is this hardware failure ??

[John Summerfield]

Gregory Machin wrote:
> Hi my server hung, and when I checked the logs there's lots of nasty
> looking entries ... Are these hardware failure and if so what hardware
> ?
> 
> Oct 31 15:44:47 server kernel: ata1.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x0
> SErr 0x0 action 0x0
> Oct 31 15:44:47 server kernel: ata1.00: cmd
> b0/da:00:00:4f:c2/00:00:00:00:00/00 tag 0 cdb 0x0 data 0
> Oct 31 15:44:47 server kernel:          res
> 51/04:00:00:4f:c2/00:00:00:00:00/00 Emask 0x1 (device error)
> Oct 31 15:44:47 server kernel: ata1.00: configured for UDMA/133
> Oct 31 15:44:47 server kernel: ata1: EH complete
> Oct 31 15:44:47 server kernel: ata1.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x0
> SErr 0x0 action 0x0
> Oct 31 15:44:47 server kernel: ata1.00: cmd
> b0/da:00:00:4f:c2/00:00:00:00:00/00 tag 0 cdb 0x0 data 0
> Oct 31 15:44:47 server kernel:          res
> 51/04:00:00:4f:c2/00:00:00:00:00/00 Emask 0x1 (device error)

As a layman, I think it doesn't look good. I do not like those words, 
"device error."

On the basis that I had what looked like terminated errors on my laptop 
yesterday (could not read _any_ files) but it seems okay after cycling 
power, I suggest you shut down and turn the port off at the wall.

After a minute - no more - restart the thing and run smartctl against 
all the ATA/SATA drives.


And make sure of your backups, you may need a really good one RSN.






> Oct 31 15:44:47 server kernel: ata1.00: configured for UDMA/133
> Oct 31 15:44:47 server kernel: ata1: EH complete
> Oct 31 15:44:48 server kernel: ata1.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x0
> SErr 0x0 action 0x0
> Oct 31 15:44:48 server kernel: ata1.00: cmd
> b0/da:00:00:4f:c2/00:00:00:00:00/00 tag 0 cdb 0x0 data 0
> Oct 31 15:44:48 server kernel:          res
> 51/04:00:00:4f:c2/00:00:00:00:00/00 Emask 0x1 (device error)
> Oct 31 15:44:48 server kernel: ata1.00: configured for UDMA/133
> Oct 31 15:44:48 server kernel: ata1: EH complete
> Oct 31 15:44:48 server kernel: ata1.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x0

I don't know what that work "exception" means in this context. I'm 
familiar with it on IBM mainframes where "unit exception" means "end of 
file" and it's what tapes report when they read a tape mark, disk drives 
say when they read a zero-length block (IBM drives historically are not 
sectored at all) and card readers say when they reach the end of the 
deck and the operator's pressed the appropriate button. In that context, 
a device error might be reported as "unit check."



-- 

Cheers
John

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