Ubuntu

safely remove does not work

Bug #881350 reported by karl on 2011-10-25

This bug report is a duplicate of: Bug #706436: Safely remove drive is not safe for SD card readers. Edit Remove

This bug affects 2 people

Affects		Status	Importance	Assigned to	Milestone
	Ubuntu	Confirmed	Undecided	Unassigned

Bug Description

right click on usb-drive provides two options: safely-remove and unmount. Unmounting works fine as well as eject in nautilus. But safely-remove leads to either instant remount of the drive including opening a nautilus window or system freeze. The freeze occures with a 2.5" disk, the remount with 3.5" disks - I am not sure if this is a coincidence or relevant information.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
Package: unity 4.22.0-0ubuntu3
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-12.20-generic 3.0.4
Uname: Linux 3.0.0-12-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu3
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: [core,bailer,detection,composite,opengl,compiztoolbox,decor,regex,vpswitch,place,resize,obs,grid,gnomecompat,imgpng,animation,shift,unitymtgrabhandles,snap,move,expo,session,mousepoll,wall,workarounds,fade,ezoom,scale,unityshell]
Date: Tue Oct 25 12:30:01 2011
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.04 "Natty Narwhal" - Release amd64 (20110427.1)
ProcEnviron:
PATH=(custom, no user)
LANG=de_DE.UTF-8
SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: unity
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to oneiric on 2011-10-01 (23 days ago)

Tags:

Revision history for this message

karl (karl-sebastian-liebich) wrote on 2011-10-25:

Dependencies.txt Edit (6.0 KiB, text/plain; charset="utf-8")
GconfCompiz.txt Edit (37.2 KiB, text/plain; charset="utf-8")

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Omer Akram (om26er) wrote on 2011-10-25:

Not really Unity bug IMO

affects:

unity (Ubuntu) → ubuntu

Revision history for this message

Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote on 2012-06-23:

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

Changed in ubuntu:
status:	New → Confirmed

Revision history for this message

Chris (fabricator4) wrote on 2012-06-23:

Download full text (3.8 KiB)

I'm finding the same problem with 12.04 LTS (32 bit). When I select "safely remove" for a USB pen drive it causes an unmount followed immediately by a remount. When I click "safely remove" again for the same device the usb drive is then unmounted and powered down.

Exactly the same thing happens for a Seagate 1.5TB external hard drive. The "safely remove" option must
be clicked twice for the device to be unmounted and powered down because the first one just causes the device to be remounted.

Unmounting the device first does not help - the first "safely remove" causes it to be remounted again. In addition to this, the remount appears to mount the device as a USB 1.1 device. From kern.log:

# device is inserted:
Jun 24 06:57:41 chris-office kernel: [125419.896026] usb 1-6: new high-speed USB device number 13 using ehci_hcd
Jun 24 06:57:41 chris-office kernel: [125420.032070] scsi25 : usb-storage 1-6:1.0
Jun 24 06:57:42 chris-office kernel: [125421.032693] scsi 25:0:0:0: Direct-Access DOLPHIN USB 3.0 8GB 1.00 PQ: 0 ANSI: 5
Jun 24 06:57:42 chris-office kernel: [125421.033649] sd 25:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg1 type 0
Jun 24 06:57:42 chris-office kernel: [125421.036540] sd 25:0:0:0: [sdb] 15605760 512-byte logical blocks: (7.99 GB/7.44 GiB)
Jun 24 06:57:42 chris-office kernel: [125421.036921] sd 25:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
Jun 24 06:57:42 chris-office kernel: [125421.036927] sd 25:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 23 00 00 00
Jun 24 06:57:42 chris-office kernel: [125421.037283] sd 25:0:0:0: [sdb] Write cache: disabled, read cache: disabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA
Jun 24 06:57:42 chris-office kernel: [125421.041965] sdb: sdb1
Jun 24 06:57:42 chris-office kernel: [125421.044233] sd 25:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable disk

# device is "safely removed" which causes a remount as a USB 1.1 low speed device:
Jun 24 06:59:33 chris-office kernel: [125531.532348] usb 1-6: USB disconnect, device number 13
Jun 24 06:59:33 chris-office kernel: [125531.904028] usb 2-6: new full-speed USB device number 12 using ohci_hcd
Jun 24 06:59:33 chris-office kernel: [125532.110052] usb 2-6: not running at top speed; connect to a high speed hub
Jun 24 06:59:33 chris-office kernel: [125532.131343] scsi26 : usb-storage 2-6:1.0
Jun 24 06:59:34 chris-office kernel: [125533.137094] scsi 26:0:0:0: Direct-Access DOLPHIN USB 3.0 8GB 1.00 PQ: 0 ANSI: 5
Jun 24 06:59:34 chris-office kernel: [125533.138043] sd 26:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg1 type 0
Jun 24 06:59:34 chris-office kernel: [125533.148105] sd 26:0:0:0: [sdb] 15605760 512-byte logical blocks: (7.99 GB/7.44 GiB)
Jun 24 06:59:34 chris-office kernel: [125533.155071] sd 26:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
Jun 24 06:59:34 chris-office kernel: [125533.155074] sd 26:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 23 00 00 00
Jun 24 06:59:34 chris-office kernel: [125533.162105] sd 26:0:0:0: [sdb] Write cache: disabled, read cache: disabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA
Jun 24 06:59:34 chris-office kernel: [125533.212131] sdb: sdb1
Jun 24 06:59:34 chris-office kernel: [125533.249093] sd 26:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable disk

# device is "safely removed" for the second time which has the expected result:
J...

I'm finding the same problem with 12.04 LTS (32 bit).  When I select "safely remove" for a USB pen drive it causes an unmount followed immediately by a remount.  When I click "safely remove" again for the same device the usb drive is then unmounted and powered down.

Exactly the same thing happens for a Seagate 1.5TB external hard drive.  The "safely remove" option must
 be clicked twice for the device to be unmounted and powered down because the first one just causes the device to be remounted.

Unmounting the device first does not help - the first "safely remove" causes it to be remounted again.  In addition to this, the remount appears to mount the device as a USB 1.1 device.  From kern.log:

# device is inserted:
Jun 24 06:57:41 chris-office kernel: [125419.896026] usb 1-6: new high-speed USB device number 13 using ehci_hcd
Jun 24 06:57:41 chris-office kernel: [125420.032070] scsi25 : usb-storage 1-6:1.0
Jun 24 06:57:42 chris-office kernel: [125421.032693] scsi 25:0:0:0: Direct-Access     DOLPHIN  USB 3.0 8GB      1.00 PQ: 0 ANSI: 5
Jun 24 06:57:42 chris-office kernel: [125421.033649] sd 25:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg1 type 0
Jun 24 06:57:42 chris-office kernel: [125421.036540] sd 25:0:0:0: [sdb] 15605760 512-byte logical blocks: (7.99 GB/7.44 GiB)
Jun 24 06:57:42 chris-office kernel: [125421.036921] sd 25:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
Jun 24 06:57:42 chris-office kernel: [125421.036927] sd 25:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 23 00 00 00
Jun 24 06:57:42 chris-office kernel: [125421.037283] sd 25:0:0:0: [sdb] Write cache: disabled, read cache: disabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA
Jun 24 06:57:42 chris-office kernel: [125421.041965]  sdb: sdb1
Jun 24 06:57:42 chris-office kernel: [125421.044233] sd 25:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable disk

# device is "safely removed" which causes a remount as a USB 1.1 low speed device:
Jun 24 06:59:33 chris-office kernel: [125531.532348] usb 1-6: USB disconnect, device number 13
Jun 24 06:59:33 chris-office kernel: [125531.904028] usb 2-6: new full-speed USB device number 12 using ohci_hcd
Jun 24 06:59:33 chris-office kernel: [125532.110052] usb 2-6: not running at top speed; connect to a high speed hub
Jun 24 06:59:33 chris-office kernel: [125532.131343] scsi26 : usb-storage 2-6:1.0
Jun 24 06:59:34 chris-office kernel: [125533.137094] scsi 26:0:0:0: Direct-Access     DOLPHIN  USB 3.0 8GB      1.00 PQ: 0 ANSI: 5
Jun 24 06:59:34 chris-office kernel: [125533.138043] sd 26:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg1 type 0
Jun 24 06:59:34 chris-office kernel: [125533.148105] sd 26:0:0:0: [sdb] 15605760 512-byte logical blocks: (7.99 GB/7.44 GiB)
Jun 24 06:59:34 chris-office kernel: [125533.155071] sd 26:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
Jun 24 06:59:34 chris-office kernel: [125533.155074] sd 26:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 23 00 00 00
Jun 24 06:59:34 chris-office kernel: [125533.162105] sd 26:0:0:0: [sdb] Write cache: disabled, read cache: disabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA
Jun 24 06:59:34 chris-office kernel: [125533.212131]  sdb: sdb1
Jun 24 06:59:34 chris-office kernel: [125533.249093] sd 26:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable disk

# device is "safely removed" for the second time which has the expected result:
Jun 24 07:00:25 chris-office kernel: [125583.620334] usb 2-6: USB disconnect, device number 12

It will be noted that the first time the device is mounted it states "using ehci_hcd" but the second time it is auto mounted (after the safe removal) it states "using ohci_hcd"

References to ehci_hcd and ohci_hcd seem to point to structure type definitions in the source code for the usb modules and  header files.  Since I'm not a programmer I'm unable to investigate this further but it seems to me that when the device is safely removed the module(s) are falling back to the slow speed USB 1.1 mode instead of powering off the device.

Chris

Revision history for this message

Chris (fabricator4) wrote on 2012-06-23:

I should also point out that this bug is NOT a duplicate of bug 706436 since that bug relates to SD cards, and specifically that when using "safely remove" for SD cards it disables the SD port completely (this is expected actually - you are telling it to power down the USB card reader. You'd have to remove the card reader and re-attach it for the card reader to be recognised again.)

This bug occurs on every machine I've tried it on. I can only assume that all the developers and hard core testers unmount devices through command line or the launcher and don't much bother with 'safely remove'.

Chris