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1=============2Floppy Driver3=============4 5FAQ list:6=========7 8A FAQ list may be found in the fdutils package (see below), and also9at <https://fdutils.linux.lu/faq.html>.10 11 12LILO configuration options (Thinkpad users, read this)13======================================================14 15The floppy driver is configured using the 'floppy=' option in16lilo. This option can be typed at the boot prompt, or entered in the17lilo configuration file.18 19Example: If your kernel is called linux-2.6.9, type the following line20at the lilo boot prompt (if you have a thinkpad)::21 22 linux-2.6.9 floppy=thinkpad23 24You may also enter the following line in /etc/lilo.conf, in the description25of linux-2.6.9::26 27 append = "floppy=thinkpad"28 29Several floppy related options may be given, example::30 31 linux-2.6.9 floppy=daring floppy=two_fdc32 append = "floppy=daring floppy=two_fdc"33 34If you give options both in the lilo config file and on the boot35prompt, the option strings of both places are concatenated, the boot36prompt options coming last. That's why there are also options to37restore the default behavior.38 39 40Module configuration options41============================42 43If you use the floppy driver as a module, use the following syntax::44 45 modprobe floppy floppy="<options>"46 47Example::48 49 modprobe floppy floppy="omnibook messages"50 51If you need certain options enabled every time you load the floppy driver,52you can put::53 54 options floppy floppy="omnibook messages"55 56in a configuration file in /etc/modprobe.d/.57 58 59The floppy driver related options are:60 61 floppy=asus_pci62 Sets the bit mask to allow only units 0 and 1. (default)63 64 floppy=daring65 Tells the floppy driver that you have a well behaved floppy controller.66 This allows more efficient and smoother operation, but may fail on67 certain controllers. This may speed up certain operations.68 69 floppy=0,daring70 Tells the floppy driver that your floppy controller should be used71 with caution.72 73 floppy=one_fdc74 Tells the floppy driver that you have only one floppy controller.75 (default)76 77 floppy=two_fdc / floppy=<address>,two_fdc78 Tells the floppy driver that you have two floppy controllers.79 The second floppy controller is assumed to be at <address>.80 This option is not needed if the second controller is at address81 0x370, and if you use the 'cmos' option.82 83 floppy=thinkpad84 Tells the floppy driver that you have a Thinkpad. Thinkpads use an85 inverted convention for the disk change line.86 87 floppy=0,thinkpad88 Tells the floppy driver that you don't have a Thinkpad.89 90 floppy=omnibook / floppy=nodma91 Tells the floppy driver not to use Dma for data transfers.92 This is needed on HP Omnibooks, which don't have a workable93 DMA channel for the floppy driver. This option is also useful94 if you frequently get "Unable to allocate DMA memory" messages.95 Indeed, dma memory needs to be continuous in physical memory,96 and is thus harder to find, whereas non-dma buffers may be97 allocated in virtual memory. However, I advise against this if98 you have an FDC without a FIFO (8272A or 82072). 82072A and99 later are OK. You also need at least a 486 to use nodma.100 If you use nodma mode, I suggest you also set the FIFO101 threshold to 10 or lower, in order to limit the number of data102 transfer interrupts.103 104 If you have a FIFO-able FDC, the floppy driver automatically105 falls back on non DMA mode if no DMA-able memory can be found.106 If you want to avoid this, explicitly ask for 'yesdma'.107 108 floppy=yesdma109 Tells the floppy driver that a workable DMA channel is available.110 (default)111 112 floppy=nofifo113 Disables the FIFO entirely. This is needed if you get "Bus114 master arbitration error" messages from your Ethernet card (or115 from other devices) while accessing the floppy.116 117 floppy=usefifo118 Enables the FIFO. (default)119 120 floppy=<threshold>,fifo_depth121 Sets the FIFO threshold. This is mostly relevant in DMA122 mode. If this is higher, the floppy driver tolerates more123 interrupt latency, but it triggers more interrupts (i.e. it124 imposes more load on the rest of the system). If this is125 lower, the interrupt latency should be lower too (faster126 processor). The benefit of a lower threshold is less127 interrupts.128 129 To tune the fifo threshold, switch on over/underrun messages130 using 'floppycontrol --messages'. Then access a floppy131 disk. If you get a huge amount of "Over/Underrun - retrying"132 messages, then the fifo threshold is too low. Try with a133 higher value, until you only get an occasional Over/Underrun.134 It is a good idea to compile the floppy driver as a module135 when doing this tuning. Indeed, it allows to try different136 fifo values without rebooting the machine for each test. Note137 that you need to do 'floppycontrol --messages' every time you138 re-insert the module.139 140 Usually, tuning the fifo threshold should not be needed, as141 the default (0xa) is reasonable.142 143 floppy=<drive>,<type>,cmos144 Sets the CMOS type of <drive> to <type>. This is mandatory if145 you have more than two floppy drives (only two can be146 described in the physical CMOS), or if your BIOS uses147 non-standard CMOS types. The CMOS types are:148 149 == ==================================150 0 Use the value of the physical CMOS151 1 5 1/4 DD152 2 5 1/4 HD153 3 3 1/2 DD154 4 3 1/2 HD155 5 3 1/2 ED156 6 3 1/2 ED157 16 unknown or not installed158 == ==================================159 160 (Note: there are two valid types for ED drives. This is because 5 was161 initially chosen to represent floppy *tapes*, and 6 for ED drives.162 AMI ignored this, and used 5 for ED drives. That's why the floppy163 driver handles both.)164 165 floppy=unexpected_interrupts166 Print a warning message when an unexpected interrupt is received.167 (default)168 169 floppy=no_unexpected_interrupts / floppy=L40SX170 Don't print a message when an unexpected interrupt is received. This171 is needed on IBM L40SX laptops in certain video modes. (There seems172 to be an interaction between video and floppy. The unexpected173 interrupts affect only performance, and can be safely ignored.)174 175 floppy=broken_dcl176 Don't use the disk change line, but assume that the disk was177 changed whenever the device node is reopened. Needed on some178 boxes where the disk change line is broken or unsupported.179 This should be regarded as a stopgap measure, indeed it makes180 floppy operation less efficient due to unneeded cache181 flushings, and slightly more unreliable. Please verify your182 cable, connection and jumper settings if you have any DCL183 problems. However, some older drives, and also some laptops184 are known not to have a DCL.185 186 floppy=debug187 Print debugging messages.188 189 floppy=messages190 Print informational messages for some operations (disk change191 notifications, warnings about over and underruns, and about192 autodetection).193 194 floppy=silent_dcl_clear195 Uses a less noisy way to clear the disk change line (which196 doesn't involve seeks). Implied by 'daring' option.197 198 floppy=<nr>,irq199 Sets the floppy IRQ to <nr> instead of 6.200 201 floppy=<nr>,dma202 Sets the floppy DMA channel to <nr> instead of 2.203 204 floppy=slow205 Use PS/2 stepping rate::206 207 PS/2 floppies have much slower step rates than regular floppies.208 It's been recommended that take about 1/4 of the default speed209 in some more extreme cases.210 211 212Supporting utilities and additional documentation:213==================================================214 215Additional parameters of the floppy driver can be configured at216runtime. Utilities which do this can be found in the fdutils package.217This package also contains a new version of mtools which allows to218access high capacity disks (up to 1992K on a high density 3 1/2 disk!).219It also contains additional documentation about the floppy driver.220 221The latest version can be found at fdutils homepage:222 223 https://fdutils.linux.lu224 225The fdutils releases can be found at:226 227 https://fdutils.linux.lu/download.html228 229 http://www.tux.org/pub/knaff/fdutils/230 231 ftp://metalab.unc.edu/pub/Linux/utils/disk-management/232 233Reporting problems about the floppy driver234==========================================235 236If you have a question or a bug report about the floppy driver, mail237me at Alain.Knaff@poboxes.com . If you post to Usenet, preferably use238comp.os.linux.hardware. As the volume in these groups is rather high,239be sure to include the word "floppy" (or "FLOPPY") in the subject240line. If the reported problem happens when mounting floppy disks, be241sure to mention also the type of the filesystem in the subject line.242 243Be sure to read the FAQ before mailing/posting any bug reports!244 245Alain246 247Changelog248=========249 25010-30-2004 :251 Cleanup, updating, add reference to module configuration.252 James Nelson <james4765@gmail.com>253 2546-3-2000 :255 Original Document256