Device timeout reading fsbn ...

["Thomas Mueller" <mueller6725%twc.com@localhost>]

What does it mean when I get such messages, and then I can't do anything more except reboot (not clean, I need to run fsck_ffs on partitions that had been mounted)?

To reboot, I have to Reset, or Ctrl-Alt-Esc into debugger, followed by reboot.

Does it mean the hard drive is going bad, about to go completely bad?

This happens with NetBSD-current i386 and amd64, but apparently not with NetBSD 7.99.1 (an old installation) or FreeBSD.

Hard drive is Western Digital Green, meaning not very sturdy.  I get some advertised specials on hard drives through Newegg, meaning I could go to something more heavy-duty.

I show some such messages so you see what I am talking about:

Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 syslogd[139]: restart
Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 /netbsd: [ 42238.9072244] wd1d: error reading fsbn 2413489864 of 2413489864-2413489895 (wd1 bn 2413489864; cn 2394335 tn 2 sn 58)
Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 /netbsd: [ 42248.9107685] wd1d: device timeout writing fsbn 2391643476 of 2391643476-2391643507 (wd1 bn 2391643476; cn 2372662 tn 2 sn 54)
Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 /netbsd: [ 42248.9107685] wd1d: error writing fsbn 2391643476 of 2391643476-2391643507 (wd1 bn 2391643476; cn 2372662 tn 2 sn 54)
Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 /netbsd: [ 42258.9143125] wd1d: device timeout writing fsbn 2391643508 of 2391643508-2391643527 (wd1 bn 2391643508; cn 2372662 tn 3 sn 23)
Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 /netbsd: [ 42258.9143125] wd1d: error writing fsbn 2391643508 of 2391643508-2391643527 (wd1 bn 2391643508; cn 2372662 tn 3 sn 23)
Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 /netbsd: [ 42268.9178565] wd1d: device timeout writing fsbn 2391643528 of 2391643528-2391643539 (wd1 bn 2391643528; cn 2372662 tn 3 sn 43)
Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 /netbsd: [ 42268.9178565] wd1d: error writing fsbn 2391643528 of 2391643528-2391643539 (wd1 bn 2391643528; cn 2372662 tn 3 sn 43)
Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 /netbsd: [ 42278.9214006] wd1d: device timeout writing fsbn 2391643540 of 2391643540-2391643571 (wd1 bn 2391643540; cn 2372662 tn 3 sn 55)
Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 /netbsd: [ 42278.9214006] wd1d: error writing fsbn 2391643540 of 2391643540-2391643571 (wd1 bn 2391643540; cn 2372662 tn 3 sn 55)
Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 /netbsd: [ 42288.9249446] wd1d: device timeout reading fsbn 2413489864 of 2413489864-2413489895 (wd1 bn 2413489864; cn 2394335 tn 2 sn 58), xfer 38, retry 0
Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 /netbsd: [ 42288.9249446] wd1d: device timeout writing fsbn 2391643572 of 2391643572-2391643603 (wd1 bn 2391643572; cn 2372662 tn 4 sn 24), xfer d0, retry 0
Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 /netbsd: [ 42288.9249446] wd1d: device timeout writing fsbn 2391643604 of 2391643604-2391643635 (wd1 bn 2391643604; cn 2372662 tn 4 sn 56), xfer 168, retry 0
Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 /netbsd: [ 42288.9249446] wd1d: device timeout writing fsbn 2391643636 of 2391643636-2391643655 (wd1 bn 2391643636; cn 2372662 tn 5 sn 25), xfer 200, retry 0
Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 /netbsd: [ 42288.9249446] wd1d: device timeout writing fsbn 2391643656 of 2391643656-2391643667 (wd1 bn 2391643656; cn 2372662 tn 5 sn 45), xfer 298, retry 0
Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 /netbsd: [ 42299.4286658] wd1d: device timeout writing fsbn 2391643656 of 2391643656-2391643667 (wd1 bn 2391643656; cn 2372662 tn 5 sn 45), xfer 298, retry 1
Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 /netbsd: [ 42299.4286658] wd1d: device timeout writing fsbn 2391643636 of 2391643636-2391643655 (wd1 bn 2391643636; cn 2372662 tn 5 sn 25), xfer 200, retry 1
Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 /netbsd: [ 42299.4286658] wd1d: device timeout writing fsbn 2391643604 of 2391643604-2391643635 (wd1 bn 2391643604; cn 2372662 tn 4 sn 56), xfer 168, retry 1
Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 /netbsd: [ 42299.4286658] wd1d: device timeout writing fsbn 2391643572 of 2391643572-2391643603 (wd1 bn 2391643572; cn 2372662 tn 4 sn 24), xfer d0, retry 1
Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 /netbsd: [ 42299.4286658] wd1d: device timeout reading fsbn 2413489864 of 2413489864-2413489895 (wd1 bn 2413489864; cn 2394335 tn 2 sn 58), xfer 38, retry 1
Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 /netbsd: [ 42309.9323871] wd1d: device timeout reading fsbn 2413489864 of 2413489864-2413489895 (wd1 bn 2413489864; cn 2394335 tn 2 sn 58), xfer 38, retry 2
Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 /netbsd: [ 42309.9323871] wd1d: device timeout writing fsbn 2391643572 of 2391643572-2391643603 (wd1 bn 2391643572; cn 2372662 tn 4 sn 24), xfer d0, retry 2
Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 /netbsd: [ 42309.9323871] wd1d: device timeout writing fsbn 2391643604 of 2391643604-2391643635 (wd1 bn 2391643604; cn 2372662 tn 4 sn 56), xfer 168, retry 2
Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 /netbsd: [ 42309.9323871] wd1d: device timeout writing fsbn 2391643636 of 2391643636-2391643655 (wd1 bn 2391643636; cn 2372662 tn 5 sn 25), xfer 200, retry 2
Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 /netbsd: [ 42309.9323871] wd1d: device timeout writing fsbn 2391643656 of 2391643656-2391643667 (wd1 bn 2391643656; cn 2372662 tn 5 sn 45), xfer 298, retry 2
Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 /netbsd: [ 42320.4361083] wd1d: device timeout writing fsbn 2391643656 of 2391643656-2391643667 (wd1 bn 2391643656; cn 2372662 tn 5 sn 45), xfer 298, retry 3
Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 /netbsd: [ 42320.4361083] wd1d: device timeout writing fsbn 2391643636 of 2391643636-2391643655 (wd1 bn 2391643636; cn 2372662 tn 5 sn 25), xfer 200, retry 3
Sep 27 19:15:30 amelia2 /netbsd: [ 42320.4361083] wd1d: device timeout writing fsbn 2391643604 of 2391643604-2391643635 (wd1 bn 2391643604; cn 2372662 tn 4 sn 56), xfer 168, retry 3

Tom