> -----Original Message----- > From: linux-scsi-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > [mailto:linux-scsi-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Lars > Marowsky-Bree > Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2005 5:50 PM > To: device-mapper development; Andreas Herrmann > Cc: Linux SCSI > Subject: Re: [dm-devel] Re: fastfail operation and retries > > On 2005-04-21T17:31:46, "goggin, edward" <egoggin@xxxxxxx> wrote: > > > > No. Basically every time out error creates a "dunno why" > error right > > > now - could be the storage system itself, could be the network in > > > between. > > > > > I was really thinking of the code where the sense key/asc/ascq makes > > it into the bio. > > We don't get sense data for transport errors and certain storage > failures, though. > > > I agree we and likely other storage vendors could do a better job > > here. But that said, the multipathing code could also avoid failing > > the path just because an io error occurred on that path. Instead, > > this could be the sole responsibility of path testing (from user > > space) which could reduce the likelihood of media errors being > > confused with path connectivity ones. > > If we can't differentiate in the kernel where we have the IO error > details available, then how would user-space? You're not solving the > problem ;-) Maybe not completely, but at least an inquiry of page 83 will not trip over media errors. Also, why use a different test for determining path success than the one used for path failure? > > > I agree that its unfortunate that the CLARiion is failing all paths > > during NDU, even for a restricted amount of time. Even so, it must > > be dealt with as is. > > It does? According to my documentation, the CX-family, the FC4700(-2) > and likely the Symmetrix NDU is a rolling update, so that always one > Service-Processor remains accessible, with enough delay in > between them > that path retesting will have reenabled the path. > > We get an 02/04/03 Path Not Ready error code for this case, > which in the > dm-emc.c handler is translated to an immediate switch_pg. > > In fact, the user-space testing code will receive > pre-notification of a > pending NDU by the LUN Operations field being set to 1, which > will cause > user-space to flag that path as down, even if there's no in-flight IO. > > This combined ought to cover the NDU case pretty well and is > implemented > already. (And supposedly works in SLES9 SP2 beta3.) > > According to my docs, the only EMC array which does fail all paths > during a software update (by doing a "Warm Reboot") is a FC4500 array. > Not sure whether this also includes the AX-series, though, my doc > doesn't mention it. The FC4500 might not respond to IO for upto 50 > seconds; in which case the queue_if_no_path and user-space retesting > provides adequate (as good as possible) coverage to reinstate > the paths. I am seeing all-paths-down time period whenever I perfrom an NDU for a CX300 while running 1 (async write behind) dd thread per mapped device for 16 mapped devices. > > (The fact that no write/reads complete should automatically > throttle the > IO, too; however, this might not be true for certain write > patterns, and > in particular async IO (how could we possible throttle _that_?). IO > throttling in this case remains a problem which we might need to > address.) This is the problem I am refering to. > > I guess you get what you pay for: The arrays which _do_ have this > misbehaviour _will_ be problematic in certain configurations; putting > swap on them comes to mind. > > As this allows EMC and other vendors to sell their higher end > arrays, I > can't see how you could possibly complain ;-) > > I stand by my point that any array which does have this behaviour does > not qualify as high-end storage. > > > Sincerely, > Lars Marowsky-Brée <lmb@xxxxxxx> > > -- > High Availability & Clustering > SUSE Labs, Research and Development > SUSE LINUX Products GmbH - A Novell Business > > - > To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe > linux-scsi" in > the body of a message to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html >