Floppy keeps running forever after every access

[Linards Ticmanis]

In Ubuntu Precise, the floppy disk drive's motor keeps running forever as soon as the floppy is accessed (say, by doing a "mdir a:" or a "fdformat /dev/fd0", or a "dd if=/dev/fd0 ..." ), and the floppy drive's activity LED stays lit. Only when the disk is removed from the drive, the drive stops. I'd expect the drive to stop spinning a few seconds after the access is finished.

The accessing command returns normally and I can still access the drive normally by giving another command afterwards. The problem is purely the failure to deselect the drive and/or turn off the drive motor line.

This is a standard IRQ6/DMA2 floppy drive connected directly to the motherboard's built in FDC with a standard 34-wire ribbon floppy cable. The bug happens both with a normal 1.44MB drive and with a 1.2MB (5.25 inch) drive. The drives do not exhibit this problem in DOS or Windows running on the same physical hardware, and I do not remember having this problem in Oneiric either.

If you need more info on my system than the automatically generated attachments provide, please ask.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: linux-image-3.2.0-23-generic 3.2.0-23.36
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-23.36-generic 3.2.14
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-23-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
AlsaVersion: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture Driver Version 1.0.24.
ApportVersion: 2.0.1-0ubuntu4
Architecture: amd64
ArecordDevices:
 **** List of CAPTURE Hardware Devices ****
 card 0: XFi [Creative X-Fi], device 0: ctxfi [Front/WaveIn]
   Subdevices: 1/1
   Subdevice #0: subdevice #0
AudioDevicesInUse:
 USER PID ACCESS COMMAND
 /dev/snd/controlC0: linards 1855 F.... pulseaudio
CRDA: Error: command ['iw', 'reg', 'get'] failed with exit code 1: nl80211 not found.
Card0.Amixer.info:
 Card hw:0 'XFi'/'Creative X-Fi 20K2 SB0880'
   Mixer name : '20K2'
   Components : ''
   Controls : 27
   Simple ctrls : 10
Date: Tue Apr 17 07:40:17 2012
HibernationDevice: RESUME=UUID=e00a04d9-b055-49bd-a504-bba24c74df32
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot" - Release amd64 (20111012)
IwConfig:
 lo no wireless extensions.

 teredo no wireless extensions.

 eth0 no wireless extensions.
MachineType: System manufacturer System Product Name
ProcFB:

ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-23-generic root=UUID=efe722f2-6b46-4b17-90a8-889d655827be ro quiet gfxpayload=text nomodeset quiet gfxpayload=text nomodeset
RelatedPackageVersions:
 linux-restricted-modules-3.2.0-23-generic N/A
 linux-backports-modules-3.2.0-23-generic N/A
 linux-firmware 1.79
RfKill:

SourcePackage: linux
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to precise on 2012-03-30 (17 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 03/09/2009
dmi.bios.vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
dmi.bios.version: 2104
dmi.board.asset.tag: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
dmi.board.name: P5B
dmi.board.vendor: ASUSTeK Computer INC.
dmi.board.version: Rev 1.xx
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: Asset-1234567890
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: Chassis Manufacture
dmi.chassis.version: Chassis Version
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAmericanMegatrendsInc.:bvr2104:bd03/09/2009:svnSystemmanufacturer:pnSystemProductName:pvrSystemVersion:rvnASUSTeKComputerINC.:rnP5B:rvrRev1.xx:cvnChassisManufacture:ct3:cvrChassisVersion:
dmi.product.name: System Product Name
dmi.product.version: System Version
dmi.sys.vendor: System manufacturer

[Joseph Salisbury (jsalisbury)]

Do you know if this issue happened in a previous version of Ubuntu, or is this a new issue?

Would it be possible for you to test the latest upstream kernel? Refer to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelMainlineBuilds . Please test the latest v3.4kernel[1] (Not a kernel in the daily directory). Once you've tested the upstream kernel, please remove the 'needs-upstream-testing' tag(Only that one tag, please leave the other tags). This can be done by clicking on the yellow pencil icon next to the tag located at the bottom of the bug description and deleting the 'needs-upstream-testing' text.

If this bug is fixed in the mainline kernel, please add the following tag 'kernel-fixed-upstream'.

If the mainline kernel does not fix this bug, please add the tag: 'kernel-bug-exists-upstream'.

If you are unable to test the mainline kernel, for example it will not boot, please add the tag: 'kernel-unable-to-test-upstream'.
Once testing of the upstream kernel is complete, please mark this bug as "Confirmed".

Thanks in advance.

http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.4-rc3-precise/

[Linards Ticmanis (ticmanis)]

Testing done as described, using linux-image-3.4.0-030400rc3-generic_3.4.0-030400rc3.201204152235_amd64.deb and the matching headers.

Bug persists.

[Linards Ticmanis (ticmanis)]

Oh and yes, it seems to be a new issue. While it's a couple of weeks since I used the floppy in Oneiric, I definitely can't remember any such problem.

[Joseph Salisbury (jsalisbury)]

This issue appears to be an upstream bug, since you tested the latest upstream kernel. Would it be possible for you to open an upstream bug report at bugzilla.kernel.org [1]? That will allow the upstream Developers to examine the issue, and may provide a quicker resolution to the bug.

If you are comfortable with opening a bug upstream, It would be great if you can report back the upstream bug number in this bug report. That will allow us to link this bug to the upstream report.

[1] https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/Upstream/kernel

[ticmanis (ticmanis-linux-kernel-bugs)]

The floppy disk drive's motor keeps running forever as soon as the floppy is accessed (say, by doing a "mdir a:" or a "fdformat /dev/fd0", or a "dd if=/dev/fd0 ..." ), and the floppy drive's activity LED stays lit. Only when the disk is removed from the drive, the drive stops. I'd expect the drive to stop spinning a few seconds after the access is finished.

The accessing command returns normally and I can still access the drive normally by giving another command afterwards. The problem is purely the failure to deselect the drive and/or turn off the drive motor line.

This is a standard IRQ6/DMA2 floppy drive connected directly to the motherboard's built in FDC with a standard 34-wire ribbon floppy cable. The bug happens both with a normal 1.44MB drive and with a 1.2MB (5.25 inch) drive. The drives do not exhibit this problem in DOS or Windows running on the same physical hardware. My motherboard is an ASUS P5B, if that is important. There was no second drive connected as my motherboard supports only one floppy.

The bug first occured after upgrading my Ubuntu system to Ubuntu Precise (12.04) Beta 2, but I have tested with a mainline 3.4.0-rc3 kernel (though with Ubuntu specific configuration) which I got from here:

http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.4-rc3-precise/

The specific package I tested with was called "linux-image-3.4.0-030400rc3-generic_3.4.0-030400rc3.201204152235_amd64.deb"

The bug was still there in that mainline kernel.

I hope this is the right subsystem for this bug, if not please feel free to move it and/or to point out where it should go. This is the first kernel bug I'm reporting upstream so please excuse me if some vital information is missing. Please just tell me what more info you need. Thanks!

My original Ubuntu bug report can be found here:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/983681

[ticmanis (ticmanis-linux-kernel-bugs)]

The kernel where I first noticed the bug is the Ubuntu specific 3.2.0. Currently "uname -a" gives "Linux linards 3.2.0-23-generic #36-Ubuntu SMP Tue Apr 10 20:39:51 UTC 2012 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux".

[Linards Ticmanis (ticmanis)]

Upstream bug report is here:

https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=43120

[Ubuntu QA Website (ubuntuqa)]

This bug has been reported on the Ubuntu ISO testing tracker.

A list of all reports related to this bug can be found here:
http://iso.qa.ubuntu.com/qatracker/reports/bugs/983681

[Hartmut Wilhelm (hartmutwilhelm)]

Is there already any bugfix/solution/workaround?

I installed fdutils from the Ubuntu software center and added "floppycontrol -C 2147483647" in my file /etc/rc.local. (For a short description of the command, see http://www.fdutils.linux.lu/Fdutils.html#SEC83.) Now, my floppy disk drive motor stops after every access, but I do not know if my workaround causes any side effect.

[Alex Henrie (alexhenrie24)]

`floppycontrol --spindown 0` will also stop the disk.

[szg0000 (szg0000-linux-kernel-bugs)]

Please try to reproduce this bug with latest kernel image.

[corti (corti-linux-kernel-bugs)]

The problem still persists. I've tried kernel 4.19.16 from Debian testing. The bug somehow lies in the logic for detecting a disk change. If I access the floppy the motor won't turn off. But if I force a disk change (ejecting and immediately inserting the floppy again) the motor turns off within about two seconds - as it should.
Also, if I practically disable the disk change checks with "floppycontrol -C 2147483647" the motor turns off normally. So I suspect that frequently checking for disk changes without the floppy being changed keeps the motor in its current state.

[corti (corti-linux-kernel-bugs)]

Created attachment 281133
kernel messages

The following kernel messages are repeated every two seconds (after which the motor should be turned off) when loading the module with floppy=debug