[SUMMARY] Problem formatting Iomega Jaz 2GB under Solaris

From: David Foster (foster@dim.ucsd.edu)
Date: Wed Nov 17 1999 - 18:45:18 CST


Problem: Suddenly cannot format 2GB disks in Jaz drive on Ultra60

For anyone who uses Iomega products (Zip/Jaz drives) or has any issues
with them, check out the following website...it says it all.

        http://grc.com/clickdeath.htm

In a nutshell:

  1) Iomega Zip/Jaz drives suck
  2) There is a free utility available from this website that will diagnose
     problems with drives and cartridges
  3) Iomega has stated publicly that they will fix these drives, whether or
     not they are still under warranty.

Thanks to Jonathan Anspach for the URL.

Original question follows.

Dave Foster

>
> Suddenly we cannot format 2GB disks in our Jaz drive connected to a Sun Ultra60
> (it was working previously). Normally I would suspect the drive, but I've tried two
> different drives, one of which I know worked on another system, and get the same problem.
>
> The Sense Key returned is "Media Error", but I have tried using many different
> disks and I don't think they're all bad. One of the various outputs (see !!! below)
> leads me to believe that there may be a SCSI bus reset problem, but I'm having
> difficulty finding specifics on this, such as possible settings to use (/etc/system
> or sd.conf?). Any suggestions for diagnosing SCSI problems?
>
> Any help greatly appreciated. I've gone thru all of Iomega's support
> website, which was useless...you would hardly know that their drives work under
> UNIX!
>
> We really need to get this working so users can archive their data.
> Summary to follow.
>
> Dave Foster
>
> Here are the various diagnostic outputs:
>
>
> *************************************************************************************
> Error messages in /var/adm/messages:
>
> Nov 9 17:29:48 dim unix: WARNING: /pci@1f,4000/scsi@3,1/sd@2,0 (sd17):
> Nov 9 17:29:48 dim unix: Error for Command: format Error Level: Retryable
> Nov 9 17:29:48 dim unix: Requested Block: 0 Error Block: 0
> Nov 9 17:29:48 dim unix: Vendor: iomega Serial Number: 03/05/98
> Nov 9 17:29:48 dim unix: Sense Key: Media Error
> Nov 9 17:29:48 dim unix: ASC: 0x31 (<vendor unique code 0x31>), ASCQ: 0x83, FRU: 0x0
> Nov 9 17:29:51 dim unix: WARNING: /pci@1f,4000/scsi@3,1/sd@2,0 (sd17):
> Nov 9 17:29:51 dim unix: Error for Command: read(10) Error Level: Retryable
> Nov 9 17:29:51 dim unix: Requested Block: 0 Error Block: 0
> Nov 9 17:29:51 dim unix: Vendor: iomega Serial Number: 03/05/98
> Nov 9 17:29:51 dim unix: Sense Key: Media Error
> Nov 9 17:29:51 dim unix: ASC: 0x1c (defect list not found), ASCQ: 0x0, FRU: 0x0
>
> <then same read(10) error repeated many times>
>
>
> *************************************************************************************
> Output from format command:
>
> format -d c1t2d0 -x /usr/local/etc/format_jaz.dat \
> -f /usr/local/etc/format_jaz2GB.cmd -s
>
> Medium error during format
> ASC: 0x31 ASCQ: 0x83
> failed
> Warning: error writing VTOC.
> Medium error during read
> ASC: 0x1c ASCQ: 0x0
> Warning: error reading backup label.
> Medium error during read
> ASC: 0x1c ASCQ: 0x0
> Warning: error reading backup label.
> Medium error during read
> ASC: 0x1c ASCQ: 0x0
> Warning: error reading backup label.
> Medium error during read
> ASC: 0x1c ASCQ: 0x0
> Warning: error reading backup label.
> Medium error during read
> ASC: 0x1c ASCQ: 0x0
> Warning: error reading backup label.
> Warning: no backup labels
>
> Error formatting c1t4d0, command failed
>
> *************************************************************************************
> Output from command:
>
> format -d c1t2d0 -x /usr/local/etc/format_jaz.dat
>
> format> format
> Ready to format. Formatting cannot be interrupted.
> Continue? y
> Beginning format. The current time is Tue Nov 9 17:50:12 1999
>
> Formatting...
> Format failed
>
> Retry of formatting operation without any of the standard
> mode selects and ignoring disk's Grown Defects list. The
> disk may be able to be reformatted this way if an earlier
> formatting operation was interrupted by a power failure or [!!!]
> SCSI bus reset. The Grown Defects list will be recreated
> by format verification and surface analysis.
>
> Retry format without mode selects and Grown Defects list? y
> Formatting...
> Medium error during format
> ASC: 0x31 ASCQ: 0x83
> failed
> format>
>
>
> *************************************************************************************
> Output from command (EXTENDED MESSAGES):
>
> format -d c1t2d0 -x /usr/local/etc/format_jaz.dat -M -e
>
> Searching for disks...
> c1t2d0: attempting auto configuration
> Inquiry:
> 00 80 02 02 83 00 00 18 69 6f 6d 65 67 61 20 20 ........iomega
> 6a 61 7a 20 32 47 42 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 jaz 2GB
> 45 2e 31 36 30 33 2f 30 35 2f 39 38 00 00 00 00 E.1603/05/98....
> Product id: jaz 2GB
> Capacity: 00 3b bf 4f 00 00 02 00
> blocks: 3915599 (0x3bbf4f)
> blksize: 512
> disk name: ` `
> Illegal request during mode sense
> ASC: 0x24 ASCQ: 0x0
> cmd: 00 01 00 0e 00 02 00 1e ef ff e2 6c 00 04 da 88
> 00 00 00 ff 00 00 00 ff 06 ff 00 eb ef ff e1 08
> 00 00 00 00
> cdb: 1a 00 03 00 ff 00
> sense: 70 00 05 00 00 00 00 11 00 00 00 00 24 00 00 00
> 00 00 16 e8
> Mode sense page 0x3 failed
> Configuration via generic SCSI-2 information failed
> done
> Specify disk type (enter its number): 2
> selecting c1t2d0
> Medium error during read
> ASC: 0x1c ASCQ: 0x0
> sense: 70 00 03 00 00 00 00 11 00 00 00 00 1c 00 00 00
> 00 00 15 b8
> [disk unformatted]
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> David Foster National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research
> dfoster@ucsd.edu UCSD/Department of Neuroscience
> (858) 534-7968 http://www-ncmir.ucsd.edu/
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   David Foster National Center for Microscopy and Imaging Research
    dfoster@ucsd.edu UCSD/Department of Neuroscience
    (858) 534-7968 http://www-ncmir.ucsd.edu/
  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



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