via 8237 and sil 3112 sata problem
 

Hi folks, its my first post.
I get these annoying error messages with sata controller chip via 8237 (also with sil 3112).
My hard drive: WD1600AABS-00PRA0 Caviar.

I looked everywhere and just find the same symptoms but no solutions.
Someone have a clue of how to deal with this issue?

=============================================
dmesg shows (the sata problem related stuff):
=============================================
Driver 'sd' needs updating - please use bus_type methods
sd 1:0:0:0: [sda] 312581808 512-byte hardware sectors (160042 MB)
sd 1:0:0:0: [sda] Write Protect is off
sd 1:0:0:0: [sda] Mode Sense: 00 3a 00 00
sd 1:0:0:0: [sda] Write cache: enabled, read cache: enabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA
sd 1:0:0:0: [sda] 312581808 512-byte hardware sectors (160042 MB)
sd 1:0:0:0: [sda] Write Protect is off
sd 1:0:0:0: [sda] Mode Sense: 00 3a 00 00
sd 1:0:0:0: [sda] Write cache: enabled, read cache: enabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA
sda:
sd 1:0:0:0: [sda] Attached SCSI disk
Driver 'sr' needs updating - please use bus_type methods
sr0: scsi3-mmc drive: 48x/48x writer dvd-ram cd/rw xa/form2 cdda tray
sr 0:0:0:0: Attached scsi CD-ROM sr0
ata2.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x0
ata2.00: BMDMA stat 0x24
ata2.00: cmd 25/00:08:a8:9e:a1/00:00:12:00:00/e0 tag 0 dma 4096 in
res 51/01:00:a8:9e:a1/01:00:12:00:00/e0 Emask 0x1 (device error)
ata2.00: status: { DRDY ERR }
ata2.00: configured for UDMA/133
ata2: EH complete
ata2.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x0
ata2.00: BMDMA stat 0x24
ata2.00: cmd 25/00:08:a8:9e:a1/00:00:12:00:00/e0 tag 0 dma 4096 in
res 51/40:00:a8:9e:a1/40:00:12:00:00/e0 Emask 0x9 (media error)
ata2.00: status: { DRDY ERR }
ata2.00: error: { UNC }
ata2.00: configured for UDMA/133
ata2: EH complete
ata2.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x0
ata2.00: BMDMA stat 0x24
ata2.00: cmd 25/00:08:a8:9e:a1/00:00:12:00:00/e0 tag 0 dma 4096 in
res 51/40:00:a8:9e:a1/40:00:12:00:00/e0 Emask 0x9 (media error)
ata2.00: status: { DRDY ERR }
ata2.00: error: { UNC }
ata2.00: configured for UDMA/133
ata2: EH complete
ata2.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x0
ata2.00: BMDMA stat 0x24
ata2.00: cmd 25/00:08:a8:9e:a1/00:00:12:00:00/e0 tag 0 dma 4096 in
res 51/40:00:a8:9e:a1/40:00:12:00:00/e0 Emask 0x9 (media error)
ata2.00: status: { DRDY ERR }
ata2.00: error: { UNC }
ata2.00: configured for UDMA/133
ata2: EH complete
ata2.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x0
ata2.00: BMDMA stat 0x24
ata2.00: cmd 25/00:08:a8:9e:a1/00:00:12:00:00/e0 tag 0 dma 4096 in
res 51/40:00:a8:9e:a1/40:00:12:00:00/e0 Emask 0x9 (media error)
ata2.00: status: { DRDY ERR }
ata2.00: error: { UNC }
ata2.00: configured for UDMA/133
ata2: EH complete
ata2.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x0
ata2.00: BMDMA stat 0x24
ata2.00: cmd 25/00:08:a8:9e:a1/00:00:12:00:00/e0 tag 0 dma 4096 in
res 51/40:00:a8:9e:a1/40:00:12:00:00/e0 Emask 0x9 (media error)
ata2.00: status: { DRDY ERR }
ata2.00: error: { UNC }
ata2.00: configured for UDMA/133
sd 1:0:0:0: [sda] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE,SUGGEST_OK
sd 1:0:0:0: [sda] Sense Key : Medium Error [current] [descriptor]
Descriptor sense data with sense descriptors (in hex):
72 03 11 04 00 00 00 0c 00 0a 80 00 00 00 00 00
12 a1 9e a8
sd 1:0:0:0: [sda] Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error - auto reallocate failed
end_request: I/O error, dev sda, sector 312581800
Buffer I/O error on device sda, logical block 39072725
ata2: EH complete
ata2.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x0
ata2.00: BMDMA stat 0x24
ata2.00: cmd 25/00:08:a8:9e:a1/00:00:12:00:00/e0 tag 0 dma 4096 in
res 51/40:00:a8:9e:a1/40:00:12:00:00/e0 Emask 0x9 (media error)
ata2.00: status: { DRDY ERR }
ata2.00: error: { UNC }
ata2.00: configured for UDMA/133
ata2: EH complete
ata2.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x0
ata2.00: BMDMA stat 0x24
ata2.00: cmd 25/00:08:a8:9e:a1/00:00:12:00:00/e0 tag 0 dma 4096 in
res 51/40:00:a8:9e:a1/40:00:12:00:00/e0 Emask 0x9 (media error)
ata2.00: status: { DRDY ERR }
ata2.00: error: { UNC }
ata2.00: configured for UDMA/133
ata2: EH complete
ata2.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x0
ata2.00: BMDMA stat 0x24
ata2.00: cmd 25/00:08:a8:9e:a1/00:00:12:00:00/e0 tag 0 dma 4096 in
res 51/40:00:a8:9e:a1/40:00:12:00:00/e0 Emask 0x9 (media error)
ata2.00: status: { DRDY ERR }
ata2.00: error: { UNC }
ata2.00: configured for UDMA/133
ata2: EH complete
ata2.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x0
ata2.00: BMDMA stat 0x24
ata2.00: cmd 25/00:08:a8:9e:a1/00:00:12:00:00/e0 tag 0 dma 4096 in
res 51/40:00:a8:9e:a1/40:00:12:00:00/e0 Emask 0x9 (media error)
ata2.00: status: { DRDY ERR }
ata2.00: error: { UNC }
ata2.00: configured for UDMA/133
ata2: EH complete
ata2.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x0
ata2.00: BMDMA stat 0x24
ata2.00: cmd 25/00:08:a8:9e:a1/00:00:12:00:00/e0 tag 0 dma 4096 in
res 51/40:00:a8:9e:a1/40:00:12:00:00/e0 Emask 0x9 (media error)
ata2.00: status: { DRDY ERR }
ata2.00: error: { UNC }
ata2.00: configured for UDMA/133
ata2: EH complete
ata2.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x0
ata2.00: BMDMA stat 0x24
ata2.00: cmd 25/00:08:a8:9e:a1/00:00:12:00:00/e0 tag 0 dma 4096 in
res 51/40:00:a8:9e:a1/40:00:12:00:00/e0 Emask 0x9 (media error)
ata2.00: status: { DRDY ERR }
ata2.00: error: { UNC }
ata2.00: configured for UDMA/133
sd 1:0:0:0: [sda] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE,SUGGEST_OK
sd 1:0:0:0: [sda] Sense Key : Medium Error [current] [descriptor]
Descriptor sense data with sense descriptors (in hex):
72 03 11 04 00 00 00 0c 00 0a 80 00 00 00 00 00
12 a1 9e a8
sd 1:0:0:0: [sda] Add. Sense: Unrecovered read error - auto reallocate failed
end_request: I/O error, dev sda, sector 312581800
Buffer I/O error on device sda, logical block 39072725
ata2: EH complete
sd 1:0:0:0: [sda] 312581808 512-byte hardware sectors (160042 MB)
sd 1:0:0:0: [sda] Write Protect is off
sd 1:0:0:0: [sda] Mode Sense: 00 3a 00 00
sd 1:0:0:0: [sda] Write cache: enabled, read cache: enabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA
sd 1:0:0:0: [sda] 312581808 512-byte hardware sectors (160042 MB)
sd 1:0:0:0: [sda] Write Protect is off
sd 1:0:0:0: [sda] Mode Sense: 00 3a 00 00
sd 1:0:0:0: [sda] Write cache: enabled, read cache: enabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA
.
.
.
the same but sometimes down to UDMA/33


============
lspci shows:
============
00:00.0 Host bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8378 [KM400/A] Chipset Host Bridge
00:01.0 PCI bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8237 PCI Bridge
00:0f.0 IDE interface: VIA Technologies, Inc. VIA VT6420 SATA RAID Controller (rev 80)
00:0f.1 IDE interface: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82C586A/B/VT82C686/A/B/VT823x/A/C PIPC Bus Master IDE (rev 06)
00:10.0 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev 81)
00:10.1 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev 81)
00:10.2 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev 81)
00:10.3 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT82xxxxx UHCI USB 1.1 Controller (rev 81)
00:10.4 USB Controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. USB 2.0 (rev 86)
00:11.0 ISA bridge: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8237 ISA bridge [KT600/K8T800/K8T890 South]
00:11.5 Multimedia audio controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8233/A/8235/8237 AC97 Audio Controller (rev 60)
00:11.6 Communication controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. AC'97 Modem Controller (rev 80)
00:12.0 Ethernet controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT6102 [Rhine-II] (rev 78)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: VIA Technologies, Inc. VT8378 [S3 UniChrome] Integrated Video (rev 01)



thanks!

I searched the web a lot and it seems that the combination sata II hard drive and chip via 8237 just do not work (more libata or sata_via coding needed?). I already try jumping the drive for forcing sata I mode but get same results and also some bizarre kernel/libata parameters and it's the same thing. So be aware to avoid this drive-chip combination.