[linux-audio-user] xruns vs. disk activity

[rob fell]

> I haven't been following this thread closely.  So, pardon me if I'm
> going over old ground.  My ASUS A7V333 mobo has a similar IDE
> controller...
>
>   00:11.1 IDE interface: VIA Technologies, Inc. Bus Master IDE (rev 06)
> (prog-if 8a [Master SecP PriP]) Subsystem: Asustek Computer, Inc.: Unknown
> device 808c
> 	Flags: bus master, medium devsel, latency 32
> 	I/O ports at a000 [size=16]
> 	Capabilities: [c0] Power Management version 2
>
> It's works well at fairly low latencies.  But, to get that working, I
> had to upgrade my kernel to 2.4.19.  The 2.4.18 (and earlier) IDE
> device driver unable to do DMA with this chip.  Fixing that made a
> dramatic improvement in disk performance.
>
> Have you already gone through all the hdparms rigamarole?

Thanks for the tips. I have been through the whole hdparm/setpci thing, all to 
no avail.

Luckily, Mark Knecht's mail reminded me that I had never got the latency test 
program working - so I persevered, and got results (which can be found here  
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/robin.fell/ ).

If I understand the output (and Mark's email) correctly I probably do have a 
lousy soundcard, though I don't really understand how the program guarantees 
to measure my latency woes - so I'm a little reticent to shell out 300 notes 
for the terratec I desire.

Being ignorant of the API's used to send sound to the card during it's 
measurements, I don't see how it can tell me anything about how well the IDE 
controller is playing with the soundcard on the PCI bus. Can anyone explain 
it to me?

Thanks all for your help.

R