[opensuse] Hard Disk Light always on

newer
[opensuse] Problem with acroread...

older
[opensuse] Suddenly mounting and...

Bob Rea

16 May 2010 16 May '10

23:23

after a while. What should I look for and where should I look? Top doesn't tell me anything that I can see. -- Bob Rea mailto:gapetard@stsams.org http://www.petard.us http://www.petard.us/blog http://www.petard.us/gallery Where is Bill Stringfellow now that we really need him? -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

Show replies by date

David C. Rankin

17 May 17 May

00:26

On 05/16/2010 06:23 PM, Bob Rea wrote:

...

after a while. What should I look for and where should I look? Top doesn't tell me anything that I can see.

In the olden days, I would tell you to check the cable to your floppy and to make sure the red stripe on the cable was going to pin #1 (closest to the power cable) In the current day of auto-everything, I don't know. I would go back through the jumper setting on the drive (if any) and your Master/Slave settings for 2 drives on one cable. I've never liked the "cable-select" jumper setting, so you might want to manually select Master/Slave jumper settings to match your setup. Check the BIOS settings. Also, if it is an ATA setup with two drives on one cable, some setups want the first drive at the end (say sda or hda) and the second drive on the mid-cable attach point (sdb, hdb, etc..). Also, the red-stripe applies to ATA drives as well, though I highly doubt you could do that to a hard drive and get any data at all out of it. Bottom line, I don't know. You are just going to have to dork with it. The best trouble-shooting would be to disconnect all drives except for your primary hard drive from the drive controllers and then start adding things back one-at-a-time until you figure out where the problem is. (don't do this if you have a RAID setup --- it's more involved) Good luck! -- David C. Rankin, J.D.,P.E. Rankin Law Firm, PLLC 510 Ochiltree Street Nacogdoches, Texas 75961 Telephone: (936) 715-9333 Facsimile: (936) 715-9339 www.rankinlawfirm.com -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

Ciro Iriarte

01:35

Wich version of openSUSE are you using?, the drive is operational but has continuous access?, in that case there's probably some indexing software running... Without more info, it's hard to tell what's your issue. Use iostat & pidstat if there's just "too much i/o" access. Regards, CI.- 2010/5/16 Bob Rea :

...

after a while. What should I look for and where should I look? Top doesn't tell me anything that I can see. -- Bob Rea mailto:gapetard@stsams.org http://www.petard.us http://www.petard.us/blog http://www.petard.us/gallery

Where is Bill Stringfellow now that we really need him? -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

-- Ciro Iriarte http://cyruspy.wordpress.com -- -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

Ciro Iriarte

01:36

2010/5/16 Ciro Iriarte :

...

Wich version of openSUSE are you using?, the drive is operational but has continuous access?, in that case there's probably some indexing software running... Without more info, it's hard to tell what's your issue.

Use iostat & pidstat if there's just "too much i/o" access.

Regards, CI.-

The top post wasn't intentional.... Regards, -- Ciro Iriarte http://cyruspy.wordpress.com -- -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

Bob Rea

21:16

On Sun May 16 2010 9:36 pm, Ciro Iriarte wrote:

...

2010/5/16 Ciro Iriarte :

...
Wich version of openSUSE are you using?, the drive is operational but has continuous access?, in that case there's probably some indexing software running... Without more info, it's hard to tell what's your issue.

Use iostat & pidstat if there's just "too much i/o" access.

bob@gandalf:~> iostat Linux 2.6.13-15.18-default (gandalf) 05/17/2010 avg-cpu: %user %nice %sys %iowait %idle 6.41 0.04 0.70 11.75 81.10 Device: tps Blk_read/s Blk_wrtn/s Blk_read Blk_wrtn fd0 0.00 0.00 0.00 8 0 hda 11.94 224.93 110.31 1164408 571040 hdb 0.75 16.48 0.13 85289 696 I don't appear to have pidstat -- Bob Rea mailto:gapetard@stsams.org http://www.petard.us http://www.petard.us/blog http://www.petard.us/gallery Where is Bill Stringfellow now that we really need him? -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

David C. Rankin

18 May 18 May

22:00

On 05/17/2010 04:16 PM, Bob Rea wrote:

...

bob@gandalf:~> iostat Linux 2.6.13-15.18-default (gandalf) 05/17/2010

avg-cpu: %user %nice %sys %iowait %idle 6.41 0.04 0.70 11.75 81.10

Device: tps Blk_read/s Blk_wrtn/s Blk_read Blk_wrtn fd0 0.00 0.00 0.00 8 0 hda 11.94 224.93 110.31 1164408 571040 hdb 0.75 16.48 0.13 85289 696

I don't appear to have pidstat

I knew it! You do have the floppy cable on backwards :p I don't know what your hdb is, but if you can boot without it, unplug the power cable to your floppy and hdb and do a power-off restart and see of the problem persists. Then if the light is out, add hdb back (power-off restart) and then if no light, add the floppy back (power-off restart) If the light is still on no matter what, then I would re-cable all the drives. The only thing I can think of is a cable problem at this point. If it's software related -- it, like a great deal more, is well over my head ;P -- David C. Rankin, J.D.,P.E. Rankin Law Firm, PLLC 510 Ochiltree Street Nacogdoches, Texas 75961 Telephone: (936) 715-9333 Facsimile: (936) 715-9339 www.rankinlawfirm.com -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

Carlos E. R.

22:23

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 On Tuesday, 2010-05-18 at 17:00 -0500, David C. Rankin wrote: ...

...

If the light is still on no matter what, then I would re-cable all the drives. The only thing I can think of is a cable problem at this point. If it's software related -- it, like a great deal more, is well over my head ;P

I have an old computer on which the HD from the motherboard is always on. I think it did not happen until I added a second disk, but I'm unsure. I have changed the HDs several times on that machine (bigger sizes), and some of those had a LED on the HD itself, and this one was off most of the time. So in my case it is somehow related to the board. However, if my memory is correct, I think the LED wasn't on full time in windows (95), but I'm not going to boot it to check :-) Anyway, I know the disk wasn't busy full time, thus I learned to ignore the light. Nowdays, there is iostat? to verify. Or even gkrellm. - -- Cheers, Carlos E. R. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v2.0.9 (GNU/Linux) iEYEARECAAYFAkvzE2sACgkQtTMYHG2NR9UYGACgjtcmbNRd3OQBPYN7IJmhjgvn sPQAnjAV+hd4qZ6VQmBeNhXM5EDb4B7j =bUce -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

Hans Witvliet

19 May 19 May

07:19

On Tue, 2010-05-18 at 17:00 -0500, David C. Rankin wrote:

...

On 05/17/2010 04:16 PM, Bob Rea wrote:

...
bob@gandalf:~> iostat Linux 2.6.13-15.18-default (gandalf) 05/17/2010

avg-cpu: %user %nice %sys %iowait %idle 6.41 0.04 0.70 11.75 81.10

Device: tps Blk_read/s Blk_wrtn/s Blk_read Blk_wrtn fd0 0.00 0.00 0.00 8 0 hda 11.94 224.93 110.31 1164408 571040 hdb 0.75 16.48 0.13 85289 696

I don't appear to have pidstat

I knew it! You do have the floppy cable on backwards :p

I hope that there was not something of value stored on that floppy disk. The reason why the light on a _floppy_ disk was on when connecting the cable backwards, is that the one of the lines, the /write-gate, was permenently asserted, thus the floppy drive was constantly writing. I think most of the older generation, who had to solder their own computer, made that mistake, once ;-) hw -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

David C. Rankin

24 May 24 May

19:21

On 05/19/2010 02:19 AM, Hans Witvliet wrote:

...

...
I knew it! You do have the floppy cable on backwards :p I hope that there was not something of value stored on that floppy disk. The reason why the light on a _floppy_ disk was on when connecting the cable backwards, is that the one of the lines, the /write-gate, was permenently asserted, thus the floppy drive was constantly writing.

I think most of the older generation, who had to solder their own computer, made that mistake, once ;-)

hw

Hans, So true. Most of the current generation hasn't had the pleasure of finding out just what happens when the floppy cable gets put on backwards. I had that painful learning experience while building my first box in 1989. So my first response about the floppy was from that experience and was written in a half-joking/half-serious manner. Glad you got it working. ... now where did my tin of flux go :? -- David C. Rankin, J.D.,P.E. Rankin Law Firm, PLLC 510 Ochiltree Street Nacogdoches, Texas 75961 Telephone: (936) 715-9333 Facsimile: (936) 715-9339 www.rankinlawfirm.com -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

Carlos E. R.

22:37

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 On Monday, 2010-05-24 at 14:21 -0500, David C. Rankin wrote:

...

On 05/19/2010 02:19 AM, Hans Witvliet wrote:

...

...
The reason why the light on a _floppy_ disk was on when connecting the cable backwards, is that the one of the lines, the /write-gate, was permenently asserted, thus the floppy drive was constantly writing.

I think most of the older generation, who had to solder their own computer, made that mistake, once ;-)

So true. Most of the current generation hasn't had the pleasure of finding out just what happens when the floppy cable gets put on backwards. I had that painful learning experience while building my first box in 1989. So my first response about the floppy was from that experience and was written in a half-joking/half-serious manner.

IIRC, the connector had a notch so that it couldn't be plugged reversed by accident. However, I had a computer with the cable reversed (it wasn't soldered, but of the IPC (insulation piercing connector" type)), so that I had to plug the connector with the notch in the wrong side... by using the "right" amount of force. Later I removed part of it with a cutter. I didn't asemble that machine initially, bought it built. I had to remove cables once, and when I reassembled the floppy (at least) did not work, the light was always on... what? It took some time to discover the cable plug notch was on the wrong side. No Internet or email to ask for help, you know...

...

Glad you got it working. ... now where did my tin of flux go :?

Better not find it. It is a contaminant, we are supposed to use something else instead of the tin-lead alloy we used. But I still have about half a kilogram of it... and I don't intend to go shopping son ;-) - -- Cheers, Carlos E. R. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v2.0.9 (GNU/Linux) iEYEARECAAYFAkv6/8cACgkQtTMYHG2NR9XGXgCeILQp2Gadty4xFeennF3oUgf3 c78An0xe+Vu3PI6Ek7QOjOf5mRzG+++i =F6PF -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

Doug

25 May 25 May

01:44

On 5/24/2010 6:37 PM, Carlos E. R. wrote:

...

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1

On Monday, 2010-05-24 at 14:21 -0500, David C. Rankin wrote:

...
On 05/19/2010 02:19 AM, Hans Witvliet wrote:

...
...
The reason why the light on a _floppy_ disk was on when connecting the cable backwards, is that the one of the lines, the /write-gate, was permenently asserted, thus the floppy drive was constantly writing.

I think most of the older generation, who had to solder their own computer, made that mistake, once ;-)

So true. Most of the current generation hasn't had the pleasure of finding out just what happens when the floppy cable gets put on backwards. I had that painful learning experience while building my first box in 1989. So my first response about the floppy was from that experience and was written in a half-joking/half-serious manner.

IIRC, the connector had a notch so that it couldn't be plugged reversed by accident. However, I had a computer with the cable reversed (it wasn't soldered, but of the IPC (insulation piercing connector" type)), so that I had to plug the connector with the notch in the wrong side... by using the "right" amount of force. Later I removed part of it with a cutter.

I didn't asemble that machine initially, bought it built. I had to remove cables once, and when I reassembled the floppy (at least) did not work, the light was always on... what? It took some time to discover the cable plug notch was on the wrong side. No Internet or email to ask for help, you know...

...
Glad you got it working. ... now where did my tin of flux go :?

Better not find it. It is a contaminant, we are supposed to use something else instead of the tin-lead alloy we used. But I still have about half a kilogram of it... and I don't intend to go shopping son ;-)

- -- Cheers, Carlos E. R. I recently read somewhere that the "modern" solder and the old tin/lead are not completely compatible. If you're working on an older device, it would be good to have the old solder. Conversely, of course. . . .

--doug -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

Ciro Iriarte

24 May 24 May

14:52

2010/5/17 Bob Rea :

...

On Sun May 16 2010 9:36 pm, Ciro Iriarte wrote:

...
2010/5/16 Ciro Iriarte :

...
Wich version of openSUSE are you using?, the drive is operational but has continuous access?, in that case there's probably some indexing software running... Without more info, it's hard to tell what's your issue.

Use iostat & pidstat if there's just "too much i/o" access.

bob@gandalf:~> iostat Linux 2.6.13-15.18-default (gandalf) 05/17/2010

avg-cpu: %user %nice %sys %iowait %idle 6.41 0.04 0.70 11.75 81.10

Device: tps Blk_read/s Blk_wrtn/s Blk_read Blk_wrtn fd0 0.00 0.00 0.00 8 0 hda 11.94 224.93 110.31 1164408 571040 hdb 0.75 16.48 0.13 85289 696

I don't appear to have pidstat

-- Bob Rea

The first execution is useless as it brings the average since the machine was started, try with "iostat -xnmN 5" to check the I/O. pidstat is part of sysstat also, at least in sysstat-8.0. It should give you I/O per process (pidstat -d 5), you need at least kernel 2.6.20 to make it work. Regards, -- Ciro Iriarte http://cyruspy.wordpress.com -- -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

John Andersen

17 May 17 May

03:40

On 5/16/2010 4:23 PM, Bob Rea wrote:

...

after a while. What should I look for and where should I look? Top doesn't tell me anything that I can see.

Define Always? How long has this persisted? Users with mirrored drives will see the drive light on for a long time after an improper shutdown/power failure. The hardware controller of the software raid is rebuilding the drive integrity. This can take hours as it is done as a low priority task. -- _____________________________________ At one time I had a Real Sig. Its been downsized. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

Bob Rea

21:18

On Sun May 16 2010 11:40 pm, John Andersen wrote:

...

On 5/16/2010 4:23 PM, Bob Rea wrote:

...
after a while. What should I look for and where should I look? Top doesn't tell me anything that I can see.

Define Always? How long has this persisted?

Almost always. After the system and kde are up for a bit, the hd light is on permanently, whether I am doing anything at all or not. Clues would be useful

...

Users with mirrored drives will see the drive light on for a long time after an improper shutdown/power failure. The hardware controller of the software raid is rebuilding the drive integrity. This can take hours as it is done as a low priority task.

No raid or mirrored drives -- Bob Rea mailto:gapetard@stsams.org http://www.petard.us http://www.petard.us/blog http://www.petard.us/gallery Where is Bill Stringfellow now that we really need him? -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

Randall R Schulz

21:36

On Monday May 17 2010, Bob Rea wrote:

...

...

Clues would be useful

I'm afraid I can offer mostly questions: 1) Are you talking about the activity light on the drive itself or is it a light on the computer cabinet? Do you know where the light is connected: To the mainboard or to a single drive? 2) If the light is not tied to a specific drive, then it reflects pending requests for all the drives on a particular controller (usually an IDE or SATA controller). 3) Do you have an optical drive? Optical drives have commands that can take much longer than those for conventional hard magnetic disk drives. In particularly, commands pertaining to opening or closing the tray take a very long time to complete. On the other hand, the consequence of executing those commands is hard to miss.

...

...

-- Bob Rea

Randall Schulz -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

Malcolm

21:39

New subject: [opensuse] Re: Hard Disk Light always on

On Sun, 16 May 2010 19:23:03 -0400 Bob Rea wrote:

...

after a while. What should I look for and where should I look? Top doesn't tell me anything that I can see. Hi How much physical ram do you have, it's not using swap all the time?

-- Cheers Malcolm °¿° (Linux Counter #276890) SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 (x86_64) Kernel 2.6.27.45-0.1-default up 1 day 0:56, 2 users, load average: 0.18, 0.50, 0.37 GPU GeForce 8600 GTS Silent - CUDA Driver Version: 195.36.15 -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org

5087

Age (days ago)

5096

Last active (days ago)

List overview

Download

15 comments

9 participants

participants (9)

Bob Rea
Carlos E. R.
Ciro Iriarte
David C. Rankin
Doug
Hans Witvliet
John Andersen
Malcolm
Randall R Schulz