either for booting or just attached.
- boot Ext4 rootfs
- SNTP (Simple NTP to set date time during U-Boot booting)
- bootz (boot with zImage).
- Ability to customize u-boot envs in a script (uEnv.txt) during boot, without committing changes to NAND (see section C for instruction). This feature also can be used for rescue purpose where the u-boot envs were messed up, or when the NAND envs block is bad.

I'll test anyway to see what happens for both as you suggested.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 07/22/2022 05:34PM by CodeJACK.

Rob,

> I'll test anyway to see what happens for both as
> you suggested.

Be careful there !

There is no new u-boot for this ix4-200d box. You can use a compatible u-boot (e.g. sheevaplug) but it will not work entirely. Perhaps it will get you to boot my basic Debian rootfs, but some functionality specific to the ix4-200d will not be available during u-boot booting.

-bodhi
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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/22/2022 05:57PM by bodhi.

No problem, I wont feel bad if this thing catches fire. I have serial pin header soldered in and found the original recovery image to convert this from the standard ix4 to the cloud edition so worst case, ill roll back to them.

Sheevaplug is what I have running with kwboot and I dont see any issues just yet. Once I get this on nand, ill move/install rootfs to a btrfs like listed in the wiki for another box. Then ill load OMV and thats the end state.

Only thing I dont have is disks. Id like to go 6Tb x 4 but ill see what I can find for cheap on ebay :-)

> Sheevaplug is what I have running with kwboot and
> I dont see any issues just yet. Once I get this on
> nand, ill move/install rootfs to a btrfs like
> listed in the wiki for another box. Then ill load
> OMV and thats the end state.

Cool!

Check the RAM, I forgot, does this ix4-200d box have 512MB RAM?

-bodhi
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Yeah, its only 512MB RAM.

Im still reading through the threads here but this post is most telling that what I am trying might be a waste of time and if I buy disks, money too :-)

Still, its a game that will keep me busy for some hours...

> Im still reading through the threads here but this
> post is most telling that what I am trying might
> be a waste of time and if I buy disks, money too
> :-)
>

Which post?

-bodhi
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Sorry, typed that up while doing some other stuff too.

I meant mgx's experience in this thread:
https://forum.doozan.com/read.php?3,25120,page=4

I get that this box is old and mgx's experience may not be the same as what I expect but I had initially expected good reliability running current debian and OMV but maybe this is not the box for that. Performance is not an issue at all, this will be used for archive/backups

There is another thread you should look at (in the Wiki thread)

Quote

Media Streaming

Debian Stretch and OMV4

IIRC, this ix4-200d stock u-boot probably does not have SATA active, like the ix2. So people boot kernel files from HDD raw sectors.

But if you can use the Sheevaplug u-boot, and spin up the HDD and USB drives at u-boot prompt, then there is no restriction.

-bodhi
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