BTRFS or EXT4 filesystem for 2TB external drive

While Ockie is MIA, I found some things that sound like his problem:
LP: #1456837: USB drive errors with kernel version 3.13.0-35 and above

Also reported to the linux-usb and linux-scsi mailing lists:
http://marc.info/?l=linux-usb&m=143273921914144&w=2
Here's the problem, from right near the start of your trace:

> ffff8800cf87c000 2445467361 S Bo:1:004:2 -115 31 = 55534243 d2000000 00000000 \
> 00000a35 00000000 00000000 00000000 000000

0x35 is a SYNCHRONIZE CACHE command, telling the drive to write the
contents of its internal cache out to the physical medium.

> ffff8800cf87c000 2445467440 C Bo:1:004:2 0 31 >
> ffff8800cf87c000 2445467445 S Bi:1:004:8 -115 13 <
> ffff8800cf87c000 2445467659 C Bi:1:004:8 0 13 = 55534253 d2000000 00000000 01
> ffff8800cf87c000 2445467682 S Bo:1:004:2 -115 31 = 55534243 d3000000 12000000 \
> 80000603 00000012 00000000 00000000 000000 ffff8800cf87c000 2445467811 C Bo:1:004:2 \
> 0 31 > ffff8800bd45c6c0 2445468603 S Bi:1:004:8 -115 18 <
> ffff8800bd45c6c0 2445468688 C Bi:1:004:8 0 18 = 70000500 0000000a 00000000 20000000 \
> 0000 ffff8800cf87c000 2445468695 S Bi:1:004:8 -115 13 <
> ffff8800cf87c000 2445468811 C Bi:1:004:8 0 13 = 55534253 d3000000 00000000 00

The drive replied with an error status, saying that this was an illegal
request with an invalid operation code. Obviously it wasn't, and just
as obviously, your drive does not handle the SYNCHRONIZE CACHE command
properly.

It makes sense that this would trigger the error-detection code added
in commit 89fb4cd1f717 (scsi: handle flush errors properly). After
all, it really was an error in the data-flushing path.

You wrote that the error appears with several different brands and
types of USB drives. Almost certainly these drivers share a bug in the
component that bridges the USB bus to the internal SATA bus.

The real question is what to do about it.
Click to expand...
 
Ockie said:
Sorry meneer. I totally crashed and was fast asleep by 21:15. Sorry for dissapearing.
Click to expand...
No worries.
Ockie said:
So they know about the problem but dont know what to do about it? :(
Click to expand...
If it is the same problem, then yes. Let us know if the last two commands I suggested worked.

For reference, scsi: handle flush errors properly went into the Trusty kernel 3.13.0-35.62 on 2014-08-14 (LP: #1356913). This means any Ubuntu kernel released after this date will include the same fix, i.e. all versions of 14.10 and 15.04.

So if scsi: handle flush errors properly is what is causing your problem, you could:
use 14.04 and stick with kernel 3.13.0-34.60,
or use 12.04 and stick with kernel 3.2.0-69.103,
or format the drive NTFS (you did indicate that worked fine, right?),
or give the drive to an unsuspecting Windows user and get a new one that properly handles the SYNCHRONIZE CACHE command.
 
ginggs said:
No worries.

If it is the same problem, then yes. Let us know if the last two commands I suggested worked.

For reference, scsi: handle flush errors properly went into the Trusty kernel 3.13.0-35.62 on 2014-08-14 (LP: #1356913). This means any Ubuntu kernel released after this date will include the same fix, i.e. all versions of 14.10 and 15.04.

So if scsi: handle flush errors properly is what is causing your problem, you could:
use 14.04 and stick with kernel 3.13.0-34.60,
or use 12.04 and stick with kernel 3.2.0-69.103,
or format the drive NTFS (you did indicate that worked fine, right?),
or give the drive to an unsuspecting Windows user and get a new one that properly handles the SYNCHRONIZE CACHE command.
Click to expand...

mmmkay ... will give 14.04 a try and see what it does. Dont want to give the drive away. It is a 3TB drive and lots of stuff on there :(
 
Ockie said:
mmmkay ... will give 14.04 a try and see what it does. Dont want to give the drive away. It is a 3TB drive and lots of stuff on there :(
Click to expand...
This should install the kernel just before the problem:
Code: 
sudo apt-get install linux-image-3.13.0-34-generic

I would just format the drive NTFS, if that works.
 
ginggs said:
This should install the kernel just before the problem:
Code: 
sudo apt-get install linux-image-3.13.0-34-generic

I would just format the drive NTFS, if that works.
Click to expand...

Ja, maybe I should just switch it back to NTFS. Gosh, I hope I can remember how to share a NTFS drive again so that I can stream stuff on the server to the laptop when I am cuddled up in bed at night lol.
 
ginggs said:
Try these two commands:
Code: 
sudo umount /dev/sdb1
sudo fsck.ext4 -f /dev/sdb1
...then see if you can mount the drive
Click to expand...

Ok .... this is what it did.

sudo fsck.ext4 -f /dev/sdb1
e2fsck 1.42.12 (29-Aug-2014)
Expansion_Drive: recovering journal
Pass 1: Checking inodes, blocks, and sizes
Pass 2: Checking directory structure
Pass 3: Checking directory connectivity
/lost+found not found. Create<y>? yes
Pass 3A: Optimizing directories
Pass 4: Checking reference counts
Pass 5: Checking group summary information

Expansion_Drive: ***** FILE SYSTEM WAS MODIFIED *****
Expansion_Drive: 4503/122101760 files (3.7% non-contiguous), 244922065/488378368 blocks

Now lets see if it works
 
DWPTA said:
And?????
Click to expand...

After running those commands the drive mounts (though I cant get it to share. Says something about it being a read only file system). To test it I then unmounted and tried to remount and then the problem is back until I run those commands from ginggs again. :(

I think I must just switch it back to NTFS. I just find it so strange that Linux dont fix a problem that seems to be happening only with its own file system? :confused::(
 
DWPTA said:
And?????
Click to expand...
Ockie asleep at the wheel again. :p
Ockie said:
After running those commands the drive mounts (though I cant get it to share. Says something about it being a read only file system). To test it I then unmounted and tried to remount and then the problem is back until I run those commands from ginggs again. :(
Click to expand...
It's not happy about something. We'll know for sure that it is the same problem if your drive works on 14.04 with the 3.13.0-34 kernel, but not with the 3.13.0-35 kernel.
Ockie said:
I think I must just switch it back to NTFS. I just find it so strange that Linux dont fix a problem that seems to be happening only with its own file system? :confused::(
Click to expand...
Maybe NTFS doesn't check if the caches aren't flushed correctly.

It doesn't seem to be affecting many people though. Not a single person, besides the original reporter, has marked that the bug in Ubuntu (LP: #1456837) affects them too.
 
ginggs said:
Ockie asleep at the wheel again. :p

It's not happy about something. We'll know for sure that it is the same problem if your drive works on 14.04 with the 3.13.0-34 kernel, but not with the 3.13.0-35 kernel.

Maybe NTFS doesn't check if the caches aren't flushed correctly.

It doesn't seem to be affecting many people though. Not a single person, besides the original reporter, has marked that the bug in Ubuntu (LP: #1456837) affects them too.
Click to expand...

oK .... WILL GIVE 14.04 a try before going back to NTFS and let you know :)
 
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