Asus P3B-F and big disks

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

Hi,

I've got P3B-F MB that I'm thinking of turning into a file server (Linux +
Samba).

How can I find out how big a hard drive I can put on this board? The manual
doesn't say anything about maximum disk size. I'm hoping to be be able to
use a 160G drive.

TIA - icebiker

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

Icebiker wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I've got P3B-F MB that I'm thinking of turning into a file server (Linux +
> Samba).

You might consider using RAID for a file server - and if you go that
route, disk size limitations of the motherboard BIOS will not be an issue.

> How can I find out how big a hard drive I can put on this board? The manual
> doesn't say anything about maximum disk size. I'm hoping to be be able to
> use a 160G drive.

P2B series boards max out at 128GB with the latest BIOS, and I *think*
P3B-F is the same. No doubt I'll be corrected if I'm mistaken...

> TIA - icebiker
>
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

Thanx P2B

I don't need RAID, it's just a home server to hold photos and music.

So where do you find out this kind of stuff? 's not in the manual . . .

/icebiker

"P2B" <p2b@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:2FRnd.58351$Ho4.2003469@news20.bellglobal.com...
>
>
> Icebiker wrote:
>
>> Hi,
>>
>> I've got P3B-F MB that I'm thinking of turning into a file server (Linux
>> + Samba).
>
> You might consider using RAID for a file server - and if you go that
> route, disk size limitations of the motherboard BIOS will not be an issue.
>
>> How can I find out how big a hard drive I can put on this board? The
>> manual doesn't say anything about maximum disk size. I'm hoping to be be
>> able to use a 160G drive.
>
> P2B series boards max out at 128GB with the latest BIOS, and I *think*
> P3B-F is the same. No doubt I'll be corrected if I'm mistaken...
>
>> TIA - icebiker

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

P2B <p2b@sympatico.ca> writes:
> P2B series boards max out at 128GB with the latest BIOS, and I *think*
> P3B-F is the same. No doubt I'll be corrected if I'm mistaken...

Well, I have a P2B-F here with 1014beta3 BIOS that just happily works
with a 160GB Samsung drive (SP1614N). The only thing required is an OS
with correct support for >128GiB drives (Linux >=2.4.19, WinXP with SP1)
and all boot partitions must be fully within the first 128GiB. I somehow
don't find the latter too restricting.

Thomas Jahns
--
"Computers are good at following instructions,
but not at reading your mind."
D. E. Knuth, The TeXbook, Addison-Wesley 1984, 1986, 1996, p. 9

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

On Sat, 20 Nov 2004 18:18:42 -0500, "Icebiker" <icebiker@ca.inter.net>
wrote:

>Hi,
>
>I've got P3B-F MB that I'm thinking of turning into a file server (Linux +
>Samba).
>
>How can I find out how big a hard drive I can put on this board? The manual
>doesn't say anything about maximum disk size. I'm hoping to be be able to
>use a 160G drive.
>

There is a 1008 beta bios

ftp://ftp.asuscom.de/pub/ASUSCOM/BIOS/Slot_I/INTEL_Chipset/i440BX/P3B-F/

they are normally fine, these beta. I have not tried this. But I do
not like it is from october 2001. It more than half a year older than
the beta for P2B.

best regards

John

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

On Sat, 20 Nov 2004 21:31:13 -0500, "Icebiker" <icebiker@ca.inter.net>
wrote:

>Thanx P2B
>
>I don't need RAID, it's just a home server to hold photos and music.
>
>So where do you find out this kind of stuff? 's not in the manual . . .
>
>/icebiker
>
>"P2B" <p2b@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
>news:2FRnd.58351$Ho4.2003469@news20.bellglobal.com...
>>
>>
>> Icebiker wrote:
>>
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> I've got P3B-F MB that I'm thinking of turning into a file server (Linux
>>> + Samba).
>>
>> You might consider using RAID for a file server - and if you go that
>> route, disk size limitations of the motherboard BIOS will not be an issue.
>>
>>> How can I find out how big a hard drive I can put on this board? The
>>> manual doesn't say anything about maximum disk size. I'm hoping to be be
>>> able to use a 160G drive.
>>
>> P2B series boards max out at 128GB with the latest BIOS, and I *think*
>> P3B-F is the same. No doubt I'll be corrected if I'm mistaken...
>>
>>> TIA - icebiker
>

Icebiker:

My old and little used Win98SE system has a P3B-F. I forget what
the IDE HDD limit was but it never mattered since I used a Promise
ATA-66 controller card for my HDDs. Disc drives are on the motherboard
IDE controllers.
I use the same arrangement for my WinXP SP2 system (P4T533-C)
with a Promise Ultra133 controller card. These are not RAID cards. The
size of the HDDs isn't an issue.
These cards aren't expensive. Each card can handle 4 HDDs and you
can use more than one PCI card if you need more drives than that.
O/S's see it as a SCSI Device so you just have to set the Boot
Sequence accordingly. You have to hit F6 when prompted during a WinXP
install to load the controller card drivers from the floppy they
supply with the card.

Happy trails,

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (More info?)

JK (at mail dot dk) wrote:

> On Sat, 20 Nov 2004 18:18:42 -0500, "Icebiker" <icebiker@ca.inter.net>
> wrote:
>
>
>>Hi,
>>
>>I've got P3B-F MB that I'm thinking of turning into a file server (Linux +
>>Samba).
>>
>>How can I find out how big a hard drive I can put on this board? The manual
>>doesn't say anything about maximum disk size. I'm hoping to be be able to
>>use a 160G drive.
>>
>
>
> There is a 1008 beta bios
>
> ftp://ftp.asuscom.de/pub/ASUSCOM/BIOS/Slot_I/INTEL_Chipset/i440BX/P3B-F/
>
> they are normally fine, these beta. I have not tried this. But I do
> not like it is from october 2001. It more than half a year older than
> the beta for P2B.
>

This 1008-004 Beta is the last BIOS for the P3B-F and de facto final.

Roy