"Subject: Kernel "Hangs" with FirmTek's SeriTek/2SM2-E eSATA ExpressCard34 and MacBook Pro Late 2008

Description:
I would like to inform you and your readers of kernel "hangs" that I've been experiencing with FirmTek's SeriTek/2SM2-E eSATA ExpressCard34 and MacBook Pro late 2008.

After erasing a RAID 0 volume, the kernel hangs when Disk Utility tries to mount the volume.

I can mount/unmount a RAID 0 volume. I just can't erase it; it hangs on the mount.

When restoring an image (roughly 320 GB big) to a RAID 0 volume using Disk Utility, the kernel hangs roughly 10 to 30% of the way through. Problem also appears with RAID 10 volumes.

By the phrase "kernel hang," I'm referring to something (a thread? a process?) that locks up in the kernel. I cannot log out; I cannot restart; I cannot shut down. Often I cannot quit nor force quit Disk Utility. The only recovery has been a hard reset by holding down the power button.

The kernel hangs appear to be related to disk writes. I've been unable to generate a hang when reading from a RAID 0 volume. For example, I can use Disk Utility to generate a restore image from a RAID 0 volume without incident. I just can't restore it!

These problems may (or may not) be reproducible with other Silicon Image based ExpressCard34s, like the one from Sonnet Tech. I don't have access to one to verify.

The kernel hangs do NOT occur with an older MacBook Pro June 2007.

FirmTek's response has been great so far. The issue has been escalated from support to engineering. I'll let you know when I have a fix. I wonder if it has to do with the new NVidia chipset?

System Details:
MacBook Pro Late 2008 (unibody) 15in, 2.8GHz, 4GB RAM
Mac OS X 10.5.5 (Build 9F2114) with the latest set of patches. Default installation. No other SW installed. (Using 9600M GT graphics setting.)
SeriTek/2SM2-E, v5.3.1b7. Reproducible with v5.3.2b2
2 SeriTek/5PM (enclosure)
10 Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 500 GB drives; model ST3500320AS; firmware SD15
Tested against Apple Partition and GUID Partition schemes with 4-, 5-, and 6-drive RAIDs created using Apple's Disk Utility.
-Rodney"

I asked him if there were any Log or Console messages related to the hang. (He later said no.)

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