[Bug 278176] Re: disk detection is real slow with some hardware (timout shell drops)

[ceg]

** Description changed:

  I have installed Intrepid server i386 beta on a Dell PowerEdge 600SC.
  Everything seemed to install fine but upon boot it always drops into the
  BusyBox shell. The RAID is *not* degraded. At the BusyBox prompt if I
  type 'exit' it will proceed to boot normally and both RAID1 drives show
  healthy with all members. I have tried the install twice.
  
- The disk layout is:
-   /dev/md0  /  (root)
-  /dev/md1  <swap>
  
- The box has dual 36GB SCSI drives on an Adaptec 39160 with BIOS version
- 2.57.2S2. Total 3GB of RAM.
+ This has shown to be a timeout issue with slow hardware.
  
- The console messages just before dropping into BusyBox are like this (transcribed):
-     MP-BIOS bug: 8254 timer not connected to IO-APIC
-     Loading, please wait...
-     uvesafb: failed to execute /sbin/v86d
-     uvesafb: make sure that the v86d helper is installed and executable
-     uvesafb: Getting VBE info block failed (eax=0x4f00, err=-2)
-       <pause for several seconds>
-     Gave up waiting for root device. Common problems:
-       <snip>
-     ALERT!  /dev/md0 does not exist. Dropping to a shell!
+ * initramfs: Default rootdelay may need to be larger and event driven
+ upstart used.
  
- Some info, after booting:
- # fdisk -l /dev/sd?
+ * linux: The long delay may have its cause here.
  
- Disk /dev/sda: 36.4 GB, 36420075008 bytes
- 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4427 cylinders
- Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
- Disk identifier: 0x00000080
+ * mdadm: As RAIDs may take minutes until they come up, but regular ones are quick, this should be handled nicely:
+ * This functionality is similar to and could most easily be added with upstart events (the temporary tool) mountall:
  
-    Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
- /dev/sda1   *           1        4182    33591883+  fd  Linux raid autodetect
- /dev/sda2            4183        4427     1967962+  fd  Linux raid autodetect
+       "NOTICE: /dev/mdX required for the root filesystem didn't get up
+ within the last 10 seconds.
  
- Disk /dev/sdb: 36.7 GB, 36748945408 bytes
- 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 4467 cylinders
- Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
- Disk identifier: 0x000d6c1e
+       We continue to wait up to a total of xxx seconds complying to the ATA spec
+       before attempting to start the array degraded.
+       (You can lower this timeout by setting the rootdelay= parameter.)
  
-    Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
- /dev/sdb1   *           1        4182    33591883+  fd  Linux raid autodetect
- /dev/sdb2            4183        4425     1951897+  fd  Linux raid autodetect
+       <countdown> seconds to go.
  
- # mount | grep md
- /dev/md0 on / type ext3 (rw,noatime,relatime,errors=remount-ro)
+       Press [ESC] to stop waiting and to enter a rescue shell.
  
- # cat /proc/mdstat
- Personalities : [linear] [multipath] [raid0] [raid1] [raid6] [raid5] [raid4] [raid10]
- md1 : active raid1 sda2[0] sdb2[1]
-       1951808 blocks [2/2] [UU]
  
- md0 : active raid1 sda1[0] sdb1[1]
-       33591808 blocks [2/2] [UU]
- 
- unused devices: <none>
- 
- # mdadm --detail /dev/md0
- /dev/md0:
-         Version : 00.90
-   Creation Time : Fri Oct  3 17:07:47 2008
-      Raid Level : raid1
-      Array Size : 33591808 (32.04 GiB 34.40 GB)
-   Used Dev Size : 33591808 (32.04 GiB 34.40 GB)
-    Raid Devices : 2
-   Total Devices : 2
- Preferred Minor : 0
-     Persistence : Superblock is persistent
- 
-     Update Time : Sat Oct  4 10:52:42 2008
-           State : clean
-  Active Devices : 2
- Working Devices : 2
-  Failed Devices : 0
-   Spare Devices : 0
- 
-            UUID : 40576586:21a3ec73:fce4d375:9253158f
-          Events : 0.6
- 
-     Number   Major   Minor   RaidDevice State
-        0       8        1        0      active sync   /dev/sda1
-        1       8       17        1      active sync   /dev/sdb1
- 
- # mdadm --detail /dev/md1
- /dev/md1:
-         Version : 00.90
-   Creation Time : Fri Oct  3 17:07:55 2008
-      Raid Level : raid1
-      Array Size : 1951808 (1906.38 MiB 1998.65 MB)
-   Used Dev Size : 1951808 (1906.38 MiB 1998.65 MB)
-    Raid Devices : 2
-   Total Devices : 2
- Preferred Minor : 1
-     Persistence : Superblock is persistent
- 
-     Update Time : Fri Oct  3 18:44:10 2008
-           State : clean
-  Active Devices : 2
- Working Devices : 2
-  Failed Devices : 0
-   Spare Devices : 0
- 
-            UUID : 7653b33c:78f7bd9a:8be10872:a9def14a
-          Events : 0.6
- 
-     Number   Major   Minor   RaidDevice State
-        0       8        2        0      active sync   /dev/sda2
-        1       8       18        1      active sync   /dev/sdb2
+ * see https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ReliableRaid

** Also affects: mountall (Ubuntu)
   Importance: Undecided
       Status: New

-- 
disk detection is real slow with some hardware (timout shell drops)
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/278176
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