High load average and iowait % after plugging in USB floppy

[Robert C Paulsen Jr]

On Fri, 2004-04-16 at 20:27, Robert C Paulsen Jr wrote:
> Plugging in a USB floppy drive works (it can be mounted and read), but
> it eventually causes the system load average to raise and the iowait
> state to go to a high percentage (99-100%). It also causes the system to
> become noticeably sluggish and prevents sendmail from working. (Sendmail
> will refuse connections if the system is "too busy", assuming that the
> system will shortly get through the busy stage.)
> 
> Here is a section from /var/log/maillog (Sorry about the line-wrap. I
> haven't figured how to turn it off in this mail client)...
> 
> Apr  9 16:01:14 avalon sendmail[8571]: rejecting connections on daemon
> MTA: load average: 12
> Apr  9 16:01:59 avalon last message repeated 3 times
> 
> Here is /var/log/messages just before the above:
> 
> Apr  9 15:54:52 avalon kernel: hub.c: new USB device 00:1d.7-1, assigned
> address 26
> Apr  9 15:54:52 avalon kernel: hub.c: USB hub found
> Apr  9 15:54:52 avalon kernel: hub.c: 4 ports detected
> Apr  9 15:54:56 avalon /etc/hotplug/usb.agent: Setup usbcore for USB
> product 409/58/100
> Apr  9 15:54:56 avalon /etc/hotplug/usb.agent: Setup usbcore for USB
> product 409/58/100
> Apr  9 15:54:56 avalon kernel: hub.c: new USB device 00:1d.7-1.3,
> assigned address 27
> Apr  9 15:54:59 avalon /etc/hotplug/usb.agent: Setup usb-storage for USB
> product 57b/0/501
> 
> Top showed a consistently high "iowait" status at the time and ps showed
> the following processes multiple times. They cannot be killed (even with
> kill -9):
> 
> /usr/bin/scsi-unique_id /dev/sdb
> /usr/sbin/updfstab
> /usr/bin/autorun -l --interval=1000 --cdplayer=/usr/bin/kscd
> 
> Note that /dev/sdb is the device assigned to the USB floppy when it is
> plugged in.
> 
> The /etc/hotplug/usb.agent and /sbin/devlabel also show multiple times
> but they can be killed.
> 
> So far the only recovery action I have found is a re-boot!
> 
> I tried eliminating autorun from the KDE autostart folder. I at first
> thought that solved the problem but after leaving the USB floppy device
> plugged in overnight the iowait problem was there in the AM, including
> all the above un-killable processes. I tried using both USB1 and USB2
> ports.
> 

Problem seems to be resolved with latest version of devlabel.