Bad SCSI controller or disk?

From: Bill Sadvary <sadvary_at_dickinson.edu>
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1998 14:49:57 -0500 (EST)

I have a AS 200 4/166 that keeps crashing. No syslog entries, no errors
is the "messages" file and nothing in uerf. It just dumps core to the
screen and *tries* to reboot. (See below)

It appears to me to be a hardware problem but, unfortunately, we don't
have a hardware contract so I'm on my own.


Dec 8 14:19:03 ns1 vmunix: Alpha boot: available memory from 0x7f2000 to
        0x3ffe000
Dec 8 14:19:03 ns1 vmunix: Digital UNIX V4.0D (Rev. 878); Tue Dec 8
        13:48:32 EST 1998
Dec 8 14:19:03 ns1 vmunix: physical memory = 64.00 megabytes.
Dec 8 14:19:03 ns1 vmunix: available memory = 56.06 megabytes.
Dec 8 14:19:03 ns1 vmunix: using 238 buffers containing 1.85 megabytes of
        memory
Dec 8 14:19:03 ns1 vmunix: AlphaStation 200 4/166 system
Dec 8 14:19:03 ns1 vmunix: DECchip 21071
Dec 8 14:19:04 ns1 vmunix: 82378IB (SIO) PCI/ISA Bridge
Dec 8 14:19:04 ns1 vmunix: Firmware revision: 6.3
Dec 8 14:19:04 ns1 vmunix: PALcode: Digital UNIX version 1.46
Dec 8 14:19:04 ns1 vmunix: pci0 at nexus
Dec 8 14:19:04 ns1 vmunix: psiop0 at pci0 slot 6
Dec 8 14:19:04 ns1 vmunix: Loading SIOP: script 801d00, reg 82040000,
        data 80dc10

--
Everything is normal up to this point, then..
--
CAM_LOGGER: cam_error packet
CAM_LOGGER: bus 0 target 0 lun 0
ss_perform timeout
timeout on disconnected request
Active CCB at time or error
---
and the system hangs
---
What should have happened next was...
---
Dec  8 14:19:04 ns1 vmunix: scsi0 at psiop0 slot 0
Dec  8 14:19:04 ns1 vmunix: rz0 at scsi0 target 0 lun 0 (LID=0) (DEC RZ26F
	(C) DEC 630J)
Dec  8 14:19:04 ns1 vmunix: rz4 at scsi0 target 4 lun 0 (LID=1) (DEC RRD45
	(C) DEC  0436)
Dec  8 14:19:04 ns1 vmunix: isa0 at pci0
Dec  8 14:19:04 ns1 vmunix: gpc0 at isa0
Dec  8 14:19:04 ns1 vmunix: ace0 at isa0
etc.
So it seems to being dying during the "scsi0 at psiop0 slot 0" phase which
leads me to think it might be a flakey scsi controller.  Or, maybe the
disk since the CAM error mentions "bus 0 target 0 lun 0."    ???
BUT!, the system will fully boot if I recycle power.  Once it's up for a
while, it then crashes at random times.
If someone could help me determine which is more likely at fault (the disk
or controller or ??) in this situation, I would appreciate it.  
At this point, the system is totally hosed.  In desperation, I installed
v4.0E (thinking a re-format of the disk could be a cheap way out) and, of
course, it crashed in the middle of loading the subsets.
Not a good day.  ;-)
Thanks,
-Bill Sadvary
 Dickinson College
 Carlisle,PA
 

Received on Wed Dec 16 1998 - 19:50:54 NZDT