OpenSolaris and SiI3114 SATA controller

To build a ZFS file server I bought the DeLOCK Controller SATA, 4 Port with Raid 70154. Unfortunately openSolaris didm't see the drives.

Searching the net I found the following links:

• Build your own multi-terabyte file server with OpenSolaris and ZFS


• SIL3114 Re: SIL3124 stability?


• use update_drv -a -i ' "pci1095,3114" ' ata to recognise the RAID controller


• using the SiI3114 without problems


• he has data corruption


• also checksum errors - some suggestions to fix this


• solution - change BIOS from RAID to "normal"
  
• same solution - tip: don't use FreeDOS to flash the BIOS
  

What I've got out of this is that the controller will give you problems only if the RAID BIOS is flashed. As this is my lucky day my controller had the RAID BIOS. Got the flash tool and the BIOS from Silicon Image web page. And now the real trouble started - getting a machine to boot DOS.
It should be simple as nowadays you could use Windows to flash a BIOS. At least if you have a Windows machine with a PCI slot.
The first attempt to boot FreeDOS from a CF card failed. My BIOS only supported to boot from a USB CDROM not USB flash. But this I count as luck. In one of the post I found later that he killed one of his cards using FreeDOS.
I think I remember the last time I got MS-DOS it came on a CD-ROM. Found it. Didn't boot - the good old days. Remembering the hassle using a CD-ROM from DOS I decided to use a boot diskette. I still have old PC's for nostalgic reasons - but not with a PCI slot.
So, half I day, after I booted with the new SATA controller for the first time, it works with OpenSolaris. But as you can imagine I was not really delighted.