Getting around WRITE_DMA errors

[Markus Trippelsdorf]

On Sat, 14 Jan 2006 13:26:11 -0800, Sebastian wrote:
> Hi,
> Installing 6.0-RELEASE on a new machine. (Have tried 5.4 too). Using a 
> PCChips M848ALU motherboard with onboard SiS
> IDE controller, and a Hitachi 160gb disk.
> 
> When my disk is in UDMA6 (133) mode, FreeBSD dies painfully with many 
> errors like:
> 
>  ad0: WARNING -  WRITE_DMA48 UDMA ICRC error (retrying request) 
> LBA=316139999
>  ad0: WARNING -  WRITE_DMA48 UDMA ICRC error (retrying request) 
> LBA=316139999
>  ad0: FAILURE -  WRITE_DMA48 status=51(READY,DSC,ERROR) 
> error=4(ABORTED) LBA=316139999
> 
> It then panics and dumps:
> 
>  panic: initiate_write_inodeblock_ufs2: already started
> 
Are you sure that your hard drive is not dying? 
Run smartctl -a /dev/ad0 and see if any errors were being logged.
(smartctl is part of the smartmontools port)
You should also try another cable.

-- 
Markus