How to install Fedora 7 to a CF card connected via IDE-CF adapter?

[Bill Davidsen]

Jim Cornette wrote:
> Phil Meyer wrote:
>>>   
>>
>> I don't know if I can add much to this discussion, but installing to CF
>> is something that we do here allot.
>>
>> We have one 8GB CF card that when installed into the on board IDE 
>> controller of either Mother Board we use, the system will not pass post.
> 
> I think we have some that hang in Linux. past POST which need ide=nodma 
> added. Sandisk was the brand with 16 MB and 32 MB sizes. The hang during 
> POST I get occasionally with bad IDE disks but not so far with CF cards.
>>
>> We have three types of 2GB CF cards that we currently use in 
>> production systems.  We use two different mini-ITX motherboards.  
>> Neither motherboard can boot all three types of CF cards.  Each can 
>> use two of the three.
> 
> Our Power PC embedded devices work with a very narrow range of cards. It 
> is luck when a reliable card is found.
> 
>>
>> In the case of the 'common' CF card, it is very hit and miss.  Usually 
>> the CF throws lots of errors during the install (or any heavy writes 
>> after the install) and often fails the install.  In that case we avoid 
>> that CF card type in those Mother Boards.
> 
> Good call! They only seem to deteriorate from the initial conditions.
> 
>>
>> Many hours of research has revealed that CF are not all alike, and 
>> that  NAND devices in general all have a 'controller' embedded on the 
>> card itself.  These controllers are classified by type.  To simplify, 
>> they are easy to think of as fixed disk, removable disk, and generic.
> 
> Thanks for the info. I knew the cards had a built-in controller but not 
> that removable, fixed or generic were possible classifications.
> 
>>
>> Most of the CF cards that are labeled 'Industrial' are specifically 
>> made with a fixed disk type controller.
>>
> 
> We're supposed to start using the "Industrial" cards and performing some 
> modification which switches off and on power to the CF cards. The 
> Industrial CF cards do not work without the modifications. Since it is 
> surface mount and very low mil devices, we let the production facility 
> on Norway deal with the modifications.
> 
>> Secondly, not all IDE/CF devices are the same.  Some are made to 
>> handle generic and removable media types, and some are not.  It is 
>> unclear if these can be corrected in BIOS.
>>
>> So for our requirements, we have to purchase CF cards in a batch, test 
>> the batch, and return and re-order a different brand if necessary.
>>
>> Its a pain.  Brand and model number does not mean anything over time.
> 
> We have some product that uses USB Flashes which have a similar 
> predicament. I tried to get two parts for test equipment from one 
> ordering system into an ordering system where we could acquire the parts 
> when I found out about their hit and miss batch ordering.
> 
>>
>> Many vendors would produce only 'fixed disk' type CF cards on a new 
>> card.  Almost all 2GB cards, when that size was new, were 'fixed disk' 
>> type.  Now days its almost impossible to find a 2GB CF card that is 
>> not 'removable disk'.
> 
> It will be interesting to find out what the devices are recognized with 
> those having problems installing on 4GB and 8GB CF cards in IDE 
> adapters. Hopefully they can figure out how to select the mode detected 
> for these cards.
> 
It would be interesting if people who have these cards and boot 
regularly could (a) note what shows up in POST, and (b) boot the 
stand-alone CD of FC7 (FC7 Live) and see if the device shows, what dmesg 
says about it, etc.

I have assumed that using expert mode even USB connected "thumb drives" 
could be installed. I haven't tried it, but I have seen a laptop boot of 
such a drive, so FC7 installed *somehow* and not with an IDE adaptor.

Note: I have read that Intel has a new CF process which will give about 
as many cycles as a hard drive, but I know zero about that being 
available to users, brands, etc.

-- 
Bill Davidsen <davidsen at tmr.com>
   "We have more to fear from the bungling of the incompetent than from
the machinations of the wicked."  - from Slashdot