# New Server, FreeBSD Issues w/sata cdrom



## cmanns (Dec 14, 2008)

Okay so this is a colo box, my friend doesn't use freebsd after the other night he hates it 

So this is a phenom quad core system with Asus AM2+ mobo. I don't got the model off hand though, sorry wish I did because I'm not 100% certain the nic works in 7.1 even (

Using the sata cdrom drive he has after the install processes said to choose where to get the install, he choose cdrom and it says it can't find cdrom drive (What ever the error is, I've never seen it before and I'm 100's of miles away )

With IDE drive it works?? Weird.

*Anyways so is there any issues using a sata cdrom drive for install?* He doesnt have one at home and we need to install 7.1 for the newer realtek driver, I'd normally just compile the newer driver but he'd have to do it lol x(


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## cmanns (Dec 14, 2008)

I can't edit post but anyways I got the mobo model

ASUS M3N78-EM AM2
The nics a 8139drealtek, I can't find which it's supported in if anybody can let me know ty in 7.0 it dont work


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## cmanns (Dec 14, 2008)

Installed 7.1RC-1, works flawlessly so far =D


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## HiltonT (Jan 1, 2009)

G'day Cmanns,

There's an issue with SATA controllers being configured as AHCI or RAID in that they will *kind of* recognise and *kind of* boot some CD/DVD media, but they will not work properly with them.

Basically, once the mainboard SATA controller has beens et to AHCI (ie, enable all the nice SATA features) or RAID, the only devices that are then supported fully are HDD devices.  This means that the SATA DVD won't work, you'll need an IDE or USB drive to load anything.

There's a number of motherboards (especially from Intel, including various desktop, workstation and server motherboards) that have only a single SATA controller, no IDE controller, and therefore don't support SATA Opticl drives when running in all other than boring Native mode.  This is a serious shotcoming of these motherboards.

I know that the new MSI X58 chipset boards have multiple SATA controllers (and from memory, a single PATA controller) and will therefore allow you to load an operating system on a computer built on one of these motherboards - the Intel boards will not (unless you use a USB optical drive).

Regards,
Hilton Travis
http://blog.hiltontravis.com/


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