Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!watmath!focsys!larry
From: larry@focsys.UUCP (Larry Williamson)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.microport
Subject: Re: How does Microport System V/AT handle bad blocks?
Summary: Get the 2.4 upgrade
Message-ID: <326@focsys.UUCP>
Date: 19 Dec 88 14:43:21 GMT
References: <460@tarpit.UUCP>
Reply-To: larry@focsys.UUCP (Larry Williamson)
Organization: Focus Automation Systems Inc. Waterloo, Ontario.
Lines: 35

In article <460@tarpit.UUCP> rd@tarpit.UUCP (Bob Thrush) writes:
>About 3 months ago, the 2nd drive on this System V/AT 2.3.1 system died.
>It was replaced, the entire drive was formatted [...]
> [...] I have been noticing intermittent "HD I/O Errors ..." often 
>followed by serious file system problems on the replacement drive.  
>
>Here are a few samples:
>
>HD I/O Error Fun: 30 Cyl: 329 Hd: 5 Sec:  9 Status: 51 Estat: 10 Drstat: A5
>
>Exactly what do these messages mean?

This means, you've got trouble. We had been running with two hard disks
for a few months (maybe 6 or 7??) with no troubles. Then I started to
see the occassional hard disk error. Then near the end, there were many
errors. 

It got to the point where we could not even backup this second disk. The
errors caused cpio (and tar) to die. (The first disk continued to work
just fine, there was an occassional error but never any trouble).

We upgraded to 2.4 and errors have disappeared completely. We also replaced
the disk, I couldn't bring myself to trust it.

I'm not sure why, but it seemed that the disk errors grew at an exponential
rate. I would therefore suggest that you *very quickly*, get your 2.4 upgrade
and install it. I would also suggest that you verify your backups, you might
be surprised by what is on (or not on) those tapes!

Good Luck,
    Larry

-- 
Larry Williamson  -- Focus Systems -- Waterloo, Ontario
                  watmath!focsys!larry  (519) 746-4918