Strange UDMA setting problem

Cockton · 11-21-2004, 05:01 PM

Problem
A bit strange thing with udma modes. I tried enabling udma with hdparm with command

Code:

hdparm -d1 /dev/hda

This seems to get set, but when I look the settings immeadiately after changing them it looks like everything is ok (using_dma = 1). But after a while I try to see the settings again, the system hangs for a moment and then tells me that using_dma = 0.

Also, on the other hand is seems that udma5 is in use, which can't be true. Disk is cabable of ATA133, so I'd very much like to get udma6 enabled.

So let's dig in...

Basic Information

Distro: Fedora Core 3
Kernel: 2.6.9-1.678_FC3
hdparm: v5.7
HDA: Maxtor 6Y200P0 (only IDE device, jumper on master)
Mobo: Asus A7A266 (alimagic chipset)

Some outputs

So... it's slow allright:

Code:

                   # hdparm -tT /dev/hda
/dev/hda:
 Timing cached reads:   836 MB in  2.00 seconds = 417.44 MB/sec
 Timing buffered disk reads:   12 MB in  3.01 seconds =   3.98 MB/sec

So, let's see what is has eaten:

Code:

                   # hdparm /dev/hda
/dev/hda:
 multcount    = 16 (on)
 IO_support   =  3 (32-bit w/sync)
 unmaskirq    =  1 (on)
 using_dma    =  0 (off)
 keepsettings =  1 (on)
 readonly     =  0 (off)
 readahead    = 256 (on)
 geometry     = 24792/255/63, sectors = 203928109056, start = 0

Right, so the using_dma is off. What about more detailed information:

Code:

                   # hdparm -i /dev/hda
/dev/hda:

 Model=Maxtor 6Y200P0, FwRev=YAR41BW0, SerialNo=Y623M12E
 Config={ Fixed }
 RawCHS=16383/16/63, TrkSize=0, SectSize=0, ECCbytes=57
 BuffType=DualPortCache, BuffSize=7936kB, MaxMultSect=16, MultSect=16
 CurCHS=16383/16/63, CurSects=16514064, LBA=yes, LBAsects=268435455
 IORDY=on/off, tPIO={min:120,w/IORDY:120}, tDMA={min:120,rec:120}
 PIO modes:  pio0 pio1 pio2 pio3 pio4
 DMA modes:  mdma0 mdma1 mdma2
 UDMA modes: udma0 udma1 udma2 udma3 udma4 *udma5 udma6
 AdvancedPM=yes: disabled (255) WriteCache=enabled
 Drive conforms to: (null):

 * signifies the current active mode

This is a bit strange, isn't it? This claims that udma5 is enabled, but with that transfer rate it can't be true.

Finaly... I noticed that when I try...

Code:

# hdparm -d1 /dev/hda

... this happens in dmesg:

Code:

ide: failed opcode was: unknown
hda: dma_timer_expiry: dma status == 0x21
hda: DMA timeout error
hda: dma timeout error: status=0x58 { DriveReady SeekComplete DataRequest }

And what dmesg also tells, this is from the boot, I assume:

Code:

hda: cannot use LBA48 DMA - PIO mode will be used for accessing sectors > 268435456
hda: 398297088 sectors (203928 MB) w/7936KiB Cache, CHS=24792/255/63, UDMA(100)
hda: cache flushes supported
 hda:<4>hda: dma_timer_expiry: dma status == 0x21
hda: DMA timeout error
hda: dma timeout error: status=0x58 { DriveReady SeekComplete DataRequest }

Right... So I'm running out of options. At least what happened when I changed from FC2 to FC3 is that LBA48 works (due to kernel update, of course), so I can get all the space of this 200GB drive, but not the speed of ATA133, as it should be.

Please, help! Thanks! A lot!

(Yeah, this is probably yet another

-thing)

p.s. I would highly appreciate if somebody could phrase his answer so that even a newbie like me can understand it, thanks again!

Cockton · 11-22-2004, 03:12 AM

Checked the BIOS settings, they tell me this: PIO 4, UDMA 5 should be available.

With that transfer rate shown above, udma 5 isn't on, even though hdparm -i tries to tell that.

mritch · 11-22-2004, 12:36 PM

does this happen on earlier kernel versions also?

be sure your hw is supported (should be)
don't seet keep settings over reset for now. boot without changing anything. and see if pio/dma is changeable. the logs talk about a prob here.

you posted detailed info 'bout hda

, but nothing ide? dma also is a controller chip thing. both must support it and have to be enabled (/proc/ide,/sys/block).

sl mritch.

Cockton · 11-22-2004, 03:01 PM

From BIOS I found out that UDMA 5 is selected. Then I found out that the mobo supports ATA100, and disk ATA133, so with this mobo I can't all the speed anyway, but at least it should be more than 4 MB/sec.

mritch asked about ide, so this is what I found out, hope it helps:

Code:

     # cat /proc/ide/ali
                                Ali M15x3 Chipset.
                                ------------------
PCI Clock: 0.
CD_ROM FIFO:Yes, CD_ROM DMA:Yes
FIFO Status: contains 0 Words, runs.

-------------------primary channel-------------------secondary channel---------

channel status:       On                                On
both channels togth:  Yes                               Yes
Channel state:        OK                                OK
Add. Setup Timing:    8T                                8T
Command Act. Count:   8T                                8T
Command Rec. Count:   16T                               16T

----------------drive0-----------drive1------------drive0-----------drive1------

DMA enabled:      No               No                No               No
FIFO threshold:    4 Words          8 Words           8 Words          8 Words
FIFO mode:        FIFO Off         FIFO On           FIFO On          FIFO On
Dt RW act. Cnt     3T               8T                8T               8T
Dt RW rec. Cnt     1T              16T               16T              16T

-----------------------------------UDMA Timings--------------------------------

UDMA:             OK               No                No               No
UDMA timings:      ???             3.5T              3.5T             3.5T

On the last line the ??? mark should probably be something else...

about drivers:

Code:

     # cat proc/ide/drivers
ide-floppy version 0.99.newide
ide-cdrom version 4.61
ide-disk version 1.18

And more settings:

Code:

     # cat /proc/ide/hda/settings
name                    value           min             max             mode
----                    -----           ---             ---             ----
acoustic                0               0               254             rw
address                 1               0               2               rw
bios_cyl                24792           0               65535           rw
bios_head               255             0               255             rw
bios_sect               63              0               63              rw
bswap                   0               0               1               r
current_speed           69              0               70              rw
failures                0               0               65535           rw
init_speed              69              0               70              rw
io_32bit                0               0               3               rw
keepsettings            0               0               1               rw
lun                     0               0               7               rw
max_failures            1               0               65535           rw
multcount               16              0               16              rw
nice1                   1               0               1               rw
nowerr                  0               0               1               rw
number                  0               0               3               rw
pio_mode                write-only      0               255             w
unmaskirq               0               0               1               rw
using_dma               0               0               1               rw
wcache                  1               0               1               rw

Is this what you meant? And how do I change these settings? Please tell me if you wish me to check some other settings.

About Kernels then. To be honest I'm not sure. I've messed around with this just for about a month. I started with FC2, and when it didn't work in many other ways I got fed up and waited for FC3. Now this seems to be the only major problem.

The Keep Settings -setting

didn't work. After a boot everything I changed was back the way it was, also the Keep Settings was set back to 0.

mritch · 11-22-2004, 04:20 PM

iirc i recently read about ali dma problems. have you seen documentation ide.txt and ../Documentation/block?ide?ali in the source tree?

if your second idechannel is free put you slave (cdrom/ whatever it is) as master there. maybe it has problems talking dma.

-k(K) ..will never ever survive an hard reset, man hdparm

sl mritch.

Cockton · 12-01-2004, 03:53 PM

Allright... here is a solution: get new motherboard with other chipset than Ali

Right... beautiful solution... just cost me 200 € in total (mobo, CPU, memory). Yeah, well had to update anyway.