Dell CMOS Setup -> System Configuration -> SATA Operation -> RAID On vs AHCI

[David Christensen]

debian-user:

I have a SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.0 16 GB flash drive with Debian
installed on it EUFI, GPT, and Secure Boot. I use it for maintenance/
trouble-shooting on newer computers.


When I boot the flash drive in a Dell Precision 3630 Tower that has
Windows 11 Pro installed on the internal NVMe drive, the internal PCIe
NVMe drive is not visible to Linux:

2022-12-23 19:16:13 root@bullseye ~
# cat /etc/debian_version ; uname -a
11.5
Linux bullseye 5.10.0-19-amd64 #1 SMP Debian 5.10.149-2 (2022-10-21)
x86_64 GNU/Linux

2022-12-23 19:17:48 root@bullseye ~
# lsblk
NAME MAJ:MIN RM SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
sda 8:0 1 14.9G 0 disk
|-sda1 8:1 1 953M 0 part /boot/efi
|-sda2 8:2 1 954M 0 part /boot
|-sda3 8:3 1 954M 0 part
| `-sda3_crypt 254:1 0 954M 0 crypt [SWAP]
`-sda4 8:4 1 11.2G 0 part
`-sda4_crypt 254:0 0 11.2G 0 crypt /
sr0 11:0 1 1024M 0 rom

2022-12-23 19:19:24 root@bullseye ~
# l /dev/n*
/dev/null /dev/nvram

/dev/net:
./ ../ tun


STFW I see that the 'nvme' kernel module must be loaded. Doing so does
not resolve the issue:

2022-12-23 19:17:51 root@bullseye ~
# modprobe nvme

2022-12-23 19:19:17 root@bullseye ~
# lsmod | grep nvme
nvme 49152 0
nvme_core 131072 1 nvme
t10_pi 16384 2 sd_mod,nvme_core

2022-12-23 19:19:21 root@bullseye ~
# lsblk
NAME MAJ:MIN RM SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
sda 8:0 1 14.9G 0 disk
|-sda1 8:1 1 953M 0 part /boot/efi
|-sda2 8:2 1 954M 0 part /boot
|-sda3 8:3 1 954M 0 part
| `-sda3_crypt 254:1 0 954M 0 crypt [SWAP]
`-sda4 8:4 1 11.2G 0 part
`-sda4_crypt 254:0 0 11.2G 0 crypt /
sr0 11:0 1 1024M 0 rom

2022-12-23 18:46:19 root@laalaa ~/laalaa.tracy.holgerdanske.com
# l /dev/n*
/dev/null /dev/nvram

/dev/net:
./ ../ tun


The work-around is to change CMOS Setup -> System Configuration -> SATA
Operation from "RAID On: to "AHCI". The problem is that Windows needs
the former and it is a hassle to change the CMOS settings back and forth
every time I want to run Debian. If I change it to AHCI and forget to
change it back, Windows breaks. If and when I make this mistake on a
client computer, it will be very embarrassing. I want a portable Debian
on a USB flash drive or USB SSD to work on newer computers without
changing the CMOS settings that the factory set for Windows.


Comments or suggestions?


David

[Jeffrey Walton]

The NVMe is provisioned to the Intel Optane accelerator. Optane takes
a small but fast NVMe, and combines it with a slow HDD, and makes the
system (kind of) perform like there's one large SSD.

The NVMe drive should not appear as a seperate drive when it is
provisioned for Optane.

I'm running Kubuntu on a Dell XPS 8930 that came preinstalled with
Windoze. It also had the Optane acceleration. I had to disable Optane
to get access to the NVMe. Once Optane was broken I was able to load
the OS on the NVMe, and make the HDD a large storage/scratch drive.

Jeff

[David Christensen]

On 12/23/22 23:16, Jeffrey Walton wrote:

> On Fri, Dec 23, 2022 at 10:29 PM David Christensen wrote:
>>
>> debian-user:
>>
>> I have a SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.0 16 GB flash drive with Debian
>> installed on it EUFI, GPT, and Secure Boot. I use it for maintenance/
>> trouble-shooting on newer computers.
>>
>>
>> When I boot the flash drive in a Dell Precision 3630 Tower that has
>> Windows 11 Pro installed on the internal NVMe drive, the internal PCIe
>> NVMe drive is not visible to Linux:

>> The work-around is to change CMOS Setup -> System Configuration -> SATA
>> Operation from "RAID On: to "AHCI". The problem is that Windows needs
>> the former and it is a hassle to change the CMOS settings back and forth
>> every time I want to run Debian. If I change it to AHCI and forget to
>> change it back, Windows breaks. If and when I make this mistake on a
>> client computer, it will be very embarrassing. I want a portable Debian
>> on a USB flash drive or USB SSD to work on newer computers without
>> changing the CMOS settings that the factory set for Windows.
>>
>> Comments or suggestions?
>
> The NVMe is provisioned to the Intel Optane accelerator. Optane takes
> a small but fast NVMe, and combines it with a slow HDD, and makes the
> system (kind of) perform like there's one large SSD.
>
> The NVMe drive should not appear as a seperate drive when it is
> provisioned for Optane.
>
> I'm running Kubuntu on a Dell XPS 8930 that came preinstalled with
> Windoze. It also had the Optane acceleration. I had to disable Optane
> to get access to the NVMe. Once Optane was broken I was able to load
> the OS on the NVMe, and make the HDD a large storage/scratch drive.
>
> Jeff

The M.2 2280 NVMe SSD and a slim DVD +/-RW drive are the only storage
devices in the computer. AFAICT there are no Optane devices.


The SSD says:

PCIe Gen3 x 4 SSD
PC300 NVMe SK hunix 256 GB
M/N: HFS256GD9MND-5510A BA
D P/N 0XHFF7


I am unable to find a web page on skhynix.com for this item; perhaps
because it is OEM'd to Dell (?). STFW finds many used items for around
US$25.


But the CMOS Setup issue is not isolated to this computer nor to this
NVMe SSD. I have seen the same issue on Dell Latitude 5400 laptops, for
example.


I am looking for a way for Debian to see NVMe drives when CMOS Setup ->
System Configuration -> SATA Operation is set to "RAID On" (which is the
factory default and what Windows needs).


David

[Jeffrey Walton]

On Sat, Dec 24, 2022 at 3:59 AM David Christensen
<dpch...@holgerdanske.com> wrote:
> On 12/23/22 23:16, Jeffrey Walton wrote:
> > On Fri, Dec 23, 2022 at 10:29 PM David Christensen wrote:

> >> [...]

> >> When I boot the flash drive in a Dell Precision 3630 Tower that has
> >> Windows 11 Pro installed on the internal NVMe drive, the internal PCIe
> >> NVMe drive is not visible to Linux:

> [...]

> The M.2 2280 NVMe SSD and a slim DVD +/-RW drive are the only storage
> devices in the computer. AFAICT there are no Optane devices.

According to https://www.dell.com/us/dfb/p/precision-3630-workstation/pd,
the machine has Optane. I believe that's the pseudo-RAID you are
seeing in the UEFI setup screen.

Maybe you can see the physical drives using raid utilities.

Jeff

[Andrew M.A. Cater]

You've been hit by the Dell configuration of Windows on their hardware,
I suspect. This was noted a couple of years back when people couldn't
install Debian on Dell laptops.

The answer is probably to switch it - to obtain the recovery media you
need to reinstall Windows / just download the .iso, switch it to AHCI
and install Windows like that. I think it's _just_ a Dell funny.

Andy - who's just done somthing almost identical to a second hand Thinkpad
- putting it back to manufacturer's original installation media to ensure
that I could install it my way.

(And you've reminded me that I probably need to write a blog post on how
to get Debian and Windows dual booting nicely with Bitlocker on Windows)

All the very best, as ever,

Andy Cater

>

[David Christensen]

On 12/24/22 01:21, Jeffrey Walton wrote:
> On Sat, Dec 24, 2022 at 3:59 AM David Christensen
> <dpch...@holgerdanske.com> wrote:
>> On 12/23/22 23:16, Jeffrey Walton wrote:
>>> On Fri, Dec 23, 2022 at 10:29 PM David Christensen wrote:
>>>> [...]
>>>> When I boot the flash drive in a Dell Precision 3630 Tower that has
>>>> Windows 11 Pro installed on the internal NVMe drive, the internal PCIe
>>>> NVMe drive is not visible to Linux:
>> [...]
>> The M.2 2280 NVMe SSD and a slim DVD +/-RW drive are the only storage
>> devices in the computer. AFAICT there are no Optane devices.
>
> According to https://www.dell.com/us/dfb/p/precision-3630-workstation/pd,
> the machine has Optane.

"Expandable and flexible: Scalable storage featuring SATA, SAS and PCIe
NVMe SSDs can be configured for up to 28TB delivering top performance
for complex projects. Plus, Intel® Optane™ Memory massively boosts your
system’s responsiveness while keeping high capacity storage costs to a
minimum."


I believe that is marketing speak for "the computer supports Optane
Memory", not "every machine comes with Optane Memory".

> I believe that's the pseudo-RAID you are seeing in the UEFI setup screen.
>
> Maybe you can see the physical drives using raid utilities.

My expectation is that if I install two HDD's in the two lower HDD bays
and connect them to the two black SATA connectors on the motherboard, I
should be able to use the motherboard firmware Setup utility to
configure the drives as non-RAID, RAID0, RAID1, and possibly JBOD. If I
install a third drive in the front HDD bay, connect it to the
motherboard white SATA connector, remove the DVD+/-RW drive, get a
suitable 2.5" HDD bracket, install a 2.5" HDD, and connect it to the
motherboard blue SATA connector, I might be able to configure the drives
as RAID10.


David

[David Christensen]

On 12/24/22 02:39, Andrew M.A. Cater wrote:
> On Fri, Dec 23, 2022 at 07:29:01PM -0800, David Christensen wrote:
>> debian-user:
>>
>> I have a SanDisk Ultra Fit USB 3.0 16 GB flash drive with Debian installed
>> on it EUFI, GPT, and Secure Boot. I use it for maintenance/
>> trouble-shooting on newer computers.
>>
>>
>> When I boot the flash drive in a Dell Precision 3630 Tower that has Windows
>> 11 Pro installed on the internal NVMe drive, the internal PCIe NVMe drive is
>> not visible to Linux:

>> The work-around is to change CMOS Setup -> System Configuration -> SATA
>> Operation from "RAID On: to "AHCI".

> You've been hit by the Dell configuration of Windows on their hardware,
> I suspect. This was noted a couple of years back when people couldn't
> install Debian on Dell laptops.
>
> The answer is probably to switch it - to obtain the recovery media you
> need to reinstall Windows / just download the .iso, switch it to AHCI
> and install Windows like that. I think it's _just_ a Dell funny.

That might be the most pragmatic approach. The machine is an eBay
purchase and has a Windows GML effective September 2017. So, there
should be a Windows 10/11 product key in the motherboard firmware or TPM:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/howtotell/hardware-pc-purchase

> Andy - who's just done somthing almost identical to a second hand Thinkpad
> - putting it back to manufacturer's original installation media to ensure
> that I could install it my way.
>
> (And you've reminded me that I probably need to write a blog post on how
> to get Debian and Windows dual booting nicely with Bitlocker on Windows)
>
> All the very best, as ever,
>
> Andy Cater

David