SuSE Linux: Versions since 6.4
PCMCIA
The PCMCIA system basically hangs during the start process, regardless of whether you perform a warm or a cold start. The notebook hangs at the following boot message:
.. PCMCIA: Starting services: PCMCIA: using scheme: SuSE
Do not mistake this problem with the one described in The Notebook Hangs After a Warm Start.
The PCMCIA base system does not work, which, in most cases, is due to a resource conflict (IRQ or I/O port).
To restart Linux, prevent PCMCIA from starting by entering the following command at the LILO boot prompt:
boot: linux NOPCMCIA=yes
where "linux" is the label in your '/etc/lilo.conf'
file.
View the labels available by pressing TAB at the LILO prompt.
Open the file '/etc/rc.config' ('/etc/rc.config.d/pcmcia.rc.config' in SuSE Linux 7.3, '/etc/sysconfig/pcmcia' from 8.0 on) with an appropriate editor (e.g., 'mcedit' or 'vi'). Search for the entry:
PCMCIA_PCIC_OPTS=""
and change it to
PCMCIA_PCIC_OPTS="pci_int=1 pci_csc=1 irq_list=9,10"
Then start the PCMCIA system with:
rcpcmcia start
If the system "freezes" again, proceed systematically as described below.
insmod pcmcia_core insmod i82365 (rarely tcic, e.g., for Halikan NBD 486 notebooks) insmod ds
Once you have found the "guilty" module, find the appropriate options. For the module 'pcmcia_core', try with:
insmod pcmcia_core probe_io=0
or
insmod pcmcia_core do_apm=0
Note: The option 'do_pnp' is available for the module 'pcmcia_core' only if the PCMCIA package has been compiled with PnP support. From SuSE Linux 6.4 on, however, the package has been compiled without PnP support.
Other options can be found in the corresponding man page of 'pcmcia_core'
(man pcmcia_core
).
The most likely cause of the problem is the module 'i82365'. In this case, try to restrict the list of the interrupts probed and used. Exclude IRQs already occupied by other devices (sound, on-board network card, etc.):
insmod i82365 irq_list=5,7,9,10or even:
insmod i82365 irq_list=9,10or
insmod i82365 pci_int=1 pci_csc=1 irq_list=9,10
Other possible options are listed in the corresponding man page, man
i82365
.
The module 'ds' does not usually cause any problem.
Now insert the options found in the file '/etc/rc.config' (or in the above-mentioned files for 7.3 and 8.0 or later). Options for the module 'pcmcia_core' must be inserted in the variable 'PCMCIA_CORE_OPTS' as in:
PCMCIA_CORE_OPTS="probe_io=0 do_apm=0"
Options for 'i82365' must be inserted in the variable 'PCMCIA_PCIC_OPTS' as in:
PCMCIA_PCIC_OPTS="pci_int=1 pci_csc=1 irq_list=9,10"
After changing the PCMCIA variables in the configuration file, activate the changes at once by restarting the PCMCIA system with:
rcpcmcia restart
or
rcpcmcia start
if it has not been started yet.
Tip: Permanently prevent PCMCIA from starting by setting
START_PCMCIA="no"
.
For more information and help, refer to: