Bug 185272 – [2.6.21 regression] MPT Fusion SCSI Driver can't mount root

• Product: Gentoo Linux
• Status: RESOLVED INVALID

[Description Sulla Felix 2007-07-14 07:14:05 UTC]

After compiling 2.6.21 with the same .config as 2.6.20 using genkernel, I get:

determining root device 
block device /dev/sda3 is not a valid root device 
the root block device is unspecified or not detected 

Only thing I found on google was this quote from #gentoo

andy_t_roo wrote:
from #gentoo : (4:19:28 PM) DrChandra: andy_t_roo: Looks like it needs to be a a bug against version 3.04.04 of the driver, that Eric Moore submitted in February against 2.6.20. 

the resolution to my problem was via replacing the .21 drivers with the .20 drivers (literally replacing the /usr/src/linux/drivers/message/fusion directory) and recompiling.

Reproducible: Always

[Comment 1 Sulla Felix 2007-07-14 07:15:50 UTC]

Most recent VMware guest install are using this Fusion driver.. so this is indeed a critical problem.

[Comment 2 Daniel Drake (RETIRED) 2007-07-17 12:25:49 UTC]

Can you reproduce this on the latest gentoo-sources-2.6.22 release?

[Comment 3 Sulla Felix 2007-07-20 11:45:33 UTC]

(In reply to comment #2)
> Can you reproduce this on the latest gentoo-sources-2.6.22 release?

Just tested gentoo sources 2.6.22-r1 and I have the same problem. 

I am using the /proc/config.gz from the 2007.0 minimal install disk and it worked fine with 2.6.20.

[Comment 4 Maarten Bressers (RETIRED) 2007-07-21 16:48:07 UTC]

What kind of controller do you have and how is it attached (parallel/FC/SAS)? 
Can you please post both the 2.6.20 and the 2.6.22 .config and dmesg output? Thanks.

[Comment 5 Adam 2007-07-25 00:07:10 UTC]

Here is a thread over at the vmware forums http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=675110

Their is a post form  jsg@q1 that includes a possible patch.

[Comment 6 Sulla Felix 2007-07-26 03:43:55 UTC]

Here is the patch they propose in the vmware thread:

diff -uNr linux-2.6.21.3/drivers/message/fusion/mptbase.c linux-2.6.21.3-patched/drivers/message/fusion/mptbase.c 
--- linux-2.6.21.3/drivers/message/fusion/mptbase.c 2007-05-24 18:22:47.000000000 -0300 
+++ linux-2.6.21.3-patched/drivers/message/fusion/mptbase.c 2007-05-30 15:46:49.000000000 -0300 
@@ -2564,6 +2564,16 @@ 
pfacts->IOCStatus = le16_to_cpu(pfacts->IOCStatus); 
pfacts->IOCLogInfo = le32_to_cpu(pfacts->IOCLogInfo); 
pfacts->MaxDevices = le16_to_cpu(pfacts->MaxDevices); 
+ /* 
+ * VMware emulation is broken, its PortFact's MaxDevices reports value 
+ * programmed by IOC Init, so if you program IOC Init to 256 (which is 0, 
+ * as that field is only 8 bit), it reports back 0 in port facts, instead 
+ * of 256... And unfortunately using 256 triggers another bug in the 
+ * code (parallel SCSI can have only 16 devices). 
+ */ 
+ if (pfacts->MaxDevices == 0) { 
+ pfacts->MaxDevices = 16; 
+ } 
pfacts->PortSCSIID = le16_to_cpu(pfacts->PortSCSIID); 
pfacts->ProtocolFlags = le16_to_cpu(pfacts->ProtocolFlags); 
pfacts->MaxPostedCmdBuffers = le16_to_cpu(pfacts->MaxPostedCmdBuffers); 

[Comment 7 Maarten Bressers (RETIRED) 2007-07-27 20:03:39 UTC]

So have you tested this patch? Does it fix the problem for you?

[Comment 8 Maarten Bressers (RETIRED) 2007-07-27 20:28:06 UTC]

OK, just discovered (as you may have) that this patch doesn't apply cleanly. Please try the one I'm attaching. 
In /usr/src/linux, type: patch -p0 < fusion_mptbase.patch

[Comment 9 Maarten Bressers (RETIRED) 2007-07-27 20:28:47 UTC]

Created attachment 126178 [details, diff]
fusion_mptbase.patch

[Comment 10 Sulla Felix 2007-07-31 04:48:30 UTC]

Thanks that patch works fine

[Comment 11 Daniel Drake (RETIRED) 2007-07-31 12:12:10 UTC]

Please don't close bugs until we actually ship the fix

[Comment 12 Maarten Bressers (RETIRED) 2007-07-31 19:30:45 UTC]

It's great the patch works for you, unfortunately it's not going to be included upstream. Upstream says:

"Since it is a problem not specific to the kernel,
no 'fix' or workaround is going to be included."

So your choices are either to keep/maintain the patch yourself, complain to VMware, or upgrade to a newer version of VMware.

[Comment 13 Daniel Drake (RETIRED) 2007-07-31 22:28:49 UTC]

The upstream thread indicates this is fixed in version "WS6.0", I hope that means something to someone
http://marc.info/?l=linux-scsi&m=118591877927022&w=2

[Comment 14 Daniel Drake (RETIRED) 2007-08-05 15:58:43 UTC]

*** Bug 187809 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***