On Tue, 3 Mar 1998 20:11:26 +0100 (MET)  Andreas Priebe wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> recently I start getting kernel messages (via demsg or syslog - kern.debug),
> that seem to indicate problems with the disks on my 5000/200 with -current.
> The messages are of the form:
> 
> /netbsd: rz0: No sense data
> 
> or
> 
> /netbsd: rz1: Illegal request
> 
> or
> 
> /netbsd: asc_timeout: cmd 0x8019c5d0 drive 0
> 
> or similiar on the second drive
> 
> /netbsd: asc_timeout: cmd 0x8019c8f0 drive 1
> 
> Sometimes a message like
> 
> /netbsd: swap_pager_clean: clean of page 6dc000 failed
> 
> follows.
> I'm afraid the disks are going bad.  My rz0 is a DEC RZ57 (rev 5000),
> rz1 is a larger Quantum drive.
> Any suggestions? Should I replace the drives?

If you've got two disks starting to go bad at the _same_ time, I'd be
checking thinks like SCSI cables and termination.  Yank (carefully!) the
connectors out of each disk, make sure everything is clean, put it back
together.  Check that the SCSI cable is seated properly at each end.  It
just sounds a little coincidental.

> BTW can I use any new SCSI disk or are there any limitations?

Up until last weekend, I would have said yes.  However, DEC have retired
the RZ25L, and work just bought half a dozen RZ25M's.  Not one of these
works in three different 5000/150's that we tried.  (By "not working",
a `cnfg 3' wedged during the SCSI probe and an Ultrix diskless client
swapping on disk got to the "swap on local disk" bit then hung.)

_Most_ disks should work, but don't count on it...

Simon.