Gentoo on NForce4 (Asus a8n-sli deluxe)

plastix · n00b Joined: 27 Oct 2003 Posts: 11 Location: Boise, ID

This is the first time I have written an article, so please bear with me here.

I Just got 2004.3 installed on my new system, thought I would give a heads up on some of the issues I encountered so other people may have an easier time.

Here are my specs:

amd64 3000+
asus a8n-sli deluxe
1 gig ram
2 x 160gig sata drives
PCIx 6600GT

To start off with, boot the livecd with the command :

Zyne · Guru Joined: 08 Jun 2004 Posts: 334

I had MAJOR issues with the forcedeth module...
Whenever I tried to do transfers over my local lan, it wouldn't go over 120 KB/sec..
Transfers from outside the LAN worked great with speeds up to 700KB/sec (my max)...

So I unloaded the forcedeth module, and loaded the sk98lin module (for the other nic), and everything works great now!
only thing I still have to replace atm is the sound-card... it REALLY sucks to not have hardware mixing...

I was used to my trusty old SB Live 5.1, so I'm thinking of putting that back in as soon as I find out how to connect the external audio jacks on my case to the sound-card...

as for your time problems: just sync with a local ntp-server, and set your time to local... works great for me...

the xorg-patch isn't necessary I think... I didn't apply it, and everything works great for me! gettint solid +7000 fps in glxgears (I know it's not a benchmark...), so I'm kinda curious about it...
btw manually editing the ebuild would have saved you a LOT of time!

edit: btw here's my current config:

2 Maxtor 160GB SATA's on the nvidia SATA
1 IBM 40GB ATA100 PATA
1 NEC 3500 DVD +/- RW
1 Sparkle 6600GT (replaced the cooler with a zalman vf700, and damn I'm happy I did that!)
2x215MB Corsair XMS 3200

exodist · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 100

the grub issues are a problem cause when the sata is loaded last the numbers are ordered ide then sata, however at the grub screen they are ordered sata then ide. problem can be solved by editing the /boot/grub/grub.conf to assume hd0,0 (or whatever) basicaly the conf file should have how the drives will be on boot, nto how they are

then do grub

root (hd5,0) or whatever based on drive order, count ide drives than add number of sata before the one you use all starting from zero.
setup (hd5) see above note
quit

that will install it to the drive based on current id's, but boot will read config file and everything is a-ok

as for the sb-live, good luck, I also have a trust sb live 5.1 pci from a long time ago... it does not work on this board, after a few seconds of sound it starts to skip around and then in 64 bit it will lock up, in 32 bit it will cut to a loud high pitched noise. I had to use another different card for mutliple sounds at once.

Final question, you have same exact config as I, asus a8n-sli with 6600... last time I tried 64 bit there were glitches and problems with X on 64 bit with 6600 based on an Xorg off by one error, I was not qualified to fix the error so I switched to 32 bit and recently due to a harddrive failure (maxtor's online RMA services are outstanding and pain free, technically I think that is a bad-sign occuring from overuse) anyway trying 64 bit again, in about 15-30min x will be compiled and installed, but if you get back to me quicker I will not have the suspence.. but I h=guess I should ask the question, was the problem fixed in current portage?

rookbluff · n00b Joined: 20 Feb 2004 Posts: 9 Location: Virginia

Hey guys,

I am trying to get X working on my new box running

specs:
amd64 3200+
gigabyte GA-K8NXP-SLI socket 939
1 gig ram
standard IDE HD
PCIx 6600

and ran into the same xorg/amd64/PCI express 6600 nvidia card problem mentioned by plastix (Thanks plastix for pointing this out!! I was tweaking my xorg.conf file over and over...)

I'm still a noob here, and I need a little help applying the patch you mentioned:

nexus780 · Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2005 5:00 pm Post subject:

For that Xorg with the 6600 problem: Install ~xorg-x11-6.8.2, fixed it for me.

g0su · Posted: Thu Feb 17, 2005 8:20 pm Post subject:

Hello man!

I don't understand well the english, please sorry for that.

I have the same system than you. The module for ethernet is forcedeth, for marvel is the marvell module(is the only marvell in gigaland) i dont remeber the name of module.

For sata you put <*> support in scsi -> low ... -> <*> Sata support and <*> nvidia support. The module is sata_nv but if u use for boot, use <*> and NOT <M>. For silicon is sata_sil.

For grub, first are IDE disk, and latter scsi disk, Ex: if i have 2 ide and 2 sata:

Hda -> hd0, Hdb -> hd1, sda -> hd2 and sdb -> hd3. Sda is the first sata(you see in mother board or in bios), sdb is the second sata.

I use ethernet marvell and native sata of nforce4 with my sata.

I have a big problem with nvidia driver and xorg. What version u have of nvidia-driver? and xorg(i think than is 6.8.2? is posible?). Can you put the config for xorg?

I emerge nvidia-driver, nvidia-glx, nvidia-settings and i writed modprobe nvidia && opengl-update nvidia. But when i write startx i don't see logo of nvidia, and i cant see the cursos of mouse and the i cant see well the desktop.

My files:

nexus780 · Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 7:19 am Post subject:

g0su: Did you put nvidia in your /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6? Can you check with lsmod whether the module is loaded please?

Zyne · Guru Joined: 08 Jun 2004 Posts: 334

g0su · Posted: Fri Feb 18, 2005 5:43 pm Post subject:

Hello i solved the problem using Xorg-X11 6.8.2. Thx for your help

pantherace · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 18 Mar 2003 Posts: 79

Have a look at
https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-271920.html (a8n-sli thread)

and

https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-275551.html (6600GT problems (or anything else in amd64: xorg bug, not nvidia))

Which appears resolved now.
_________________
Main System: Athlon 64 3000+ (1.8GHz, 512KB, 90nm) Asus A8n SLI Deluxe 1GB (2x512) Mushkin PC3200, LeadTek 6600GT, Western Digital IDE 160 & 120GB 7200rpm, 8MB cache HDs