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Kernel panics when writing/reading SCSI devices; potential solution; Adaptec cards don't work with Retrospect
There has been a resurgence of user reports indicating kernel panics when writing to or reading from SCSI devices under Mac OS X 10.4.x.
MacFixIt reader Dave writes:
"I use EMC's (used to be Dantz) Retrospect Backup Program which has been around for some time. The version used in the test was the latest, 6.126 I believe. Basically, I load up retrospect, and I try to start a backup to the SCSI Tape Drive (connected to an Adaptec SCSI card) and every time it Kernel Panics. I can however erase the tapes and that sort of thing.
"My diagnoses of the panic logs determine its a kext issue with the Adaptec78XX Kernel Extension, which at version 1.1.2 has been around for a while. I have also been able to determine that since I can erase tapes, and get information on them, as well as access SCSI Hard Drives, that this isn't an issue with the SCSI Card itself or a conflict between the ATA/66 Card and the SCSI Card.
"To Rule out it being the G3, I put the Tape Drive on my Quicksilver G4 and got an identical panic."
We covered some issues with SCSI devices in our Mac OS X 10.4.0 special report, and identified a workaround, successful for many users, which involves removing the following files from the /System/Library/Extensions folder:
- Adaptec 290X-2930.kext
- Adaptec 29160x.kext
- Adaptec 39160x.kext
but leaving the file
- Adaptec 78XXSCSI.kext
in place, then restarting.
UPDATE: It appears that Adapetc's SCSI cards are not compatible with Retrospect under Mac OS X, and are the cause for some cases of the aforementioned kernel panics.
Robin from EMC Dantz Technical Support technical support writes:
"EMC Dantz has tested Adaptec cards and they are not supported on Mac OS X with Retrospect."
MacFixIt reader Keith adds:
"Our experience, both on our bench and in the field w/clients, has been that the Adaptec SCSI adapters do not support Retrospect (or vice versa?), and this support has been lacking since OS 10.3. I realize that they've released updated drivers which were supposed to have remedied this problem but we've had no luck with the Dantz/EMC fixes. Likewise we?ve had problems using fixed media Ultra160 and Ultra320 hard drives w/Adaptec SCSI adapters.
"Our solution has been to exclusively use ATTO SCSI adapters. The driver is fully supported and by merely 'tuning' the target/bus/host configuration with the ATTO software and some slight changes to OpenFirmware via the line-command interface accessible at boot our SCSI experience has been close to perfect, regardless of the type of device (fixed media, tape, etc.)."
If your Mac is experiencing kernel panics when interacting with SCSI devices, please drop us a line at late-breakers@macfixit.com.
Resources
for Mac OS X. That note was eventually removed from the Adaptec website with
no additional details.
EMC Dantz has tested Adaptec cards and they are not supported on Mac OS X
with Retrospect.
Robin
EMC Dantz Technical Support
GHz processor with 1.28Gb of RAM ) with an Adaptec SCSI Card (model
29160N, attached to an internal bootable 40Gb Quantum Atlas 10k rpm
SCSI-2 HD), and when I first upgraded to Tiger I was experiencing kernel
panics too. After exhausting all avenues that I could think of, I finally crossed
my fingers, held my breath, and installed the last driver that Adaptec
developed (it was a beta written in 2004, with no promises of efficacy or
support)). This was my last resort, and if it failed, I was resigned to having to
buy new equipment to replace my SCSI tape drive, and my SCSI Linotype
Saphir Ultra 2 scanner. Lo and behold, the kernel panics went away! Not only
that, but it all works fine with Retrospect, AND the card now allows the
machine to go to sleep AND awaken from deep sleep, something it had never
allowed with OS 9.x or earlier versions of OSX. Here's a link to the driver that
got me happy with Tiger. I hope it helps someone else!: <http://
www.adaptec.com/worldwide/support/driverdetail.jsp?
sess=no&language=English+US&cat=/Product/
APD-29160N&filekey=apd29160x_X_v1.3beta1.hqx>
In my original configuration (OS X.2.x Server, Retrospect 5.x, 2 x Sony
SDT-9000 DDS-3 SCSI Drives, Adaptec 2906 SCSI Card) everything worked
perfectly.
Then I upgraded to Retrospect 6.0. Every time Retrospect tried to write to the
SDT-9000 in the middle of the SCSI chain, Retrospect would freeze. It could
write to the SDT-9000 at the end of the SCSI chain just fine. Changing the
SCSI addresses had no effect. Swapping the order of the SDT-9000s in the
SCSI chain resulted in Retrospect freezing (again) on the SDT-9000 in the
middle of the SCSI chain. And, Retrospect 6.0 works perfectly with either
SDT-9000 by itself on the SCSI chain.
So, I upgraded to OS X.3 Server: Same exact thing: Retrospect 5.x works
perfectly with both SDT-9000s on the same SCSI chain. But, Retrospect 6.0
freezes on whichever SDT-9000 is in the middle of the SCSI chain.
So, I bought an Orange Micro Grappler 906F SCSI card: Almost the same exact
thing: Retrospect 5.x works perfectly with both SDT-9000s on the same SCSI
chain. But, Retrospect 6.0 kernel panics on whichever SDT-9000 is in the
middle of the SCSI chain.
Then I put both SCSI cards in and attached 1 SDT-9000 to each SCSI card.
Once again: Retrospect 5.x works perfectly with both SDT-9000s on two
different SCSI chains. But, Retrospect 6.0 kernel panics on whichever
SDT-9000 is on the first SCSI chain. Changing the SCSI addresses have no
effect.
I have not tried Retrospect 6.1 yet.
I find it difficult to believe that these kernel panics have anything to do with
the SCSI card. I am running OS X.3.9 and Retrospect 5.x works perfectly with
both SDT-9000s regardless of which (or both) SCSI card is used.
What is more likely is that EMC (and Dantz) simply chooses not to fully
support SCSI any longer.
tape devices. Retrospect can not support a card that is not supported by the
card maker on the Macintosh.
ATTO Cards work well with Retrospect on all OS X versions.
Robin
EMC Dantz Technical Support
I checked the Adaptec website for compatibility info. The PowerDomain 39160
lists the following system requirements:
PCI-based Power Macintosh
MacŪ OS 8.6 or later, Mac OS X 10.1.x or 10.2.x
Blue & White G3 or G4
PCI expansion slot
SCSI peripheral(s)
10.3 and 10.4 are not listed.
have an Imacon scanner connected to my OSX 10.4.3 G5 via an Adaptec
29160 card. There's been no problem so far, but I've been keeping my
fingers crossed.
What has me worried, is that when I boot to Single User Mode to do a fsck -y
file system check, there is a reocurring warning, about once every two
seconds, that says something like "Warning: Adaptec resetting SCSI bus".
This happens over and over until the fsck process is finished.
As stated before, the latest driver for the 29160 is a beta, created a year or so
ago. The last non-beta version was issued several years before Obviously,
Adaptec's Mac SCSI support has ceased.
QUESTION:
According to MacFixit, "...a workaround, successful for many users, which
involves removing the following files from the /System/Library/Extensions
folder: Adaptec 290X-2930.kext, Adaptec 29160x.kext, Adaptec
39160x.kext, but leaving the file Adaptec 78XXSCSI.kext."
Does this mean, in the case of the 29160, that you would remove all the
kext's, except the 29160.kext, or is the proceedure the same, regardless of
the Adaptec card?
I once was also getting the message "Warning: Adaptec resetting SCSI bus".
Turns out that when you are logged in as normal, this message is being blasted
into your system.log file constantly. I had a hard drive fill up to the point the
system crashed because of this.
Check all your cable connections, and next chance, get an ATTO card.
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