linux-kernel - Re: dying hdd causing MCE and panic (libata)

lists.openwall.net		lists / announce owl-users owl-dev john-users john-dev passwdqc-users yescrypt popa3d-users / oss-security kernel-hardening musl sabotage tlsify passwords / crypt-dev xvendor / Bugtraq Full-Disclosure linux-kernel linux-netdev linux-ext4 linux-hardening linux-cve-announce PHC
Open Source and information security mailing list archives

Hash Suite: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [day] [month] [year] [list]

Message-ID: <20080420103358.028c94e2@the-village.bc.nu>
Date:	Sun, 20 Apr 2008 10:33:58 +0100
From:	Alan Cox <alan@...rguk.ukuu.org.uk>
To:	Rumi Szabolcs <rumi_ml@...m.hu>
Cc:	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: dying hdd causing MCE and panic (libata)

> - Is it normal that a simple hard disk failure (that is not even
> the system disk) causes MCEs and kernel panics?

No but with old style (pre AHCI) IDE it can because the system may MCE if
the CPU<->Disk hangs. If a drive is causing PSU problems it could also
occur I guess - ditto heat. You'd need to decode the MCE

> - Is this a problem that is induced completely on the hardware
> level (eg. the southbridge going crazy and making the whole
> hardware platform unstable) or a problem that could be fixed
> or handled properly on the software (kernel) level?

An MCE the hardware can recover from is reported and we continue. CPU
Context Corrupt means the processor internally set a "cannot carry on"
indicator.

Alan
--
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@...r.kernel.org
More majordomo info at  http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
Please read the FAQ at  http://www.tux.org/lkml/