Hi,

 

This particular motherboard has 8 sata ports: 7 internal and 1 external. Tom also uses this motherboard for his products.

Pictorially, the colored ports are laid out in this order on the motherboard.

    1Red  2Red

    3Black  4Black

    5Red  6Red

and 7Black being at some far place, and the 8th external sata port on the back of mobo.

 

I had used 1Red, 2Red, 5Red, 6Red ports (basically, all 4 red ports) till now for 4 sata hard drives. I just added a 5th drive at 3Black port.

BIOS is set to AHCI for all ports. One thing to note is this new 5th drive supports SATA I only, whereas all the previous 4 drives supported SATA II.

 

I'm getting error messages for this 3Black port. Here is the relevant part of syslog file:

 

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  58.207748] scsi1 : ahci

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  58.207968] scsi2 : ahci

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  58.208129] scsi3 : ahci

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  58.208289] scsi4 : ahci

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  58.208446] scsi5 : ahci

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  58.208600] scsi6 : ahci

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  58.208687] ata1: SATA max UDMA/133 cmd 0xf8822900 ctl 0x00000000 bmdma 0x00000000 irq 220

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  58.208804] ata2: SATA max UDMA/133 cmd 0xf8822980 ctl 0x00000000 bmdma 0x00000000 irq 220

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  58.208920] ata3: SATA max UDMA/133 cmd 0xf8822a00 ctl 0x00000000 bmdma 0x00000000 irq 220

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  58.209036] ata4: SATA max UDMA/133 cmd 0xf8822a80 ctl 0x00000000 bmdma 0x00000000 irq 220

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  58.209153] ata5: SATA max UDMA/133 cmd 0xf8822b00 ctl 0x00000000 bmdma 0x00000000 irq 220

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  58.209269] ata6: SATA max UDMA/133 cmd 0xf8822b80 ctl 0x00000000 bmdma 0x00000000 irq 220

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  58.737901] ata1: SATA link up 1.5 Gbps (SStatus 113 SControl 300)

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  58.779072] ata1.00: ATA-7: ST3750640AS, 3.AAE, max UDMA/133

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  58.779149] ata1.00: 1465149168 sectors, multi 0: LBA48 NCQ (depth 31/32)

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  58.837341] ata1.00: configured for UDMA/133

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  59.358914] ata2: SATA link up 1.5 Gbps (SStatus 113 SControl 300)

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  59.405995] ata2.00: ATA-7: ST3750640AS, 3.AAE, max UDMA/133

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  59.406072] ata2.00: 1465149168 sectors, multi 0: LBA48 NCQ (depth 31/32)

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  59.464263] ata2.00: configured for UDMA/133

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  59.989943] ata3: SATA link up 1.5 Gbps (SStatus 113 SControl 300)

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  60.571869] scsi 0:0:0:0: Direct-Access    Sony    Storage Media    0100 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0 CCS

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  60.572973] sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] 1014784 512-byte hardware sectors (520 MB)

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  60.573846] sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Write Protect is off

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  60.574622] sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Mode Sense: 43 00 00 00

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  60.574624] sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Assuming drive cache: write through

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  60.577094] sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] 1014784 512-byte hardware sectors (520 MB)

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  60.577968] sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Write Protect is off

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  60.578044] sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Mode Sense: 43 00 00 00

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  60.578046] sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Assuming drive cache: write through

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  60.578126]  sda: sda1

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  60.579101] sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Attached SCSI removable disk

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  60.579524] usb-storage: device scan complete

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  90.034407] ata3.00: qc timeout (cmd 0x27)

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  90.034489] ata3.00: ata_hpa_resize 1: hpa sectors (0) is smaller than sectors (781422768)

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  90.034613] ata3.00: ATA-7: HDS724040KLSA80, KFAOAC6A, max UDMA/133

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  90.034693] ata3.00: 781422768 sectors, multi 0: LBA48

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  90.034779] ata3.00: failed to set xfermode (err_mask=0x40)

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  90.034849] ata3: failed to recover some devices, retrying in 5 secs

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  100.609937] ata3: port is slow to respond, please be patient (Status 0x80)

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  105.116558] ata3: COMRESET failed (errno=-16)

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  105.627312] ata3: SATA link up 1.5 Gbps (SStatus 113 SControl 300)

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  135.671465] ata3.00: qc timeout (cmd 0x27)

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  135.671541] ata3.00: ata_hpa_resize 1: hpa sectors (0) is smaller than sectors (781422768)

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  135.671668] ata3.00: failed to set xfermode (err_mask=0x40)

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  135.671745] ata3.00: limiting speed to UDMA/133:PIO3

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  135.671827] ata3: failed to recover some devices, retrying in 5 secs

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  146.247000] ata3: port is slow to respond, please be patient (Status 0x80)

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  150.753620] ata3: COMRESET failed (errno=-16)

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  151.264375] ata3: SATA link up 1.5 Gbps (SStatus 113 SControl 300)

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  181.308527] ata3.00: qc timeout (cmd 0x27)

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  181.308603] ata3.00: ata_hpa_resize 1: hpa sectors (0) is smaller than sectors (781422768)

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  181.308727] ata3.00: failed to set xfermode (err_mask=0x40)

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  181.308802] ata3.00: disabled                                                             

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  182.149764] ata4: SATA link down (SStatus 0 SControl 300)                                                                               

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  182.680544] ata5: SATA link up 1.5 Gbps (SStatus 113 SControl 300)                                                                       

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  182.727331] ata5.00: ATA-7: ST3500630AS, 3.AAE, max UDMA/133                                                                             

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  182.727409] ata5.00: 976773168 sectors, multi 0: LBA48 NCQ (depth 31/32)                                                                 

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  182.785602] ata5.00: configured for UDMA/133                                                                                             

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  183.311572] ata6: SATA link up 3.0 Gbps (SStatus 123 SControl 300)                                                                       

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  183.347520] ata6.00: ATA-7: ST3500641AS, 3.AAE, max UDMA/133                                                                             

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  183.347597] ata6.00: 976773168 sectors, multi 0: LBA48 NCQ (depth 31/32)                                                                 

Aug 20 15:57:46 Tower kernel: [  183.414123] ata6.00: configured for UDMA/133                                                           

 

Could it be that this new hard drive is dead? I doubt as it is spitting out information HDS724040KLSA80 indicating it is Hitachi 400gb sata drive, which is true.

 

While debugging more for this on google, I found this link:

 

http://fak3r.com/2007/06/22/failed-to-set-xfermode-solved/

 

I'm not sure how to use this thing inside unraid environment and is this solution even recommended?

Or probably a patch needed from Tom on unraid?

 

Any other thoughts?

 

Thanks.

Good googling! 

 

You will need Tom or a Linux guy to say if there's an easy way to add that irqpoll parameter to a configuration file.  There's a thread here http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=871.0 that shows how to modify the unRAID image, in order to use an edited configuration file.

 

In the mean time, you might try one of the other connectors, 4Black and 7Black.  Have you tried this hard disk in another computer, or in a USB enclosure, just to be sure that it is good?  3Black could be a bad connector.

 

It's easy to add this.

 

You need to edit the 'syslinux.cfg' file on your Flash.

 

Find the line which reads:

 

append initrd=bzroot rootdelay=10

 

and change to:

 

append initrd=bzroot rootdelay=10 irqpoll

 

You might also try setting on-board SATA mode to "IDE" instead of "AHCI".  Please report back your results.

Just curious if the original poster managed to get that 5th drive working, and how he did it. I have this motherboard, with 4 SATA drives connected to the red SATA ports. I'm getting ready to add a 5th, and was interested in how to configure it optimally.

 

Thanks.

The P5B-VM DO is what we use in the MD-1500 servers & we've never seen this error - probably it's something unique to his config.

The P5B-VM DO is what we use in the MD-1500 servers & we've never seen this error - probably it's something unique to his config.

 

Just curious, but how would you configure a 16 Sata Unraid using this Mobo?  There appears to be only 2 PCI slots and I can't see how you could the external Sata internally.

 

Thanks,

 

Mark.

The 16'th drive would have to be external eSATA, although it's possible to take a eSATA-SATA cable and route it back into the case.