What are these exceptions?

[Robertxc]

I've just installed a new Corsair VX550W power supply and replaced all the sata connectors with new locking ones. I am still getting errors in my syslog. Can anyone shed any light on this?

 

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] 2930277168 512-byte logical blocks: (1.50 TB/1.36 TiB)

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Write Protect is off

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Mode Sense: 00 3a 00 00

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Write cache: enabled, read cache: enabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel:  sda: sda1

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Attached SCSI disk

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata2: SATA link up 3.0 Gbps (SStatus 123 SControl 300)

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata2.00: ATA-7: ST3750640AS, 3.AAE, max UDMA/133

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata2.00: 1465149168 sectors, multi 0: LBA48 NCQ (depth 0/32)

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata2.00: configured for UDMA/133

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata2: exception Emask 0x10 SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0xf t4

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata2: hotplug_status 0x22

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata2: hard resetting link

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata2: SATA link up 3.0 Gbps (SStatus 123 SControl 300)

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata2.00: configured for UDMA/133

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata2: EH complete

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: scsi 1:0:0:0: Direct-Access    ATA      ST3750640AS      3.AA PQ: 0 ANSI: 5

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: sd 1:0:0:0: [sdb] 1465149168 512-byte logical blocks: (750 GB/698 GiB)

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: sd 1:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: sd 1:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 00 3a 00 00

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: sd 1:0:0:0: [sdb] Write cache: enabled, read cache: enabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel:  sdb: sdb1

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: sd 1:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI disk

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata3: SATA link up 3.0 Gbps (SStatus 123 SControl 300)

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata3.00: HPA detected: current 1465149168, native 1953525168

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata3.00: ATA-8: Hitachi HDT721010SLA360, ST6OA31B, max UDMA/133

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata3.00: 1465149168 sectors, multi 0: LBA48 NCQ (depth 0/32)

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata3.00: configured for UDMA/133

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata3: exception Emask 0x10 SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0xf t4

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata3: hotplug_status 0x11

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata3: hard resetting link

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata3: SATA link up 3.0 Gbps (SStatus 123 SControl 300)

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata3.00: configured for UDMA/133

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata3: EH complete

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: scsi 2:0:0:0: Direct-Access    ATA      Hitachi HDT72101 ST6O PQ: 0 ANSI: 5

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] 1465149168 512-byte logical blocks: (750 GB/698 GiB)

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] Write Protect is off

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] Mode Sense: 00 3a 00 00

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] Write cache: enabled, read cache: enabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel:  sdc: sdc1

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: sd 2:0:0:0: [sdc] Attached SCSI disk

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata4: SATA link up 3.0 Gbps (SStatus 123 SControl 300)

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata4.00: ATA-8: Hitachi HDT721010SLA360, ST6OA3AA, max UDMA/133

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata4.00: 1953525168 sectors, multi 0: LBA48 NCQ (depth 0/32)

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata4.00: configured for UDMA/133

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata4: exception Emask 0x10 SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0xf t4

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata4: hotplug_status 0x4

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata4: hard resetting link

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata4: SATA link up 3.0 Gbps (SStatus 123 SControl 300)

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata4.00: configured for UDMA/133

Dec  4 19:06:14 Tower kernel: ata4: EH complete

[RobJ]

I am still getting errors in my syslog. Can anyone shed any light on this?

 

Nope!

 

This looks like something new, perhaps a recent addition to the kernel.  It's the first time I have seen anything referring to 'hotplug_status'.  There are NO apparent errors reported here, just a hotplug_status number, non-zero.  What is especially curious is not just that the number is different each time, but that the bits used are completely different each time.  Since this appears to be a status byte displayed in hex, I would expect that it is the bits that are important, and there is not a common bit used here in any of the cases.  I suspect this is a bug in this feature, perhaps because of a combination of your hardware that had not been tested.  Almost certainly, a future kernel release will fix it, and the exception will disappear.  It has happened a number of times before.  Just my inexpert opinion.

 

If still concerned, try Googling hotplug_status.  If you find anything interesting, let us know.

[Robertxc]

Having done a bit of Googling I notice that "hotplug_status" exceptions are frequently mentioned along with the Promise TX4 sata card, which I am using. However, Promise TX4 sata cards can hardly be considered 'untested' in Unraid! I actually have two TX4 cards and have tested my system with both and still get the exception with both. I am intending to swap the card out for a different one with a sil3114 chipset, but I'm having a bitch of time upgrading the firmwre on that one so that it will actually boot. 

[yp_1]

Having done a bit of Googling I notice that "hotplug_status" exceptions are frequently mentioned along with the Promise TX4 sata card, which I am using. However, Promise TX4 sata cards can hardly be considered 'untested' in Unraid! I actually have two TX4 cards and have tested my system with both and still get the exception with both. I am intending to swap the card out for a different one with a sil3114 chipset, but I'm having a bitch of time upgrading the firmwre on that one so that it will actually boot. 

 

I have 3 TX4 cards and only 3 out of 9 drives connected to them don't have that problem.

I was not able to relate the errors to anything and decided not to bother since everything runs just fine after the reset occurs (which happens only during the initial boot when the drives come online).

[RobJ]

However, Promise TX4 sata cards can hardly be considered 'untested' in Unraid!

 

I should have been clearer.  I was referring to the testing done by the Linux kernel coders and patchers, since this originates with them, not unRAID.  I suspect very few of the kernel programmers still have any PCI cards, except perhaps in older machines at home, for testing.

 

I agree with yp1.  This seems harmless, and will probably disappear with a newer kernel.  If you still think it is important, the change from Promise to a Silicon Image based card will probably remove them from your syslog, but the cards are nearly identical.  Both provide 4 SATA II ports on the PCI bus.