big Problem with FC 4 and SATA (hdparm error)

[Sebastian Kösters]

Hi,

i use a SATA Harddisk (Seagate 120GB) with Fedora Core 4.

Everything in the System is up to date (yum).

When i do this: hdparm -tT /dev/sda

I get the following error:

/dev/sda:
 Timing cached reads:   1944 MB in  2.00 seconds = 971.94 MB/sec
HDIO_DRIVE_CMD(null) (wait for flush complete) failed: Inappropriate ioctl
for device
 Timing buffered disk reads:  170 MB in  3.01 seconds =  56.51 MB/sec
HDIO_DRIVE_CMD(null) (wait for flush complete) failed: Inappropriate ioctl
for device

Its not very fast and the error message is not so good i think.

What can i do to solve the Problem?

I also tried FC 4 on different Mainboards with different SATA Harddisk. Same
error every time.

On FC3 with SATA there are no Problems! Downgrading is not possible.

I hope someone can help me?!

Thank you very much!

regards 
Sebastian

[Mogens Kjaer]

Sebastian Kösters wrote:
....
> /dev/sda:
>  Timing cached reads:   1944 MB in  2.00 seconds = 971.94 MB/sec
> HDIO_DRIVE_CMD(null) (wait for flush complete) failed: Inappropriate ioctl
> for device
>  Timing buffered disk reads:  170 MB in  3.01 seconds =  56.51 MB/sec
> HDIO_DRIVE_CMD(null) (wait for flush complete) failed: Inappropriate ioctl
> for device
>
> Its not very fast and the error message is not so good i think.

A few seconds with google would have told you that
the error message can be ignored.

What speed do you get on FC3?

Mogens

AW: big Problem with FC 4 and SATA (hdparm error)

[Sebastian Kösters]

I searched on google but every post there was different.

The first said the message can be ignored the second said that it is a
"dangerous" error and the third said that he dont know where the error comes
from.

On FC3 i get this:

Fedora Core release 3 (Heidelberg)
Kernel \r on an \m

/dev/sda:
 Timing cached reads:   4048 MB in  2.00 seconds = 2026.33 MB/sec
 Timing buffered disk reads:  164 MB in  3.01 seconds =  54.57 MB/sec

Also strange is that the Machine gets a high load when i copy or tar
something. That does not happen on other Machines too

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: [e-mail] [mailto:[e-mail]]
Im Auftrag von Mogens Kjaer
Gesendet: Mittwoch, 2. November 2005 08:11
An: For users of Fedora Core releases
Betreff: Re: big Problem with FC 4 and SATA (hdparm error)

Sebastian Kösters wrote:
....
> /dev/sda:
>  Timing cached reads:   1944 MB in  2.00 seconds = 971.94 MB/sec
> HDIO_DRIVE_CMD(null) (wait for flush complete) failed: Inappropriate ioctl
> for device
>  Timing buffered disk reads:  170 MB in  3.01 seconds =  56.51 MB/sec
> HDIO_DRIVE_CMD(null) (wait for flush complete) failed: Inappropriate ioctl
> for device
>
> Its not very fast and the error message is not so good i think.

A few seconds with google would have told you that
the error message can be ignored.

What speed do you get on FC3?

Mogens

AW: big Problem with FC 4 and SATA (hdparm error)

[Mogens Kjaer]

Sebastian Kösters wrote:
...
> Fedora Core release 3 (Heidelberg)
> Kernel \r on an \m
>
> /dev/sda:
>  Timing cached reads:   4048 MB in  2.00 seconds = 2026.33 MB/sec
>  Timing buffered disk reads:  164 MB in  3.01 seconds =  54.57 MB/sec

...
> > /dev/sda:
> > Timing cached reads:   1944 MB in  2.00 seconds = 971.94 MB/sec
> > HDIO_DRIVE_CMD(null) (wait for flush complete) failed: Inappropriate ioctl
> > for device
> > Timing buffered disk reads:  170 MB in  3.01 seconds =  56.51 MB/sec
> > HDIO_DRIVE_CMD(null) (wait for flush complete) failed: Inappropriate ioctl
> > for device

Actually, the disk is (a little) faster in FC4 (56.51 MB/s) than
in FC3 (54.57 MB/s).

Mogens

AW: AW: big Problem with FC 4 and SATA (hdparm error)

[Sebastian Kösters]

But what das the error mean and why does it come?

On google i did not find a clear answer

Thank you

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: [e-mail] [mailto:[e-mail]]
Im Auftrag von Mogens Kjaer
Gesendet: Mittwoch, 2. November 2005 08:23
An: For users of Fedora Core releases
Betreff: Re: AW: big Problem with FC 4 and SATA (hdparm error)

Sebastian Kösters wrote:
...
> Fedora Core release 3 (Heidelberg)
> Kernel \r on an \m
>
> /dev/sda:
>  Timing cached reads:   4048 MB in  2.00 seconds = 2026.33 MB/sec
>  Timing buffered disk reads:  164 MB in  3.01 seconds =  54.57 MB/sec

...
> > /dev/sda:
> > Timing cached reads:   1944 MB in  2.00 seconds = 971.94 MB/sec
> > HDIO_DRIVE_CMD(null) (wait for flush complete) failed: Inappropriate ioctl
> > for device
> > Timing buffered disk reads:  170 MB in  3.01 seconds =  56.51 MB/sec
> > HDIO_DRIVE_CMD(null) (wait for flush complete) failed: Inappropriate ioctl
> > for device

Actually, the disk is (a little) faster in FC4 (56.51 MB/s) than
in FC3 (54.57 MB/s).

Mogens

[no real] Problem with FC 4 and SATA (hdparm [warning])

[Andy Green]

Sebastian Kösters wrote:
> But what das the error mean and why does it come?
>
> On google i did not find a clear answer
> > > HDIO_DRIVE_CMD(null) (wait for flush complete) failed: Inappropriate ioctl
> > > for device

It looks like the SATA driver in use rejects this attempt by hdparm to
use an ioctl.  Ioctls are ways to pass commands and requests to a driver
from userspace that do not fit the "file" semantics of a device node
that communicates with the driver.  For example, you can do stuff like

cat /dev/dsp > /dev/dsp

to copy audio in into your audio out using file semantics, but to set
the sample rate for the audio you use an ioctl on /dev/dsp outside of
the familiar open/read/write/seek/close file semantics.

Since the "wait for flush complete" ioctl is not really critical to
operation of the drive, and if it fails to be honoured is unlikely to
destroy data (except at shutdown arguably), losing that capability only
screws up timing actions like on hdparm.  Hence it looks harmless.

-Andy

AW: AW: big Problem with FC 4 and SATA (hdparm error)

[Sebastian Kösters]

> > Actually, the disk is (a little) faster in FC4 (56.51 MB/s) than
> > in FC3 (54.57 MB/s).
> > Mogens
> > -- 
> > Mogens Kjaer, Carlsberg A/S, Computer Department
> > Gamle Carlsberg Vej 10, DK-2500 Valby, Denmark
> > Phone: [phone], Fax: [phone]
> > Email: [e-mail] Homepage: http://www.crc.dk

But whats about this speed? Thats slower?!

/dev/sda:
Timing cached reads:   1944 MB in  2.00 seconds = 971.94 MB/sec
HDIO_DRIVE_CMD(null) (wait for flush complete) failed: Inappropriate
ioctl>for device

AW: AW: big Problem with FC 4 and SATA (hdparm error)

[Markku Kolkka]

Sebastian Kösters kirjoitti viestissään (lähetysaika keskiviikko, 
2. marraskuuta 2005 11:33):
> But whats about this speed? Thats slower?!
>
> /dev/sda:
> Timing cached reads:   1944 MB in  2.00 seconds = 971.94

That's the speed of reading from your RAM cache. That has nothing 
to do with SATA or your drive speed.