Random truncated files on USB hard disk with timeouts; how to debug?

[Poul-Henning Kamp]

--------
In message <20161019064315.GB93031 at nuvolo>, Arrigo Marchiori writes:

>> Y-cables are a big warning sign.
>> 
>> You can try plugging the "power-only" plug into a high quality 1
>> ampere USB charger, but that is no guarantee for success.
>
>Yes, I also thought so at first.
>
>But I also believe that if anything goes wrong at the hardware level,
>I should get a big warning from the kernel, instead of a funny
>apparently-truncated file, that returns to be readable at next
>reboot...?

Only if the drive finds out something is wrong and tells the kernel.

If the drive has bad power supply, that may not happen.

-- 
Poul-Henning Kamp       | UNIX since Zilog Zeus 3.20
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FreeBSD committer       | BSD since 4.3-tahoe    
Never attribute to malice what can adequately be explained by incompetence.