Most recent kernel where this bug did not occur: unknown Distribution: Slackware 10.2 Hardware Environment: MSI KT6V LSR motherboard, AMD cpu, Via VT6420/8237 chips, Hitachi 7K250 250GB SATA drive (SINGLE DRIVE) Software Environment: libata version 1.20 Problem Description: Can't get drive to work vanilla 2.6.15.6 kernel, no patches: Able to partition, but [c]fdisk takes a long time to start up. Trying mkreiserfs gets past the journal initialization, and the drive seems to be spinning, but an hour can go by with no progress (have to reboot to stop the process) -- no filesystem created. Booting gives the following. ata1: slow completion (cmd ef) sda1 sda2 <<3>ata1: command 0x25 timeout, stat 0x50 host_stat 0x4 sda5<3>ata1: command 0x25 timeout, stat 0x50 host_stat 0x4 sda6<3>ata1: command 0x25 timeout, stat 0x50 host_stat 0x4 sda7<3>ata1: command 0x25 timeout, stat 0x50 host_stat 0x4 sda8<3>ata1: command 0x25 timeout, stat 0x50 host_stat 0x4 sda9<3>ata1: command 0x25 timeout, stat 0x50 host_stat 0x4 sda10<3>ata1: command 0x25 timeout, stat 0x50 host_stat 0x4 sda11 > 2.6.15 with libata1 patch (Current Setup): No device created. Can't access the drive at all. Boot log: libata version 1.20 loaded. sata_via 0000:00:0f.0: version 1.1 PCI: Via IRQ fixup for 0000:00:0f.0, from 10 to 1 sata_via 0000:00:0f.0: routed to hard irq line 1 ata1: SATA max UDMA/133 cmd 0xEC00 ctl 0xE802 bmdma 0xDC00 irq 17 ata2: SATA max UDMA/133 cmd 0xE400 ctl 0xE002 bmdma 0xDC08 irq 17 ata1: SATA link up 1.5 Gbps (SStatus 113) ata1: qc timeout (cmd 0xec) scsi0 : sata_via ata2: SATA link down (SStatus 0) scsi1 : sata_via Steps to reproduce: download, compile, install, reboot I've turned off all of my smartctl/smartd and disabled all the IDE DMA to no effect. Other info for 2.6.15 with libata1 patch (current setup): 00:0f.0 RAID bus controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VIA VT6420 SATA RAID Controller (rev 80) Subsystem: Micro-Star International Co., Ltd.: Unknown device 5901 Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV- VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR- FastB2B- Status: Cap+ 66Mhz- UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR- Latency: 32 Interrupt: pin B routed to IRQ 17 Region 0: I/O ports at ec00 [size=8] Region 1: I/O ports at e800 [size=4] Region 2: I/O ports at e400 [size=8] Region 3: I/O ports at e000 [size=4] Region 4: I/O ports at dc00 [size=16] Region 5: I/O ports at d800 [size=256] Capabilities: <available only to root> config from the patched 2.6.15: # # SCSI support type (disk, tape, CD-ROM) # CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SD=y CONFIG_BLK_DEV_SR=m CONFIG_CHR_DEV_SG=y # # Some SCSI devices (e.g. CD jukebox) support multiple LUNs # CONFIG_SCSI_CONSTANTS=y CONFIG_SCSI_LOGGING=y # # SCSI low-level drivers # CONFIG_SCSI_SATA=y CONFIG_SCSI_PATA_VIA=y CONFIG_SCSI_SATA_VIA=y CONFIG_SCSI_QLA2XXX=y
Created attachment 7630 [details] kernel config 2.6.16
Created attachment 7631 [details] boot log for 2.6.16
Created attachment 7632 [details] results of lspci -vvvv
Created attachment 7841 [details] config for 2.6.16.2 kernel repro
Created attachment 7842 [details] boot log for 2.6.16.2
Created attachment 8036 [details] boot log for 2.6.16.13
Just was about to report probably the same bug, before finding this one. (searched for VT8237 before) I have the same problem: Most recent kernel where this bug did not occur: Not known Tested Kernel Versions: 2.6.16.x, 2.6.17.5 and 2.6.18_rc2 Distribution: Gentoo Linux Hardware Environment: Mainboard: ASUS A7V600-X Onboard SATA Chipset: VIA VT6420 (00:0f.0 RAID bus comtroller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VIA VT6420 SATA RAID Controller (rev 80) HDD: Samsung HD800HJ Single Drive Software Environment: Compiler: GCC 4.1.1 Filesystem: XFS Boot Loader: LiLo 22.7.1 Problem Description: The problem occurs only when trying to use a Serial ATA disk with the VT8237, the onboard PATA worked fine so far (before the HDD gas gone bad). With kernel 2.6.17 I got: ata1: SATA link up 1.5 Gbps (SStatus 113 SControl 310) ata1: qc timeout (cmd 0xef) ata1: failed to set xfermode (err_mask=0x4) ... VFS: Cannot open root device "803" or unknown-block(8,3) Please append a correct "root=" boot option Kernel panicc - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(8,3) <6>Time: tsc clocksource has been installed. so I googled for "Can't set xfermode" and found http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/showthread.php?t=448934 So I tested with 2.6.18_rc2 and now I get: scsi0 : sata_via ata1: SATA link up 1.5 Gbps (SStatus 113 SControl 310) ata1.00: qc timeout (cmd 0xec) ata1.00: failed to IDENTIFY (I/O error, err_mask=0x4) ata1: SATA link up 1.5 Gbps (SStatus 113 SControl 310) ata1.00: qc timeout (cmd 0xec) ata1.00: failed to IDENTIFY (I/O error, err_mask=0x4) ata1: SATA link up 1.5 Gbps (SStatus 113 SControl 310) scsi0 : sata_via ata2: SATA link down (SStatus 0 SControl 310) ATA: abnormal status 0x7F on port 0xB807 ... VFS: Cannot open root device "803" or unknown-block(8,3) Please append a correct "root=" boot option Kernel panicc - not syncing: VFS: Unable to mount root fs on unknown-block(8,3) <6>Time: tsc clocksource has been installed. Notes: I can boot the system and mount the filesystem fine with a Gentoo Live CD (2006 release) It comes with kernel 2.6.15 Now thinking about it, I thought the PATA disk has gone bad because of I/O error warnings and system crashing, but perhaps this problem is related and was introduced with the upgrade to kernel 2.6.17? But then again, the SATA boot problem is there with kernel 2.6.16, too. I'm kind of clueless here what to try next.
lkml, Timo, Have you tested with latest kernels? Is the problem still there? Thanks.
lkml: I ended up getting a new motherboard.