localhost kernel: end_request: I/O error, dev fd0, sector 0

[Steve Siegfried]

Paul Smith wrote:
> 
> Dear All
> 
> I am getting these strange messages:
> 
> Jan 20 01:22:22 localhost kernel: end_request: I/O error, dev fd0, sector 0
> Jan 20 01:22:22 localhost kernel: end_request: I/O error, dev fd0, sector 0
> Jan 20 01:22:22 localhost kernel: floppy0: disk absent or changed
> during operation
> Jan 20 01:22:22 localhost kernel: end_request: I/O error, dev fd0, sector 0
> Jan 20 01:22:22 localhost kernel: end_request: I/O error, dev fd0, sector 0
> Jan 20 01:22:22 localhost kernel: floppy0: disk absent or changed
> during operation
> 
> It surprises me, as I do not have any floppy disk inserted.
> 
> Any ideas?
> 
> Thanks in advance,
> 
> Paul

If, as root, you do something like:
	# cp /dev/fd0  /tmp/foo
without a floppy inserted, you'll see a single kernel messages in your logs:
	> <DATE/TIME> localhost kernel: end_request: I/O error, dev fd0, sector 0

So offhand, I'd say some program on your box is trying to read or write to the
floppy device.

If you have the psacct rpm (the process accounting package) installed, as root
you should be able to do:
	# lastcomm | grep "Jan 20 01:2"
to see the names of what programs were started between 01:20:20 and 01:29:59.
Somewhere in that output, probably around 01:22:20 or so, you should find
the offending program.

Hope this helps,

-S