hptmv, Verify a raid5 array panics

[Steven Hartland]

Their support is useless and I will never use their cards again
we have multiple 5 * 400GB disk arrays on 1820a's and they
all fail when doing rsync's dropping one disk then a second
crashing the box. Online rebuild crashes the machine, offline
( BIOS ) works. The performance is good but of no consequence
if normal usage is not possible.

I've looked though the code and can find no obvious issues
the machine always panics after multiple drives have been
dropped as though a drive is failing but full diagnostics have
been performed and there are no issues,always seems to 
be drive 4 which is dropped first here, even when the disks
are swapped round.

I suspect a firmware or hardware issue under high load /
queue length which results in an DMA timeout type error.

Highpoint support "raised it with their engineering department"
but I've never heard anything back even after months and many
calls to their main support line in the US from the UK
i.e. they binned the problem.

Very disappointed and I'll never use their devices again.

    Steve
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kenneth" <kenneth at ubh.homeip.net>
To: <freebsd-stable at freebsd.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2006 1:53 AM
Subject: hptmv, Verify a raid5 array panics


> Verifying a raid5 array from High-Points CLI results in a panic. It has
> always from the beginning of the driver behaved like this.
> 
> I dare what happens if a disk fail and I need a rebuild.
> 
> Did the authors verify these vital functions? Does other have the same
> problem?
> I have waited out the maturing of the driver without success.
> 
> I have tried to ask Highpoint about this also, but I only get stupid "from
> the support
> questions" about the latest bios, which I have etc. After answering I get
> the usual "when the
> support does not care/wait until the problem solves when the client are
> tierd enough and
> forgets" silence.
> 
> Before I submit dumps etc I want to know if any one else has experienced the
> same problems.
> 
> B.R. A tired Kenneth
> 
> 
> 
> Home server with my modest needs and also serving (for free) counter-strike
> with some web services:
> (writing this to prevent answerslike ; Why don't you get an expensive Areca
> card instead?)
> (and I have you tried Vinum/Gvinum before?)*
> 
> Iwill DH800
> 2* Xeon 2.4GHz
> High-Point (low-crap?) 1820a
> 4*Maxtor 200G
> 
> *Lukas Ertl did get some dumps about this a year ago.
> 
> _______________________________________________
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> http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-stable
> To unsubscribe, send any mail to "freebsd-stable-unsubscribe at freebsd.org"
> 
>


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