Description of problem:

The following message appeared in dmesg prior to a disk being dropped from a RAID5 array:


Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel: ata2: Entering mv_eng_timeout
Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel: mmio_base ffffff0010480000 ap 00000100bcfd43c8 qc 00000100bcfd4e98 scsi_cmnd 00000100a39a6c80 &cmnd 00000100a39a6d00
Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel: ata2: no sense translation for status: 0x40
Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel: ata2: translated ATA stat/err 0x40/00 to SCSI SK/ASC/ASCQ 0xb/00/00
Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel: ata2: status=0x40 { DriveReady }
Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel: SCSI error : <1 0 0 0> return code = 0x8000002
Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel: Invalid sdb: sense key No Sense
Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel: end_request: I/O error, dev sdb, sector 1953519935
Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel: md: write_disk_sb failed for device sdb1
Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel: raid5: Disk failure on sdb1, disabling device. Operation continuing on 6 devices
Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel: md: errors occurred during superblock update, repeating
Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel: RAID5 conf printout:
Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel:  --- rd:7 wd:6 fd:1
Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel:  disk 0, o:1, dev:sda1
Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel:  disk 1, o:0, dev:sdb1
Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel:  disk 2, o:1, dev:sdc1
Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel:  disk 3, o:1, dev:sdd1
Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel:  disk 4, o:1, dev:sde1
Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel:  disk 5, o:1, dev:sdf1
Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel:  disk 6, o:1, dev:sdg1
Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel: RAID5 conf printout:
Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel:  --- rd:7 wd:6 fd:1
Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel:  disk 0, o:1, dev:sda1
Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel:  disk 2, o:1, dev:sdc1
Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel:  disk 3, o:1, dev:sdd1
Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel:  disk 4, o:1, dev:sde1
Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel:  disk 5, o:1, dev:sdf1
Sep 22 03:43:50 mdgrape kernel:  disk 6, o:1, dev:sdg1

Having then tested the above disk with the badblocks util and examined it with smartctl, I could find no problems with it, hence this could indicate a possible issue with the MV88SX6081 8-port SATA II PCI-X Controller ( http://www.supermicro.com/products/accessories/addon/AOC-SAT2-MV8.cfm ). I want to determine the cause of this error since I do not want software RAID dropping perfectly good disks. 

Preliminary googling threw up a few refs to a possible MSI issue, but I could not find anything concrete. The machine is a DELL PowerEdge 830 running bios version A04.


Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):

2.6.9-78.0.1.ELsmp #1 SMP Tue Jul 22 18:01:05 EDT 2008 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

How reproducible:
Unknown



Additional info:


lspic -vvv from raid card:

03:02.0 SCSI storage controller: Marvell Technology Group Ltd. MV88SX6081 8-port SATA II PCI-X Controller (rev 09)
	Subsystem: Marvell Technology Group Ltd.: Unknown device 11ab
	Control: I/O+ Mem+ BusMaster+ SpecCycle- MemWINV+ VGASnoop- ParErr- Stepping- SERR+ FastB2B-
	Status: Cap+ 66Mhz+ UDF- FastB2B+ ParErr- DEVSEL=medium >TAbort- <TAbort- <MAbort- >SERR- <PERR-
	Latency: 64, Cache Line Size 10
	Interrupt: pin A routed to IRQ 209
	Region 0: Memory at fe600000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable) [size=1M]
	Region 2: I/O ports at ec00 [size=256]
	Capabilities: [40] Power Management version 2
		Flags: PMEClk- DSI- D1- D2- AuxCurrent=0mA PME(D0-,D1-,D2-,D3hot-,D3cold-)
		Status: D0 PME-Enable- DSel=0 DScale=0 PME-
	Capabilities: [50] Message Signalled Interrupts: 64bit+ Queue=0/0 Enable-
		Address: 0000000000000000  Data: 0000
	Capabilities: [60] PCI-X non-bridge device.
		Command: DPERE- ERO- RBC=0 OST=3
		Status: Bus=3 Dev=2 Func=0 64bit+ 133MHz+ SCD- USC-, DC=simple, DMMRBC=0, DMOST=3, DMCRS=0, RSCEM-

Module information:
# modinfo sata_mv
filename:       /lib/modules/2.6.9-78.0.1.ELsmp/kernel/drivers/ata/sata_mv.ko
parm:           msi:Enable use of PCI MSI (0=off, 1=on)
version:        0.7 A14B9CDC976BFA2BA36FF88
license:        GPL
description:    SCSI low-level driver for Marvell SATA controllers
author:         Brett Russ
alias:          pci:v00009005d00000241sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v000011ABd00006081sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v000011ABd00006080sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v000011ABd00006042sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v000011ABd00006041sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v000011ABd00006040sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v000011ABd00005081sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v000011ABd00005080sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v000011ABd00005041sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v000011ABd00005040sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
depends:        libata
vermagic:       2.6.9-78.0.1.ELsmp SMP gcc-3.4


Firmware on MV88SX6081 is the latest (1.0b).