Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att-cb!att-ih!pacbell!ames!lll-lcc!pyramid!prls!mips!jen
From: jen@mips.COM (Fred Jen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apollo
Subject: Re: DSP90 w/CDC 500MB Drives: Disk Errors
Message-ID: <1956@mips.mips.COM>
Date: 31 Mar 88 10:00:47 GMT
References: <7087@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu>
Reply-To: jen@mips.UUCP (Fred Jen)
Organization: MIPS Computer Systems, Sunnyvale, CA
Lines: 60

In article <7087@iuvax.cs.indiana.edu> jec@iuvax.UUCP (James E. Conley) writes:
>
>	I've recently experienced problems with disk errors on our two
>servers.  This is our configuration:
>
>	DSP-90 w/3MB
>	2 MSD500 drives
>	SR9.7 (did an SR9.7 invol)

You should not be using SR9.7 invol.  Somehow when Apollo release SR9.5 and newer
revisions, they unfix a bug fix.  The newer invol can not handle extended bad block 
list (bad block list longer than 200 or something close to it).  

If you use SR9.2.3's invol program to invol your disk, the problem  with your disks
should be fixed.

You should replace all your invol program with SR9.2.3 invol program.

>
>	It appears for some reason that we are getting excessive disk
>errors on BOTH systems on BOTH drives.  We are mainly getting DISK BLOCK
>HEADER errors.  I tried the following to remedy the situation:
>
>	(1) INVOL the bad disk getting a list of bad blocks to put
>            in the bad block list. 
>
>	(2) Adding the bad blocks.  This put us a 210 bad blocks on the
>	    one disk I've tried this on.

You bad block list is probably in the extended bad block list.

>
>	(3) RE-INVOLing the disk (got no errors, but it appears to reserved
>            a 1 block partition or something like that-- I think the bad
>            block table must have exceeded its normal boundaries or something
>            like that)

Invol forgets the backblocks you just put in.

>
>	(4) Booting diskless and installing SR9.7
>
>	(5) Trying to boot on that disk and getting SYSBOOT not found
>            errors.
>
>	I normally would suspect just a bad disk, or bad controller or even
>a bad DSP-90, but for both systems to have so similar problems I am leaning
>toward suspecting the operating system itself.  Has anyone else had this sort
>of thing and what did you do?  I have Apollo Field Service on it now, but he
>is a new person and I've always had bad luck with new people.

Try invol with SR9.2.3 invol and see if it works.  Good luck.

fred

-- 

-Fred Jen
UUCP: {decvax,ucbvax,ihnp4,hplabs}!decwrl!mips!jen
USPS: MIPS Computer Systems, 930 Arques, Sunnyvale, CA 94086, (408) 991-0306