From owner-freebsd-drivers@FreeBSD.ORG Tue Mar 8 18:46:30 2011 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-drivers@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0CB3E106566C for ; Tue, 8 Mar 2011 18:46:30 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from weiler@soe.ucsc.edu) Received: from mail-01.cse.ucsc.edu (mail-01.cse.ucsc.edu [128.114.48.32]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id EC2058FC13 for ; Tue, 8 Mar 2011 18:46:29 +0000 (UTC) Received: from wraith.cse.ucsc.edu (wraith.cse.ucsc.edu [128.114.56.35]) by mail-01.cse.ucsc.edu (Postfix) with ESMTPSA id A298E1009C2C; Tue, 8 Mar 2011 10:46:29 -0800 (PST) Message-ID: <4D767985.90006@soe.ucsc.edu> Date: Tue, 08 Mar 2011 10:46:29 -0800 From: Erich Weiler User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.24 (X11/20100318) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Jonathan Stewart References: In-Reply-To: Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Cc: freebsd-drivers@freebsd.org Subject: Re: MFI Driver Behavior X-BeenThere: freebsd-drivers@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: Writing device drivers for FreeBSD List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Tue, 08 Mar 2011 18:46:30 -0000 This was not resolved, although I tried in vain to get it to be more stable for over a month. The Perc H700 and H800 controllers do not work reliably with any version of FreeBSD. It's an MFI driver issue, such that the driver locks the controller temporarily under heavy disk load, but there seems to be little interest in fixing it. I thought at first it was a C-states issue, but then it locked again a week later. I punted and got an Adaptec controller, which is better supported under FreeBSD. Maybe they will make the MFI driver work better with these controllers one day, but I don't know when that will happen. Which is a bummer because more and more folks are buying these Perc H700/H800 controllers from Dell. On 03/08/11 10:38, Jonathan Stewart wrote: > [Please CC me I'm not on this list] > > Erich Weiler wrote: >>> We are testing a new theory. We believe that the C-states and C1E >>> control on this chipset (in the Dell R610), which are >>> configurable in the BIOS, are affecting the controller in some way. >>> We are disabling them and trying again. I'll post results soon. >> After disabling C-states and CIE in the BIOS on our R610, the Perc >> H800 controller now appears stable. My ZFS filesystem appears >> stable. Life seems good. >> >> I wonder what those items in the BIOS are doing in relation to the >> kernel to cause this. > > Have you had any further issues with this? I just updated 2 of my systems to > FreeBSD ???.net 8.2-STABLE FreeBSD 8.2-STABLE #2 r219138: Tue Mar 1 > 13:42:29 EST 2011 root@???.net:/usr/obj/usr/src/sys/SERENITY > amd64 > > from 8-stable sometime around 8 release and just had to have the > datacenter hit the reset button to bring the machine back. > > I'm reluctant to take this machine to current but if that fixes the problem > I can do it. The other option is calling the data center and having them > change the BIOS settings for me but that is also something I would rather > not do. > > Thanks, > Jonathan