[sclug] Debian Squeeze boot up messages - should I be worried?

Mon Feb 18 21:37:38 UTC 2013

Hi Neil,

On 18 Feb 2013, at 20:26, Neil Haughton <haughtonomous at googlemail.com> wrote:

> I have lately noticed the following series of messages appearing on screen
> when I boot up (pre login).  They look quite worrying to me, but to be
> honest I haven't really a clue if they are significant or whether it is
> just something that happens in daily life. Can anyone advise me?

It smells like either the disk or disk controller on the motherboard might be dying, most likely the disk.  Some thoughts in addition to Dickon's helpful suggestions:

Many disks include SMART self diagnostics. Google for 'smartctl test' and read the first couple of links. The smartctl short test might quickly show the drive is on its way out. 

If that's the case and you don't have a live mirror (RAID 1) then buy your new disk and connect it up. If the system is still usable you can just copy data over. Or....

Download the systemrescuecd (again google it) and burn to a CD or USB and boot off that. Use the GNU ddrescue tool on that CD to copy the bad HDD to the good one. The first example in the ddrescue online manual should suffice. Tip: triple check that you get the from/to drive names the right way round, using 'fdisk -l' or 'parted' to help.

Hope that helps,

Regards,
Oliver.

> 
> Feb 18 20:09:20 debian kernel: [   75.431667] ata1: drained 32768 bytes to
> clear DRQ.
> Feb 18 20:09:20 debian kernel: [   75.488792] ata1.01: limiting speed to
> UDMA/33:PIO4
> Feb 18 20:09:20 debian kernel: [   75.488802] ata1.01: exception Emask 0x0
> SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x6 frozen
> Feb 18 20:09:20 debian kernel: [   75.488811] ata1.01: BMDMA stat 0x65
> Feb 18 20:09:20 debian kernel: [   75.488819] ata1.01: failed command: READ
> DMA
> Feb 18 20:09:20 debian kernel: [   75.488834] ata1.01: cmd
> c8/00:08:df:85:2e/00:00:00:00:00/f0 tag 0 dma 4096 in
> Feb 18 20:09:20 debian kernel: [   75.488837]          res
> 7f/7f:7f:7f:7f:7f/00:00:00:00:00/7f Emask 0x2 (HSM violation)
> Feb 18 20:09:20 debian kernel: [   75.488844] ata1.01: status: { DRDY DF
> DRQ ERR }
> Feb 18 20:09:20 debian kernel: [   75.488849] ata1.01: error: { UNC IDNF
> ABRT }
> Feb 18 20:09:20 debian kernel: [   75.488886] ata1: soft resetting link
> Feb 18 20:09:22 debian kernel: [   77.916490] ata1.00: configured for
> UDMA/133
> Feb 18 20:09:22 debian kernel: [   77.932507] ata1.01: configured for
> UDMA/33
> Feb 18 20:09:22 debian kernel: [   77.932534] ata1: EH complete
> Feb 18 20:09:23 debian kernel: [   78.621367] ata1: drained 32768 bytes to
> clear DRQ.
> Feb 18 20:09:23 debian kernel: [   78.678362] ata1.01: exception Emask 0x0
> SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x6 frozen
> Feb 18 20:09:23 debian kernel: [   78.678372] ata1.01: BMDMA stat 0x65
> Feb 18 20:09:23 debian kernel: [   78.678381] ata1.01: failed command: READ
> DMA
> Feb 18 20:09:23 debian kernel: [   78.678396] ata1.01: cmd
> c8/00:68:bf:cc:2e/00:00:00:00:00/f0 tag 0 dma 53248 in
> Feb 18 20:09:23 debian kernel: [   78.678399]          res
> 7f/7f:7f:7f:7f:7f/00:00:00:00:00/7f Emask 0x2 (HSM violation)
> Feb 18 20:09:23 debian kernel: [   78.678406] ata1.01: status: { DRDY DF
> DRQ ERR }
> Feb 18 20:09:23 debian kernel: [   78.678411] ata1.01: error: { UNC IDNF
> ABRT }
> Feb 18 20:09:23 debian kernel: [   78.678449] ata1: soft resetting link
> Feb 18 20:09:26 debian kernel: [   81.104531] ata1.00: configured for
> UDMA/133
> Feb 18 20:09:26 debian kernel: [   81.120539] ata1.01: configured for
> UDMA/33
> Feb 18 20:09:26 debian kernel: [   81.120562] ata1: EH complete
> Feb 18 20:09:26 debian kernel: [   81.570000] ata1: drained 32768 bytes to
> clear DRQ.
> Feb 18 20:09:26 debian kernel: [   81.626991] ata1.01: exception Emask 0x0
> SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x6 frozen
> Feb 18 20:09:26 debian kernel: [   81.627000] ata1.01: BMDMA stat 0x65
> Feb 18 20:09:26 debian kernel: [   81.627009] ata1.01: failed command: READ
> DMA
> Feb 18 20:09:26 debian kernel: [   81.627025] ata1.01: cmd
> c8/00:58:f7:cd:2e/00:00:00:00:00/f0 tag 0 dma 45056 in
> Feb 18 20:09:26 debian kernel: [   81.627028]          res
> 7f/7f:7f:7f:7f:7f/00:00:00:00:00/7f Emask 0x2 (HSM violation)
> Feb 18 20:09:26 debian kernel: [   81.627035] ata1.01: status: { DRDY DF
> DRQ ERR }
> Feb 18 20:09:26 debian kernel: [   81.627040] ata1.01: error: { UNC IDNF
> ABRT }
> Feb 18 20:09:26 debian kernel: [   81.627081] ata1: soft resetting link
> Feb 18 20:09:28 debian kernel: [   84.052493] ata1.00: configured for
> UDMA/133
> Feb 18 20:09:29 debian kernel: [   84.068513] ata1.01: configured for
> UDMA/33
> Feb 18 20:09:29 debian kernel: [   84.068539] ata1: EH complete
> Feb 18 20:09:29 debian kernel: [   84.513121] ata1: drained 32768 bytes to
> clear DRQ.
> Feb 18 20:09:29 debian kernel: [   84.570163] ata1.01: exception Emask 0x0
> SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x6 frozen
> Feb 18 20:09:29 debian kernel: [   84.570173] ata1.01: BMDMA stat 0x65
> Feb 18 20:09:29 debian kernel: [   84.570182] ata1.01: failed command: READ
> DMA
> Feb 18 20:09:29 debian kernel: [   84.570197] ata1.01: cmd
> c8/00:00:4f:ce:2e/00:00:00:00:00/f0 tag 0 dma 131072 in
> Feb 18 20:09:29 debian kernel: [   84.570200]          res
> 7f/7f:7f:7f:7f:7f/00:00:00:00:00/7f Emask 0x2 (HSM violation)
> Feb 18 20:09:29 debian kernel: [   84.570207] ata1.01: status: { DRDY DF
> DRQ ERR }
> Feb 18 20:09:29 debian kernel: [   84.570212] ata1.01: error: { UNC IDNF
> ABRT }
> Feb 18 20:09:29 debian kernel: [   84.570257] ata1: soft resetting link
> Feb 18 20:09:31 debian kernel: [   86.996480] ata1.00: configured for
> UDMA/133
> Feb 18 20:09:31 debian kernel: [   87.012498] ata1.01: configured for
> UDMA/33
> Feb 18 20:09:31 debian kernel: [   87.012523] ata1: EH complete
> Feb 18 20:09:32 debian kernel: [   87.456165] ata1: drained 32768 bytes to
> clear DRQ.
> Feb 18 20:09:32 debian kernel: [   87.513297] ata1.01: exception Emask 0x0
> SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x6 frozen
> Feb 18 20:09:32 debian kernel: [   87.513306] ata1.01: BMDMA stat 0x65
> Feb 18 20:09:32 debian kernel: [   87.513315] ata1.01: failed command: READ
> DMA
> Feb 18 20:09:32 debian kernel: [   87.513330] ata1.01: cmd
> c8/00:00:4f:cf:2e/00:00:00:00:00/f0 tag 0 dma 131072 in
> Feb 18 20:09:32 debian kernel: [   87.513333]          res
> 7f/7f:7f:7f:7f:7f/00:00:00:00:00/7f Emask 0x2 (HSM violation)
> Feb 18 20:09:32 debian kernel: [   87.513340] ata1.01: status: { DRDY DF
> DRQ ERR }
> Feb 18 20:09:32 debian kernel: [   87.513345] ata1.01: error: { UNC IDNF
> ABRT }
> Feb 18 20:09:32 debian kernel: [   87.513388] ata1: soft resetting link
> Feb 18 20:09:34 debian kernel: [   89.940502] ata1.00: configured for
> UDMA/133
> Feb 18 20:09:34 debian kernel: [   89.956490] ata1.01: configured for
> UDMA/33
> Feb 18 20:09:34 debian kernel: [   89.956517] ata1: EH complete
> Feb 18 20:09:35 debian kernel: [   90.734233] ata1: drained 32768 bytes to
> clear DRQ.
> Feb 18 20:09:35 debian kernel: [   90.791242] ata1.01: exception Emask 0x0
> SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x6 frozen
> Feb 18 20:09:35 debian kernel: [   90.791251] ata1.01: BMDMA stat 0x65
> Feb 18 20:09:35 debian kernel: [   90.791260] ata1.01: failed command: READ
> DMA
> Feb 18 20:09:35 debian kernel: [   90.791275] ata1.01: cmd
> c8/00:00:2f:cf:2f/00:00:00:00:00/f0 tag 0 dma 131072 in
> Feb 18 20:09:35 debian kernel: [   90.791278]          res
> 7f/7f:7f:7f:7f:7f/00:00:00:00:00/7f Emask 0x2 (HSM violation)
> Feb 18 20:09:35 debian kernel: [   90.791285] ata1.01: status: { DRDY DF
> DRQ ERR }
> Feb 18 20:09:35 debian kernel: [   90.791290] ata1.01: error: { UNC IDNF
> ABRT }
> Feb 18 20:09:35 debian kernel: [   90.791334] ata1: soft resetting link
> Feb 18 20:09:38 debian kernel: [   93.216513] ata1.00: configured for
> UDMA/133
> Feb 18 20:09:38 debian kernel: [   93.232503] ata1.01: configured for
> UDMA/33
> Feb 18 20:09:38 debian kernel: [   93.232529] ata1: EH complete
> Feb
> 
> 
> I should add that the machine seems sluggish of late, and I have had to
> fsck one or two partitions a couple of times recently to rebuild the file
> system after an unclean shutdown has been reported, although I suspect my
> dearest is occasionally switching off before the machine has properly
> shutdown so the unclean shutdowns may have something to do with that.
> 
> The system is fully up to date with security patches and updates etc, as of
> today.
> 
> TIA
> 
> Neil.