94-179r0-protecting against out of order media writes proposal

Bob Snively Bob.Snively at eng.sun.com
Sat Sep 10 23:32:01 PDT 1994


I believe that SCSI has a number of mechanisms to perform
equivalent function already.  Such mechanisms include
command linking with the FUA bit set, Ordered Queueing, software
control of a logical thread, and many others.

The proposed implementation is not desirable because it forces the
SAM Device Server to have knowledge of undocumented aspects
of the CDB.  In particular, there is no way for the Device Server
to know precisely when a function arrived, and therefore to make
meaningful use of the proposed bit.

This is especially interesting, since there is no rule that says
that the Device Server processes data to a disk in the same order
in which the data is transferred.  Even single command 
implementations of a data-base write must have verified
completion of the entire command before the write can be
considered valid.

I propose the responsibility be passed back to the software
management where it belongs and that the proposal be withdrawn.

Bob Snively

>From ssa-owner at dt.wdc.com Sat Sep 10 01:10 PDT 1994
>Date: Fri, 9 Sep 94 00:45:21 PDT
>To: ssa at dt.wdc.com
>Subject: 94-179r0-protecting against out of order media writes proposal
>
>Accredited Standards Committee
>X3, Information Processing Systems
>                                                 Doc:    X3T10/94-179R0
>                                                 Date:   7 September, 1994
>                                                 Project :
>                                                 Ref Doc.:
>                                                 Reply to: John Scheible
>To:        X3T10 Membership
>From:      John Scheible, IBM
>
>Subject:   Protecting against out of order writes to the media proposal
>
>
>BACKGROUND
>
>UNIX based systems timestamp the beginning and end of a multisector
>file, and assume the file is correct if the timestamps agree.  However,
>if the disk drive does an out of order write this can cause corrupted
>data to go undetected.  If the drive writes the end of the file (ending
>timestamp), then the beginning of the file (beginning timestamp),  but
>then fails to write the middle of the record (due to hardware error),
>the data is corrupted but UNIX will not detect this case.  Out of order
>writes could be prohibited, but they do cause significant performance
>advantages for those systems that can handle the case shown above (most
>systems).
>
>Current systems can control out of order writes across the interface,
>but the disk drive is not prohibited from writing the data out of order
>to the media.  The disk drive is only responsible for giving Check
>Condition Status at the end of the command (or during the Synchronize
>Cache command).
>
>The X3T10.1 (SSA) committee entertained a proposal to add a bit to
>control out of order writes to the media, but decided that this problem
>is independent of the physical layer and recommended that a change be
>made to the Write CDB to handle this problem independent of the physical
>layer.  This proposal is the result of that decision.
>
>
>
>
>CHANGES
>
>This proposal recommends a change to the Write (10) command descriptor
>block to add a bit that controls the ability for the Target to write the
>data out of order.  I took the SCSI-2 description of the Write (10)
>command,  so I may not have all the SCSI-3 changes.
>
>Add bit 1 in byte 1 of the Write (10) CDB  and add the text that
>follows:
>
>
>Byte                               Bit
>         7       6       5       4       3       2       1       0
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 1   !          LUN          !  DPO  !  FUA !Reserved ! OOWM ! RelAdr !
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>A OOWM (Out of Order Write to the Media) bit of 1 indicates the Target
>may write the data to the media in an order other than that which was
>transmitted over the interface (The Target may perform a split write
>operation).  A OOWM bit of 0 indicates the Target must write the data to
>the media in the same order it was transferred over the SCSI interface.
>
>
>I welcome any comments.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>John Scheible
>Voice:  (512) 823-8208
>FAX:    (512) 823-0758
>Email:  Scheible at vnet.ibm.com
>




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