Hello,

I rarely used my Toshiba DVD-ROM Drive (hdc; IDE; SD-M1912/TMAG 16X/48X)
on my Debian/Linux box. This morning, I decided to copy about 600 MB of
files from a CD-R to a an IDE HDD (hda) that took almost ten minutes
long (based on my human clock). I believe that is too slow. Also, I
noticed my CPU was at the maximum which doesn't seem right.

I looked around and noticed something doesn't look right:
# /sbin/hdparm -v /dev/hdc

/dev/hdc:
IO_support = 0 (default 16-bit)
unmaskirq = 0 (off)
using_dma = 0 (off)
keepsettings = 0 (off)
readonly = 0 (off)
readahead = 256 (on)
HDIO_GETGEO failed: Inappropriate ioctl for device

I don't know what HDIO_GETGEO failed: Inappropriate ioctl for device is
and don't know if that is a problem. The one I am concerned is the lack
of DMA. If I remember correctly (IIRC), DMA helps to speed up drives.
Maybe that is why my 600 MB copy files took forever.

I enabled DMA without problems:
# /sbin/hdparm -d1 /dev/hdc

/dev/hdc:
setting using_dma to 1 (on)
using_dma = 1 (on)

However, my CPU usage is still at the maximum and still takes a long
time to copy 600 MB of files and folders/directories (time said almost
eight minutes). I saw nothing odd in the recent dmesg (don't have the
boot up one since I ran out of buffer and don't know how to get the old
datas) and /var/log/messages.

Also, how come Debian's boot up did not set this DMA enabled
automatically? I am using Kernel 2.6.18-4-K7. My full computer
specifications can be found here:
http://alpha.zimage.com/~ant/antfarm.../computers.txt
(secondary/backup computer).

Thank you in advance.
--
"An ant can do more than an ox that is lying down." --unknown
/\___/\
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Ant wrote:
> Hello,

> I rarely used my Toshiba DVD-ROM Drive (hdc; IDE; SD-M1912/TMAG 16X/48X)
> on my Debian/Linux box. This morning, I decided to copy about 600 MB of
> files from a CD-R to a an IDE HDD (hda) that took almost ten minutes
> long (based on my human clock). I believe that is too slow. Also, I
> noticed my CPU was at the maximum which doesn't seem right.

> I looked around and noticed something doesn't look right:
> # /sbin/hdparm -v /dev/hdc

> /dev/hdc:
> IO_support = 0 (default 16-bit)
> unmaskirq = 0 (off)
> using_dma = 0 (off)
> keepsettings = 0 (off)
> readonly = 0 (off)
> readahead = 256 (on)
> HDIO_GETGEO failed: Inappropriate ioctl for device

> I don't know what HDIO_GETGEO failed: Inappropriate ioctl for device is
> and don't know if that is a problem. The one I am concerned is the lack
> of DMA. If I remember correctly (IIRC), DMA helps to speed up drives.
> Maybe that is why my 600 MB copy files took forever.

> I enabled DMA without problems:
> # /sbin/hdparm -d1 /dev/hdc
>
> /dev/hdc:
> setting using_dma to 1 (on)
> using_dma = 1 (on)
>
> However, my CPU usage is still at the maximum and still takes a long
> time to copy 600 MB of files and folders/directories (time said almost
> eight minutes). I saw nothing odd in the recent dmesg (don't have the
> boot up one since I ran out of buffer and don't know how to get the old
> datas) and /var/log/messages.
>
> Also, how come Debian's boot up did not set this DMA enabled
> automatically? I am using Kernel 2.6.18-4-K7. My full computer
> specifications can be found here:
> http://alpha.zimage.com/~ant/antfarm.../computers.txt
> (secondary/backup computer).
>
> Thank you in advance.

Going by the "human" clock leads to the watched pot never boiling effect.
However one assumes the disk speed is at least X16? And then one assumes it was
not a RW?

It is not clear that DMA would have anything to do with the speed of the burn
however if you had the computer create an ISO at the same time it was burning
that may explain the CPU usage.

--
Hodie septimo Idus Iulias MMVII est
-- The Ferric Webceasar
nizkor http://www.giwersworld.org/nizkook/nizkook.phtml
Larry Shiff http://www.giwersworld.org/computers/newsagent.phtml a8

on Tuesday 10 July 2007 04:57
in the Usenet newsgroup comp.os.linux.hardware
Ant wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I rarely used my Toshiba DVD-ROM Drive (hdc; IDE; SD-M1912/TMAG 16X/48X)
> on my Debian/Linux box. This morning, I decided to copy about 600 MB of
> files from a CD-R to a an IDE HDD (hda) that took almost ten minutes
> long (based on my human clock). I believe that is too slow. Also, I
> noticed my CPU was at the maximum which doesn't seem right.
>
> I looked around and noticed something doesn't look right:
> # /sbin/hdparm -v /dev/hdc
>
> /dev/hdc:
> IO_support = 0 (default 16-bit)
> unmaskirq = 0 (off)
> using_dma = 0 (off)
> keepsettings = 0 (off)
> readonly = 0 (off)
> readahead = 256 (on)
> HDIO_GETGEO failed: Inappropriate ioctl for device

My DVD-RW (Benq DW1650) has

hdparm /dev/hdc

/dev/hdc:
IO_support = 1 (32-bit)
unmaskirq = 1 (on)
using_dma = 1 (on)
keepsettings = 0 (off)
readonly = 0 (off)
readahead = 256 (on)
HDIO_GETGEO failed: Inappropriate ioctl for device


> I don't know what HDIO_GETGEO failed: Inappropriate ioctl for device is
> and don't know if that is a problem. The one I am concerned is the lack
> of DMA. If I remember correctly (IIRC), DMA helps to speed up drives.
> Maybe that is why my 600 MB copy files took forever.
[snip]

hdparm -tT /dev/xxx shows 850 + MB /s for buffer transfer for
both the hard drive and the DVD drive. Head transfer speed
is > 50MB/s for the HD, 6.19 MB/s for a DVD and 3.31 MB/s for
a CD.

It should take my system about 200 seconds to read a full CD.


--
sig goes here...
Peter D.

In comp.os.linux.hardware Matt Giwer <jull43@tampabay.remover.rr.com> wrote:
> Ant wrote:
> > Hello,

> > I rarely used my Toshiba DVD-ROM Drive (hdc; IDE; SD-M1912/TMAG 16X/48X)
> > on my Debian/Linux box. This morning, I decided to copy about 600 MB of
> > files from a CD-R to a an IDE HDD (hda) that took almost ten minutes
> > long (based on my human clock). I believe that is too slow. Also, I
> > noticed my CPU was at the maximum which doesn't seem right.

> > I looked around and noticed something doesn't look right:
> > # /sbin/hdparm -v /dev/hdc

> > /dev/hdc:
> > IO_support = 0 (default 16-bit)
> > unmaskirq = 0 (off)
> > using_dma = 0 (off)
> > keepsettings = 0 (off)
> > readonly = 0 (off)
> > readahead = 256 (on)
> > HDIO_GETGEO failed: Inappropriate ioctl for device

> > I don't know what HDIO_GETGEO failed: Inappropriate ioctl for device is
> > and don't know if that is a problem. The one I am concerned is the lack
> > of DMA. If I remember correctly (IIRC), DMA helps to speed up drives.
> > Maybe that is why my 600 MB copy files took forever.

> > I enabled DMA without problems:
> > # /sbin/hdparm -d1 /dev/hdc
> >
> > /dev/hdc:
> > setting using_dma to 1 (on)
> > using_dma = 1 (on)
> >
> > However, my CPU usage is still at the maximum and still takes a long
> > time to copy 600 MB of files and folders/directories (time said almost
> > eight minutes). I saw nothing odd in the recent dmesg (don't have the
> > boot up one since I ran out of buffer and don't know how to get the old
> > datas) and /var/log/messages.
> >
> > Also, how come Debian's boot up did not set this DMA enabled
> > automatically? I am using Kernel 2.6.18-4-K7. My full computer
> > specifications can be found here:
> > http://alpha.zimage.com/~ant/antfarm.../computers.txt
> > (secondary/backup computer).
> >
> > Thank you in advance.

> Going by the "human" clock leads to the watched pot never boiling effect.
> However one assumes the disk speed is at least X16? And then one assumes it was
> not a RW?

> It is not clear that DMA would have anything to do with the speed of the burn
> however if you had the computer create an ISO at the same time it was burning
> that may explain the CPU usage.

It is just a regular DVD-ROM drive. Not a CD/DVD burner.
--
"An ant can do more than an ox that is lying down." --unknown
/\___/\
/ /\ /\ \ Ant @ http://antfarm.ma.cx (Personal Web Site)
| |o o| | Ant's Quality Foraged Links (AQFL): http://aqfl.net
\ _ / Please remove ANT if replying by e-mail.
( )