On Tue, 05 Feb 2008 21:22:35 +0000, Harold Weissman wrote:

> I am having a hardware problem in one of my Linux boxes, and I wonder if
> anyone here could me assess what it is, and how serious it is?
>
> The box can run normally for a few days until, all of sudden, in
> my /var/log/syslog file I start seeing the following errors:
>
> Feb 5 11:41:36 xyz kernel: hdc: status error: status=0x00 { } Feb 5
> 11:41:36 xyz kernel: ide: failed opcode was: unknown Feb 5 11:41:36 xyz
> kernel: hdc: status error: status=0x00 { } Feb 5 11:41:36 xyz kernel:
> ide: failed opcode was: unknown Feb 5 11:41:36 xyz kernel: hdc: status
> error: status=0x80 { Busy } Feb 5 11:41:36 xyz kernel: ide: failed
> opcode was: unknown Feb 5 11:41:36 xyz kernel: hdc: status error:
> status=0x00 { } Feb 5 11:41:36 xyz kernel: ide: failed opcode was:
> unknown Feb 5 11:41:38 xyz kernel: hdc: request sense failure:
> status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error }
> Feb 5 11:41:38 xyz kernel: hdc: request sense failure: error=0x20 {
> LastFailedSense=0x02 }
>
> After this, when I do top the system load is 1.00 - even if no
> applications are doing anything much. Or, to put it in a different way,
> the kernel seems to be the one responsible for this load.
>
> Now had /dev/hdc been a hard drive the answer would be
> straightforward: A dying hard drive. As it happens, /dev/hdc is a DVD
> writer. In fact, it is the second DVD writer I have put in this box, for
> the original one gave the same problems. Since the original one seems to
> be working fine in a different box, I very much doubt that we are
> talking two defective DVD writers.
>
> Likewise, I have replaced the ribbon cable that connects the DVD
> writer to its slave hard drive and the motherboard, to no avail.
>
> Might this be a problem with the slave hard drive? I would have
> thought it isn't, for that drive seems to work fine. The motherboard?
> What else should I look into?

Try putting it on a different ATA connector, it could be a problem with
the ATA controller.

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Harold Weissman wrote:
> I am having a hardware problem in one of my Linux boxes, and I wonder
> if anyone here could me assess what it is, and how serious it is?
>
> Feb 5 11:41:36 xyz kernel: hdc: status error: status=0x00 { } Feb 5
> 11:41:36 xyz kernel: ide: failed opcode was: unknown Feb 5 11:41:36
> xyz kernel: hdc: status error: status=0x00 { } Feb 5 11:41:36 xyz
> kernel: ide: failed opcode was: unknown Feb 5 11:41:36 xyz kernel:
> hdc: status error: status=0x80 { Busy } Feb 5 11:41:36 xyz kernel:
> ide: failed opcode was: unknown Feb 5 11:41:36 xyz kernel: hdc:
> status error: status=0x00 { } Feb 5 11:41:36 xyz kernel: ide: failed
> opcode was: unknown Feb 5 11:41:38 xyz kernel: hdc: request sense
> failure: status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error } Feb 5
> 11:41:38 xyz kernel: hdc: request sense failure: error=0x20 {
> LastFailedSense=0x02 }

As this is a DVD-ROM, in my experience I would say that this is non-serious.

It is probably entirely driver related and a quick google reveals that
it's probably not more than a bit of chatter, or line noise if you like;
certainly nothing to worry about.

Where possible use the latest kernel available to you as a stock kernel
for your distro.

One suggestion however is to attempt to flash the firmware of your DVD
drive. I recently did this for mine, however I had to boot into Windows
to do it :/

- --
Regards,
Sheridan Hutchinson
Sheridan@Shezza.org
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Harold Weissman writes:
> The box can run normally for a few days until, all of sudden, in
>my /var/log/syslog file I start seeing the following errors:
>
>Feb 5 11:41:36 xyz kernel: hdc: status error: status=0x00 { }
>Feb 5 11:41:36 xyz kernel: ide: failed opcode was: unknown
>Feb 5 11:41:36 xyz kernel: hdc: status error: status=0x00 { }
>Feb 5 11:41:36 xyz kernel: ide: failed opcode was: unknown
>Feb 5 11:41:36 xyz kernel: hdc: status error: status=0x80 { Busy }
>Feb 5 11:41:36 xyz kernel: ide: failed opcode was: unknown
>Feb 5 11:41:36 xyz kernel: hdc: status error: status=0x00 { }
>Feb 5 11:41:36 xyz kernel: ide: failed opcode was: unknown
>Feb 5 11:41:38 xyz kernel: hdc: request sense failure: status=0x51
>{ DriveReady SeekComplete Error }
>Feb 5 11:41:38 xyz kernel: hdc: request sense failure: error=0x20
>{ LastFailedSense=0x02 }
....
> Now had /dev/hdc been a hard drive the answer would be
>straightforward: A dying hard drive.

Not in my experience. I have seen such things on drives that seem
perfectly healthy. This is a communication problem between the
mainboard and the drive; it may come from some hardware problem (e.g.,
bad (maybe too long) cable); I saw it when I had put the drive in a
removable frame.

The most annoying problem I have had with this error is that the md
driver in RAID-1 mode also thinks that the device is dying and marks
the device as failed.

> Likewise, I have replaced the ribbon cable that connects the DVD
>writer to its slave hard drive and the motherboard, to no avail.

Then it's probably not a cable problem.

- anton
--
M. Anton Ertl Some things have to be seen to be believed
anton@mips.complang.tuwien.ac.at Most things have to be believed to be seen
http://www.complang.tuwien.ac.at/anton/home.html