SFS and PFS won't work

[RCtech]

Hello,

after some years I'm rebuilding my A4000T again. It works rather fine, but I have problems with filesystems - only FFS works. Additional hardware is a Cybervision64/3D with Scandoubler, Cyberstorm MKII/060 with 128 MB RAM and 12 MB RAM on the board - the leftmost (S354) is empty.

I'm using the standard 4000T controller with an Maxtor Atlas V 146 GB 10k drive und an 50->80 adaptor. These drives are awesome, when powering on they make for about 10 secs some self test clicks, then the drive is absolutely silent and doesn't get too hot. The Atlas V is also available in 73 and 300 GB.

I'm still in preperation, booting partially from floppy or MO drive. I'm using WB 3.1 with the AmigaOS ROM Update from 3.9 and HDInstTools 6.9. The Maxtor Atlas is fully recognized, low-level-format works, 560 cylinders are 682 MB. Formatting FFS partitions is no problem, either from HDInstTools or Workbench.

So, now I wanted to use SFS and got the latest package from the aminet. I loaded it into the RDB with DOStype SFS\0 and changed the filesystem in the partition settings. But it won't work. I tried the default Mask/Maxtransfer values 0x7ffffffe/0xffffff, the ones I found in the net 0x7ffffffe/1fe00 and the ones from the SFS_old.guide, 0x7fffffff/0x7fffffff, and combinations. Buffers are mostly 100, or the default value 30. Nothing works. I also tried to change the DOSType to SFS\2, no change. I could format a partition using SFS\0 in HDInstTools, but after the next boot the partition isn't visible, although it is listed when you type 'assign devices'. SFSformat crashes with a software failure when your're trying to format this partition, this also happens if you are trying to boot from it. The partition is listed in the Early Startup Menu.

But PFS won't work, too. I think I had the Direct SCSI version, so I tried PDS\0. Nothing, like with SFS HDInstTools got the error messages 'format failed' or 'object not found'. Something else is weird: If I'm changing a SFS partition to FFS and reboot, it is visible as DH0:SFS0. So the formatting must have worked earlier. Unformatted FFS partitions are automatically as DHx:? or similar on the Workbench, but there was never an icon of a partition with another filesystem visible.

Do you have some ideas? Could it be a software problem? The 68040/68040old/68040new/68060.library are from the BlizzardPPC disk, but I also have another version, not tested yet. The ROM Update, NSDPatch and SetPatch are from one of the BoingBags, not from the 3.9 CD. The same MO also boots on my Amiga 500 with A570 and 3 MB RAM. I have no idea why this doesn't work, I had it working years ago on my A1200/040, A1200/PPC and the A4000T. Any help would be appreciated.

Greets, RC.

[paul1981]

Wonder if the RDB has got confused? Can you delete all file systems from the RDB and then confirm they're gone? Only do this though if you don't care about your data on your drive - I don't want to be the one responsible for you loosing any data.

Also, after changing file systems or partitions I always power cycle the machine to properly refresh the changes.

After confirming you have a clean slate, then install your first file system and partition and check the mask and maxtransfer and dostype are remembered. TBH, I use HDToolbox as supplied by Commodore as it always seems to work (you have to press enter in the boxes though before saving changes for it to remember maxtransfer/dostype and any other keyboard input).

Then confirm changes. Quick format. Then, move onto your next file system.

P.S. SFS v1.279 is the latest version, not the one on aminet. I can't remember where I downloaded it from though, sorry.

[kolla]

Avoid third party filesystems, they come and go and reappear in incompatible formats etc.

[wawrzon]

especially sfs should be avoided as it corrupts at random. the currently maintained filesystem is pfs3

[RCtech]

I erased the RDB with HDinstTools, switched the computer off and turned it on again, created the partition, but still the same problems. If I'm trying to boot from such a partition, I'm getting a Software Failure window without task name and the error 80000008. I searched for it and it could be the 68060.library, actually I have 43.1 installed. I'm trying to install a newer one.

It's a bit difficult to transfer files: I don't have any computer with a disk drive. And the A4000T has no CD-ROM or driver. But my A500 has - in form of the A570. I didn't think of this before, but I was talking with a friend about an old PC-CD-ROM with caddies, then it came like a flash of light ;-) Now I have to burn the files to a CD in ISO9660/RockRidge format, then have to copy the files to my MO. This is helluva slow - not only because it's a 7 MHz A500, but a single speed CD drive and MO writing are all adding up slowness. MO's are writing very safely - first erasing every sector, then writing, then verifying. But that's rather slow.

Now I have to remember which programs, addons and DOS commands I used years ago - I have to start completely from scratch. And I don't want to waste a CD for just 200K, so I have to find enough stuff to fill 700 MB ;-) But it's still fun somehow. BTW: Does anyone know where to copy the BrowserII keyfile? I used the files from the Aminet, but I'm still getting the unregistered message.

[nicholas]

especially sfs should be avoided as it corrupts at random. the currently maintained filesystem is pfs3

SFS is atrocious.

/Cue angry mob with burning pitchforks in T-minus 3....2.... 1....

[guest11527]

I erased the RDB with HDinstTools, switched the computer off and turned it on again, created the partition, but still the same problems. If I'm trying to boot from such a partition, I'm getting a Software Failure window without task name and the error 80000008. I searched for it and it could be the 68060.library, actually I have 43.1 installed. I'm trying to install a newer one.

I'll doubt this will help. Yes, there are certainly newer ones, and certainly better supported ones, but: The 68060.library comes in as part of SetPatch, and thus way, way later than the bootstrap function loading the file system from the RDB.  Second, Guru #8 is a priviledge violation, i.e. the code tries to execute a statement that is not available in the user code. This could have multiple reasons. For one, executing a MOVE FROM SR command on a 68060, where this command is priviledged. If there are multiple versions of the file system, then try one that is for the 68010 or above where this opcode cannot be used anymore.  However, I would rather believe that something else went terribly wrong and the code just run amok. How did you install the filing system into the RDB in first place?  This being said, I would not be surprised if the binary of the filing system simply got corrupted in your complicated installation procedure. I would check for the MD5 checksum of the file before the transfer, and check it again afterwards. There are (hopefully?) some tools available for the Amiga that can help you to compute the MD5 sum.

[kolla]

And don't use HDInstTools...

[nicholas]

It might be worth salvaging an old ide CDROM from a PC if you can find one and fitting it in your A4000. Will save you a lot of time.

The Workbench 3.1 install disks have a basic CDROM driver that's easy enough to use.

Or even easier would be to fit the hard drive from your A4000 in a PC and prep it from UAE.

[matthey]

I have a 73GB Maxtor Atlas V 68 pin on the CSMKIII SCSI. I would get a Guru before booting with SFS. PFS works fine with the last official version of PFS TD64 but I would use PFSAIO for a new install (PFSAIO DOSType selection is easier and it has better large drive support). I strongly recommend the boot partition to be <4GB and to use 512 byte sectors. Do not do more than a quick format and it is best to use PFS format (with long file names selected) for formatting especially for partitions >4GB. If you can't get at least this boot partition to work then you have major problems.

[RCtech]

Well, it's no matter what filesystem I'm using until it's not FFS. If the partition is not vaildated it takes millions of years until a large partition is finished. I has PFS3 earlier, but it used a lot of space for metadata. OK, wouldn't be a problem anymore. Which version would better, standard PFS oder PFS direct SCSI? I thought on using SFS because it seems to be a standard now, at least MorphOS and AROS are using SFS.

Why should't I use HDInstTools? I was always using it. HDToolBox from 3.1 wouldn't be a very good choice, and I'm not planning to use 3.9. Is there another partitioning tool?

I read in another forum that a guy had the 80000008 problem on an A1200/060. He updated them and the problem was gone. So I'll try this, and it can't be bad to have newer versions.

Actually I can't add any more stuff because my A4000T setup looks like this. The system gets a new E-ATX case and it has to be modified for the Amiga. If anyone has the schematics of the ports board, that would be great.

[kolla]

Which version of PFS is recommended today?

[kolla]

OK, as long as you are only using HDInstTools I suppose it can be safe, I tried to use it a few times and it only led to all kinds of strange problems.

[matthey]

Well, it's no matter what filesystem I'm using until it's not FFS. If the partition is not validated it takes millions of years until a large partition is finished. I has PFS3 earlier, but it used a lot of space for metadata. OK, wouldn't be a problem anymore. Which version would better, standard PFS oder PFS direct SCSI? I thought on using SFS because it seems to be a standard now, at least MorphOS and AROS are using SFS.

Only FFS needs to be validated and this process uses a lot of memory for large partitions.

Phase 5 hardware usually has good support for TD64 making it a better choice than DirectSCSI but DirectSCSI should work everywhere. I believe PFSAIO will query (and maybe even test) the hardware before selecting TD64, NSD or DirectSCSI as appropriate.

Why shouldn't I use HDInstTools? I was always using it. HDToolBox from 3.1 wouldn't be a very good choice, and I'm not planning to use 3.9. Is there another partitioning tool?

It is bad to mix HDToolBox and HDInstTools. There also may be some bugs in HDInstTools but the AmigaOS 3.1 HDToolBox doesn't handle >4GB partitions very well either. Upgrading to AmigaOS 3.9 with BoingBags would give better large HD support including an improved version of HDToolBox.

Which version of PFS is recommended today?

PFSAIO

[nicholas]

Which version of PFS is recommended today?

Pfs3aio from Toni Wilen.