Re: [TCLUG:3714] server SCSI error

[rtp <rtp@iaxs.net>]

At the last installfest we spent the better part of the day trying to
install several Linux distributions on my p266. The installation process
would hang and report some outrageous completion time (3:47 blah blah).
Towards the end of the day we realized it was a scsi termination problem.

After having installed Red Hat the first time, I connected an external scsi
bus to the mother board and forgot about it. Red Hat ran fine with that
unterminated connection. Afterwards, I rebuilt the machine again intending
to configure a dual boot Win/Linux. Windows installed fine but Linux was a
no go.

Linux would run with improper termination but it wouldn't install.

Tim Wilson wrote:

> Hey y'all,
>
> I've been working on a reinstall of RedHat on my server at school, but
> I've run into a rather surprising problem. I've got SCSI bus problems.
> This is especially odd when you consider that I had RH5.1 running on this
> machine for several months with no SCSI problems (that I was aware of, at
> least).
>
> The machine is a PII 300 w/ 128 MB RAM, 4.5 GB UW SCSI, Seagate TapeStore
> (SCSI), IDE CD-ROM, 3Com 905, etc. The RedHat installer detected an
> Adaptec 2740, 2840, or 2940 SCSI controller and continued with the setup
> program.
>
> The first time I tried to install, it seemed as though it was trying to
> install onto the tape drive. The CD-ROM and tape would alternately spin,
> and little or nothing appeared to be written on the HD. I restarted and
> pulled out the tape to try again. This time the setup hung while
> installing packages. I did an Alt-F4 to a different console and read the
> following: (this is a sample of the output)
>
> <4>scsi : aborting command due to timeout : pid 2052, scsi 0, channel 0,
> id 0, lun 0 0x0a 02 78 41 20 00
> <4>SCSI  host 0 abort (pid 2050) timed out - resetting
> <4>SCSI bus in being reset for host 0 channel 0
> <6> (scsi0:0:0:0) Sychronous at 40.0 Mbyte/sec, offset 8
> <4>SCSI host 0 abort (pid 2050) timed out - trying harder
>
> * after some more trying it said*
>
> <4>SCSI host 0 reset (pid 2050) timed out again -
> <4> probably an unrecoverable SCSI bus or device hang.
>
> Does anyone have any ideas? I'm not very knowledgable about SCSI devices.
> It seems as though the HD and tape drive are fighting for the same scsi
> ID. Does that make sense? Again, this system worked before; in fact, it
> was working this morning.
>
> Signed,
> Puzzled in W. St. Paul,
>
> --
> Timothy D. Wilson                       "A little song, a little dance,
> University of MN, chem. dept.           a little seltzer down your
> wilson@chem.umn.edu                     pants."   -Chuckles the Clown
> Phone: (612) 625-9828                       as eulogized by Ted Baxter
>
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