From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: Received: from smtp.gentoo.org (woodpecker.gentoo.org [140.211.166.183]) (using TLSv1.3 with cipher TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 (256/256 bits) key-exchange X25519 server-signature RSA-PSS (4096 bits) server-digest SHA256) (No client certificate requested) by finch.gentoo.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 2057D1582EF for ; Mon, 17 Feb 2025 03:44:26 +0000 (UTC) Received: from lists.gentoo.org (bobolink.gentoo.org [140.211.166.189]) (using TLSv1.3 with cipher TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 (256/256 bits) key-exchange X25519 server-signature RSA-PSS (4096 bits)) (No client certificate requested) (Authenticated sender: relay-lists.gentoo.org@gentoo.org) by smtp.gentoo.org (Postfix) with ESMTPSA id 090E03432B6 for ; Mon, 17 Feb 2025 03:44:26 +0000 (UTC) Received: from bobolink.gentoo.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by bobolink.gentoo.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 6586A11047E; Mon, 17 Feb 2025 03:43:20 +0000 (UTC) Received: from mp-relay-02.fibernetics.ca (mp-relay-02.fibernetics.ca [208.85.217.137]) (using TLSv1.3 with cipher TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 (256/256 bits) key-exchange X25519 server-signature RSA-PSS (4096 bits) server-digest SHA256) (No client certificate requested) by bobolink.gentoo.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 3DFCA1102CD for ; Mon, 17 Feb 2025 03:43:19 +0000 (UTC) Received: from mailpool-fe-02.fibernetics.ca (mailpool-fe-02.fibernetics.ca [208.85.217.145]) (using TLSv1.3 with cipher TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 (256/256 bits) key-exchange X25519 server-signature RSA-PSS (2048 bits) server-digest SHA256) (No client certificate requested) by mp-relay-02.fibernetics.ca (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 5D4E061A3A for ; Mon, 17 Feb 2025 03:43:18 +0000 (UTC) Received: from localhost (mailpool-mx-02.fibernetics.ca [208.85.217.141]) by mailpool-fe-02.fibernetics.ca (Postfix) with ESMTP id 5916560BF1 for ; Mon, 17 Feb 2025 03:43:18 +0000 (UTC) X-Virus-Scanned: Debian amavisd-new at X-Spam-Flag: NO X-Spam-Score: -1.101 X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-1.101 tagged_above=-999 required=5 tests=[ALL_TRUSTED=-1, BAYES_40=-0.001, DKIM_SIGNED=0.1, DKIM_VALID=-0.1, DKIM_VALID_AU=-0.1] autolearn=no autolearn_force=no Received: from mailpool-fe-02.fibernetics.ca ([208.85.217.145]) by localhost (mail-mx-02.fibernetics.ca [208.85.217.141]) (amavisd-new, port 10024) with ESMTP id dgUCJNSpPX08 for ; Mon, 17 Feb 2025 03:43:18 +0000 (UTC) Received: from ca.inter.net (ipagstaticip-775be200-4a37-75d6-8e66-9fb1bf5ef423.sdsl.bell.ca [74.15.193.54]) (using TLSv1.3 with cipher TLS_AES_256_GCM_SHA384 (256/256 bits) key-exchange ECDHE (P-256) server-signature RSA-PSS (2048 bits) server-digest SHA256) (No client certificate requested) (Authenticated sender: purslow1@ca.inter.net) by mail.ca.inter.net (Postfix) with ESMTPSA id F2E1E60BE7 for ; Mon, 17 Feb 2025 03:43:17 +0000 (UTC) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/simple; d=ca.inter.net; s=mail; t=1739763798; bh=w8JlpH8e2EwrXq0a3CZW1gNCQTgQPY5DCNt7+W38TLM=; h=Date:From:To:Subject:References:In-Reply-To:From; b=n48Nfq4rtUMNTn15oW+nrwZ/6TvFIGRS39h5gHD2R5/09es+RPTB459t22ZjYooqc vq2FYcUHkO+XazIZpRfhyswp5tDBotYhoBEbHd1y87HrpZj5c9I54dUG42A9Bie2XA ewDq5Z2ELVnCE9OVahMVfeDPBQwaoEQDmLppoGxIxmff8oQRhZMcXX6OxMFekMYebd UURUF00Pppo9FUoopRbOB895jHABroLNFXDpiJgsFmrDCzY2niqlAiZgjgoy46bsHo wmHUWy8Mqy4WabN/EJeSQpBpEuxHjiwGiaSUszDPaPiOVlIiYJDjiUNcgJaOGQXX4D nmbqd9ivECIIw== Date: Sun, 16 Feb 2025 22:43:16 -0500 From: Philip Webb To: gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org Subject: Re: [gentoo-user] problem formatting new 256 GB USB stick : more info Message-ID: Mail-Followup-To: gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org References: <1819814.VLH7GnMWUR@rogueboard> Precedence: bulk List-Post: List-Help: List-Unsubscribe: List-Subscribe: List-Id: Gentoo Linux mail X-BeenThere: gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org Reply-to: gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org X-Auto-Response-Suppress: DR, RN, NRN, OOF, AutoReply MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <1819814.VLH7GnMWUR@rogueboard> X-Archives-Salt: e6528f68-e740-4a5f-84ee-7b52ac8773bf X-Archives-Hash: 6b38cf3b5ad6df53ba2ca3b5593c6659 250217 Michael wrote: > On Sunday 16 February 2025 22:57:29 Greenwich Mean Time Philip Webb wrote: >> I successfully formatted one of the partitions which failed with Ext2 as >> Vfat. I was able to mount it, create a file with words in it, >> save it, list it via 'ls', browse it & then delete it, all using Gentoo. >> This suggests that the problem isn't due to defective hardware, >> but is somewhere in 'mke2fs' or related material. >> Any observations are very welcome. > A USB drive which disconnects itself without interference by the user > does not indicate a problem caused by any filesystem in and of itself. > However, a poor quality or buggy USB flash controller > which drops the connection because it is overloaded by data > could produce all sort of random failures. I am no filesystem expert, > but my thinking is an ext2 filesystem will try to commit more data > to a block device than FAT does while formatted. > Ext2 will write in many different blocks across the partition > by creating backups of its superblock, inode bitmaps, inode tables, etc. > If a USB drive cannot cope with this relatively simple transaction > of committing to flash cells the structure of a filesystem, > then it must have bigger problems. Instead of writing and deleting > a simple text file, I would try to stress test the drive > by copying over a more demanding workload > to see if this succeeds without dmesg coming up with any more errors. I do hear you + Nuno clearly, but my own experience is that repeatable errors are the result of software problems -- incl eg omitted flags or inadequate config files -- & random errors are caused by faulty hardware. This problem is repeatable with 'mke2fs' : do I need a flag or config ? -- that cb something which has changed with the latest 256 GB sticks. I'm currently testing a 2.0/1.1 port to write an Ext2 file system. If that makes no difference, I'll see if I can do your stress test above after recreating a FAT file system on one of the partitions. Another test mb to create a very small partition -- eg 5 GB -- & see if 'mke2fs' wb able to format that without disconnecting. I'll report results when I have them (smile). The sticks were delivered, so I can't easily return them, & in any case we've had 50 cm snow dumped on us in the last few days. If a Linux file system really is unachievable, I can format the sticks as FAT, which sb adequate for simple archiving. Thanks to both of you for your advice so far. Comments from others are welcome too. -- ========================,,============================================ SUPPORT ___________//___, Philip Webb ELECTRIC /] [] [] [] [] []| Cities Centre, University of Toronto TRANSIT `-O----------O---' purslowatcadotinterdotnet