You could change some settings using 'hdparm', such as the DMA mode (you can use UDMA66 and not UDMA100, or 133, for example).
I, in person, like better WD disks. I have (and enjoy) two 80GB WD, those with the 8MB cache (faster resposes!). They cost about the same, anyhow, and they have 3 years warranty (which is better then most other disks). Lilo has nothing to do with it, as much as I know. It has nothing to do with it. Usually, dmesg does not lie. Ez. On Tuesday 20 April 2004 08:05 pm, Nachum Kanovsky wrote: > First, thank you for such a quick and clear response. > > I have to check abou the DMA, but if it is on and causing the problems, > what are my alternatives or options? I need fast disk access as my > application is extrememly heavy on disk access, lots of video recording and > playback. Is there a way to check if it is a disk problem, or perhaps a > chipset or other thing? Patches? > > The disk isn't getting that hot, this can happen even during a regular > maintanence boot without running the heavy application. > > Do lilo parameters perhaps have something to do with the problem? I am > using new etx's and new disks, but I am still setting in LBA32, is that > right? I am not specifying any other special parameters. > > I have considered asking my company to switch model disks, would this be a > good idea? Does anyone know anything about this model drive? (Maxtor > Diamondmax Plus 8 40 GB)? > > Thanx again, > nachum > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > On Behalf Of Ez-Aton > Sent: Tuesday, April 20, 2004 4:31 PM > To: Nachum Kanovsky > Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: Re: hard drive errors - bad disk or? > > > Hi Nachum. > Drive seek errors are caused due to either bad-sectors, or DMA usage, where > DMA is either not supported, buggy, or doesn't do the job (generally, when > it > fails, but it is not one the previous options). > I know RH do not activate DMA usage by default, due to problems similar to > the > one you have described. > > However, if you happen to get "I/O error... ... sector xxxxx", it means > that > > this sector might be faulted. Usually, bad sectors are consistent, aka, > they > > remain bad forever, but there are two issues which might lead to a passing > disk-test, or lead to a "usually working system with BS reports, once a > while". They are: > 1) Auto repair function of the disks. They don't actually repair the BS, > but > > they try to checksum it, and make sure the data remains valid. Working some > of the time, if you happen to have a real bad sector. > 2) Over-heat of the disk. This will (I have experianced such a problem in > the > past) cause bad-sectors "look-alike" errors, I/O problems, etc. You should > make sure the disk(s) are not too hot to touch. Might get critical on > certain > days/tasks, and might lead to a real disk failure. > > So, to sum things up, what do we have? > It's either bad-sectors, or over-heat of the disk(s), which, in turn, > _would_ > lead to bad sectors and dead disks. > > Good luck. > > Ez. > > On Tuesday 20 April 2004 10:33 am, Nachum Kanovsky wrote: > > Please help... > > > > I have a project with a number of mirrored disks. I mirror them by > > running fdisk, mkswap, mke2fs, and cp -ax to the new disk. The disks > > are Maxtor DiamondMax Plus 8 40GB disks. I let the BIOS autodetect > > them, and then I let linux do the same, so i am not giving any special > > parameters for the fdisk to create the partitions. I am running Debian > > Unstable, and using Lilo to boot. The board that we are running on is > > a custom made board, running with an Advantech ETX, and our own > > motherboard (ie none of the hard drive logic or controlling chips were > > done by us, but the hd cable does connect through our board to the PMC > > connector on the ETX). > > > > On some of the disks I get errors that make me think there is a > > physical > > problem: > > > > end_request: I/O error, dev, 03:02 (hda), sector xxxxxxx.. > > > > I have also gotten 'DriveReady SeekComplete Error' errors, but I don't > > have the exact error to give at the moment. > > > > I have on some of the disks ran e2fsck with a non-destructive physical > > check, and I have found no errors. What else can this be? Is there a > > more intensive way to check the disk, can this error be due to a > > cable? Might this be due to bad parameters when creating the > > partitions? I have been trying to deal with this error for almost half > > a year now, and I have searched the internet quite a bit, but I have > > not found anything which has explained this for me. > > > > Nachum Kanovsky > > Software Developer > > Mango DSP Ltd. > > E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Work: +972 2 588 5039 > > Cell: +972 67 508 121 > > > > > > To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the > > word "unsubscribe" in the message body, e.g., run the command echo > > unsubscribe | mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > ================================================================= > To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word > "unsubscribe" in the message body, e.g., run the command echo unsubscribe | > mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with > the word "unsubscribe" in the message body, e.g., run the command > echo unsubscribe | mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] ================================================================= To unsubscribe, send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word "unsubscribe" in the message body, e.g., run the command echo unsubscribe | mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
