1. SATA_RAID.zip Driver
2. readme.txt File Contents

readme.txt Driver File Contents (SATA_RAID.zip)

                            ALi RAID Linux Driver
                             For Red Hat Linux 9
                           Version 1.00 [25/12/2003]
   
[INTRODUCTION]

1.1 Foreword
      
    This procedure applies to ALi RAID 5281|5283|5289|5287 adapters.
      
1.2 Prepare a Driver Diskette

    You will use a diskette to load the new Linux driver onto your PC.

    1) Obtain a new, formatted diskette and label it "ALi RAID Driver Disk."
       Insert it into your PC's floppy drive.

    2) Extract the contents of the driver file you downloaded from the
       ALi website onto your floppy disk. Use either WinZIP in Windows or
       Unzip in Linux to extract the files.


[INSTALLATION]

2.1 To install the ALi RAID Linux Driver into an EXISTING SYSTEM:

  1.) Boot linux system and login as root.

  2.) Insert ALi RAID Driver Disk for install ALi RAID Driver by issuing
      commands :
		# mount /dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy
		# cd /mnt/floppy
                # sh install   (Answer Yes/No when inquire setup configuration)

	You can answer Yes to bind ALi RAID driver into linux booting.

                # cd ..
                # umount /dev/fd0

    NOTE: Due to the Linux kernel misidentifying the ALi RAID card, all IDE
    channels except onboard IDE are disabled. To enable the other IDE channels,
    remove the line "ide2=0 ide3=0 ide4=0 ide5=0 ide6=0 ide7=0 ide8=0 ide9=0"
    in /etc/lilo.conf or /boot/grub/grub.conf.
 
  3.) Reboot Red Hat linux system.

  
2.2 To install the ALi RAID Linux Driver into a NEW SYSTEM

  1.) Start the Red Hat Linux Installation with CD-ROM booting.

  2.) At the "Welcome to Red Hat Linux ..." installation screen, a prompt
      labeled "boot:" will appear at the bottom of the screen.

  3.) Please append parameters (see Note 1 below) at the "boot:" prompt,
      then press the Enter key.

  4.) At the "Devices" dialog box, insert the ALi RAID Driver Disk in the
      floppy drive and then select "OK" or "Yes" to continue install.
      (Note: If there is no device found, and be asked if you want to select
	     the manual setup, please select manual setup.)

  5.) Enable "Configure advanced boot loader options" box at Boot Loader
      Configuration menu, and type kernel parameters (see NOTE 2 below)
      in the General kernel parameters field.

  6.) Continue with the installation as normal.

  7.) If the installer occur warning message about "The kernel was unable
      to re-read the partition table on /dev/sd(x), (Device or resource
      busy)...", Please do not click skip, just click Ignore bottom to
      continue the install.

  8.) Press Ctrl-Alt-F2 when installation at the "Congratulations" menu.

  9.) Insert the ALi RAID Driver Disk floppy, Issue commands to load ALi RAID
      driver.
		# umount /tmp/fd0	(Just in case if RedHat forgot this)

		# chroot /mnt/sysimage
                # mount /dev/fd0 /mnt	
	(If USB Floppy, Please choose USB floppy device such as /dev/sdb)
                # cd /mnt
                # sh setup-ft
                    
  10.) Choose your selection here, after ALi RAID driver setup successful.
		# cd /
                # umount /mnt
                # exit

  11.) Please press Ctrl-Alt-F7 and click "Exit" button to finish installation.


[NOTE]

   Linux Kernels 2.4.x misidentiy ALi ATA-RAID controllers as simple
IDE controllers. This results in the built-in Linux IDE driver trying to
handle the controller and can prevent the proper ALi RAID driver
from loading.
   Follow the installation instructions AND the parameter commands referred
to below section. This status we called "IDE issue".

M5281/M5283:
   1.) "linux ide0=0x1f0,0x3f6,14 ide1=0x170,0x376,15 ide2=0 ide3=0 ide4=0
        ide5=0 ide6=0 ide7=0 ide8=0 ide9=0 expert pci=off"

   2.) "ide0=0x1f0,0x3f6,14 ide1=0x170,0x376,15 ide2=0 ide3=0 ide4=0 ide5=0
        ide6=0 ide7=0 ide8=0 ide9=0 pci=off" 

M5287/M5289:
   1.) "linux expert pci=off"      
   
   2.) "pci=off"