# LSI driver fails on Kernel >= 2.6.22 on vmware esx guest

## bookwood

The LSI SCSI driver does not detect any scsi disk anymore with kernel >= 2.6.22. I had big problems with the  2.6.20 kernel on high disk load ( https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=197158 and I saw that this bug is fixed in >= 2.6.22 ). I use an ESX 3 vmware instance with the LSI Driver, because the LSI is newer than the Buslogic and has higher Performance. 

Normal scsi detection on 2.6.20:

```

Uniform CD-ROM driver Revision: 3.20

Fusion MPT base driver 3.04.03

Copyright (c) 1999-2007 LSI Logic Corporation

Fusion MPT SPI Host driver 3.04.03

ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:00:10.0[A] -> GSI 17 (level, low) -> IRQ 16

mptbase: Initiating ioc0 bringup

ioc0: 53C1030: Capabilities={Initiator}

scsi0 : ioc0: LSI53C1030, FwRev=00000000h, Ports=1, MaxQ=128, IRQ=16

scsi 0:0:0:0: Direct-Access     VMware   Virtual disk     1.0  PQ: 0 ANSI: 2

 target0:0:0: Beginning Domain Validation

 target0:0:0: Domain Validation skipping write tests

 target0:0:0: Ending Domain Validation

 target0:0:0: FAST-40 WIDE SCSI 80.0 MB/s ST (25 ns, offset 127)

SCSI device sda: 83886080 512-byte hdwr sectors (42950 MB)

sda: test WP failed, assume Write Enabled

sda: cache data unavailable

sda: assuming drive cache: write through

SCSI device sda: 83886080 512-byte hdwr sectors (42950 MB)

sda: test WP failed, assume Write Enabled

sda: cache data unavailable

sda: assuming drive cache: write through

 sda: sda1 sda2 sda3 sda4 < sda5 sda6 sda7 sda8 sda9 sda10 sda11 sda12 >

sd 0:0:0:0: Attached scsi disk sda

PNP: PS/2 Controller [PNP0303:KBC,PNP0f13:MOUS] at 0x60,0x64 irq 1,12

```

I loaded the 2.6.20 config ( zcat /proc/config.gz >k.cfg ) into the 2.6.23-gentoo-r6 and into 2.6.22-gentoo-r9. Both versions have the same result:

```

Uniform CD-ROM driver Revision: 3.20

Fusion MPT base driver 3.04.04

Copyright (c) 1999-2007 LSI Logic Corporation

Fusion MPT SPI Host driver 3.04.03

ACPI: PCI Interrupt 0000:00:10.0[A] -> GSI 17 (level, low) -> IRQ 16

mptbase: Initiating ioc0 bringup

ioc0: 53C1030: Capabilities={Initiator}

scsi0 : ioc0: LSI53C1030, FwRev=00000000h, Ports=1, MaxQ=128, IRQ=16

PNP: PS/2 Controller [PNP0303:KBC,PNP0f13:MOUS] at 0x60,0x64 irq 1,12

```

(2.6.22-gentoo-r9 output)

The complete following Part is missing:

```

scsi 0:0:0:0: Direct-Access     VMware   Virtual disk     1.0  PQ: 0 ANSI: 2

 target0:0:0: Beginning Domain Validation

 target0:0:0: Domain Validation skipping write tests

 target0:0:0: Ending Domain Validation

 target0:0:0: FAST-40 WIDE SCSI 80.0 MB/s ST (25 ns, offset 127)

SCSI device sda: 83886080 512-byte hdwr sectors (42950 MB)

sda: test WP failed, assume Write Enabled

sda: cache data unavailable

sda: assuming drive cache: write through

SCSI device sda: 83886080 512-byte hdwr sectors (42950 MB)

sda: test WP failed, assume Write Enabled

sda: cache data unavailable

sda: assuming drive cache: write through

 sda: sda1 sda2 sda3 sda4 < sda5 sda6 sda7 sda8 sda9 sda10 sda11 sda12 >

sd 0:0:0:0: Attached scsi disk sda

```

I read something about Megaraid, but this additional driver didn't change anything.

In short 2.6.20 is unstable and >=2.6.22 is broken.

Are there new kernel switches?

Thanks in advance

----------

## njcwotx

can you show me the FUSION MPT settings and the secion in your .config file about fusion?  I have a box that is 2.6.12, I'm upgrading my kernel to test.  I'm running ESX3 as well.  Ill see what I can find out.

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## zeek

I think you have to use BusLogic SCSI for now.

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## cgmoller

I have run into the same problem and have verified that the LSI drivers do not work above 2.6.20-r7.  

So now I want to upgrade the kernel but am unable to make the switch.  I have recompiled the latest working (LSI) version of the kernel 2.6.20-gentoo-r7 to use BusLogic (and changed ESX to present Buslogic not LSI) yet I get a kernel panic as if the driver is not loaded.  The major differences between the kernel configs are summarized below.  Is there an additional option that needs to be enabled?

```

LSI config file

--- snip ---

CONFIG_MEGARAID_NEWGEN=y

CONFIG_MEGARAID_MM=m

CONFIG_MEGARAID_MAILBOX=m

CONFIG_MEGARAID_LEGACY=y

CONFIG_MEGARAID_SAS=y

CONFIG_FUSION=y

CONFIG_FUSION_SPI=y

CONFIG_FUSION_MAX_SGE=128

CONFIG_FUSION_CTL=y

# CONFIG_SCSI_BUSLOGIC is not set

--- snip ---

BusLogic config file

--- snip ---

# CONFIG_MEGARAID_NEWGEN is not set

# CONFIG_MEGARAID_LEGACY is not set

# CONFIG_MEGARAID_SAS is not set

# CONFIG_FUSION is not set

# CONFIG_FUSION_SPI is not set

CONFIG_SCSI_BUSLOGIC=y

CONFIG_SCSI_OMIT_FLASHPOINT=y

--- snip ---

```

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## s4e8

This is VMWare's bug.

http://lkml.org/lkml/2007/3/23/345

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