so often disk i/o errors, what should I do?

montyleesam · 08-02-2008, 10:46 AM

Hello, all.

My main service is file downloading, so disk i/o will be very big.

So disk i/o error is occurred very often. and this makes service down.

Is there any solutions against disk i/o error?

by now, only raid1 is helpful.
smartd will be helpful?
badblocks program can be helpful?
Is there recommendable solution(free or commercial) to decrease disk i/o error?

Thanks in advance.

MensaWater · 08-02-2008, 10:54 AM

If you're getting a lot of disk I/O errors it indicates either one of your drives or your controller is having issues. It is not normal to have a lot of disk I/O errors even when you're doing large databases or lots of downloading as you say.

FIRST thing you need to do is backup everything on your system.

Once that is done you need to try to determine which hardware device is failing and replace it as soon as possible.

dr.acul · 08-02-2008, 10:56 AM

Maybe you should buy a new hd, disk I/O errors are mainly the prestage of a disk crash.
Yes you can use badblocks, but this is not a soulution, this is a workaround und won't work for a long time.

jiml8 · 08-03-2008, 11:19 AM

If this is your business, you should obtain a copy of Spinrite. This utility will properly diagnose the condition of your hard drive, and in many cases will restore it to full functionality.

Beyond that, as you have been told, keep backups and make sure your controller is working properly. Also, a RAID 1 setup is a really good plan.

Further, you should be using SCSI or SAS drives, not PATA or SATA (except enterprise-grade SATA). You pay a LOT more for these drives, but you will have fewer problems with them.