SATA CD/DVD I/O error render system unresponsive, 100% cpu load

[Valentijn Sessink]

I have a broken CDROM (one that has read errors, a toaster). Using this CD-ROM renders my system unresponsive - it will have a high CPU load or will sometimes even freeze from 10 to 60 seconds.

Kernel log says things like:
Nov 15 17:05:51 stout kernel: [17182964.856000] Info fld=0xe
Nov 15 17:05:51 stout kernel: [17182964.856000] end_request: I/O error, dev sr0, sector 56
Nov 15 17:05:51 stout kernel: [17182964.856000] Buffer I/O error on device sr0, logical block 7
Nov 15 17:06:09 stout kernel: [17182982.868000] sr 0:0:1:0: SCSI error: return code = 0x8000002
Nov 15 17:06:09 stout kernel: [17182982.868000] sr0: Current: sense key: Medium Error
Nov 15 17:06:09 stout kernel: [17182982.868000] Additional sense: No seek complete
Nov 15 17:06:09 stout kernel: [17182982.868000] Info fld=0x0
Nov 15 17:06:09 stout kernel: [17182982.868000] end_request: I/O error, dev sr0, sector 0
Nov 15 17:06:09 stout kernel: [17182982.868000] Buffer I/O error on device sr0, logical block 0
Nov 15 17:06:27 stout kernel: [17183000.892000] sr 0:0:1:0: SCSI error: return code = 0x8000002
Nov 15 17:06:27 stout kernel: [17183000.892000] sr0: Current: sense key: Medium Error
Nov 15 17:06:27 stout kernel: [17183000.892000] Additional sense: No seek complete

... which is correct, as the CD I'm using is broken. But this should not freeze the system to the extent where you even think it's unusable (namely: 60 seconds or more).

My feeling says that this is some sort of non-reentrancy in the SATA layer, where a CD-ROM reading problem will block requests to the HDD, but this is just speculation.

Core2 duo, 82801GB/GR/GH (ICH7 Family) Serial ATA Storage Controller, driver=ata_piix
ST3320620AS hdd and Optiarc DVD RW AD-7170S 1.00 Oct27,2006
2.6.15-28-686 #1 SMP PREEMPT Wed Jul 18 22:57:30 UTC 2007
Ubuntu 6.06.1 LTS

This bug seems to relate to #75295 but seems different.

[Valentijn Sessink (valentijn)]

Bug #84603 is another version of this bug - this time related to an optical drive that times out when there's no disk in it.
Then there's #64587, that also shows a freezing machine due to SATA hangs.

So it seems that no SATA drive can be reached, once there's at least one SATA drive busy. Is this a ata_piix driver issue, a chipset issue (i.e. the chipset can only handle one timeout at a time) or anything else?

[Julius Bloch (jbloch)]

Hi,
thanks for your bug report.
Do you installed the kernel updates for Dapper?
If yes, do you have still the same problems?

If you are using an other Ubuntu version. Do you have there the same problems?

[Leann Ogasawara (leannogasawara)]

Also, Hardy Heron 8.04 was recently released. It would be helpful if you could test the new release and verify if this is still an issue - http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download . Please let us know your results. Thanks.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Beginning with the Hardy Heron 8.04 development cycle, all open Ubuntu kernel bugs need to be reported against the "linux" kernel package. We are automatically migrating this linux-source-2.6.15 kernel bug to the new "linux" package. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we make this transition. Also, if you would be interested in testing the upcoming Intrepid Ibex 8.10 release, it is available at http://www.ubuntu.com/testing . Please let us know your results. Thanks!

[Leann Ogasawara (leannogasawara)]

The Ubuntu Kernel Team is planning to move to the 2.6.27 kernel for the upcoming Intrepid Ibex 8.10 release. As a result, the kernel team would appreciate it if you could please test this newer 2.6.27 Ubuntu kernel. There are one of two ways you should be able to test:

1) If you are comfortable installing packages on your own, the linux-image-2.6.27-* package is currently available for you to install and test.

--or--

2) The upcoming Alpha5 for Intrepid Ibex 8.10 will contain this newer 2.6.27 Ubuntu kernel. Alpha5 is set to be released Thursday Sept 4. Please watch http://www.ubuntu.com/testing for Alpha5 to be announced. You should then be able to test via a LiveCD.

Please let us know immediately if this newer 2.6.27 kernel resolves the bug reported here or if the issue remains. More importantly, please open a new bug report for each new bug/regression introduced by the 2.6.27 kernel and tag the bug report with 'linux-2.6.27'. Also, please specifically note if the issue does or does not appear in the 2.6.26 kernel. Thanks again, we really appreicate your help and feedback.

[Michele Mangili (mangilimic)]

We are closing this bug report because it lacks the information we need to investigate the problem, as described in the previous comments. Please reopen it if you can give us the missing information, and don't hesitate to submit bug reports in the future. To reopen the bug report you can click on the current status, under the Status column, and change the Status back to "New". Thanks again!