libata causes boot timeout on Asus Pundit-R

I can confirm this bug on the same machine.

The problem has been reported two years ago here: https://lists.linux-foundation.org/pipermail/bugme-new/2006-October/015008.html

BUT I didn't experience it with Debian Etch (Kernel 2.6.18), maybe because of fewer probing retries or shorter timeouts.

I haven't found a workaround. The kernel option ata2=noprobe doesn't work (as several other people pointed out with similar problems and different chips)

I tried with all_generic_ide kernel parameter and got the same result.
Looks like the problem is not directly related to pata_atiixp.

The timeout is present in Intrepid.
In Hardy there was a delay at startup (bar moving left to right and right to left) but no timeout.
In Feisty it started really fast with no pause nor delay.

Per a decision made by the Ubuntu Kernel Team, bugs will longer be assigned to the ubuntu-kernel-team in Launchpad as part of the bug triage process. The ubuntu-kernel-team is being unassigned from this bug report. Refer to https://wiki.ubuntu.com/KernelTeamBugPolicies for more information. Thanks.

This fix is available from upstream and applies cleanly to Jaunty:

git cherry-pick b919930c
Auto-merged drivers/ata/libata-sff.c
Finished one cherry-pick.
Created commit af002a8: libata: set NODEV_HINT for 0x7f status
 1 files changed, 10 insertions(+), 0 deletions(-)

commit b919930c34e99a48d6b13a5ec9db8c059ec44d72
Author: Tejun Heo <email address hidden>
Date: Sun Jan 25 10:26:00 2009 +0900

    libata: set NODEV_HINT for 0x7f status

    Asus Pundit-R with atiixp controller has the second port missing and,
    very unusually, its status is stuck at 0x7f and all others at 0. This
    meanst that it fails TF access test but gets detected as a disk due to
    classification code check and then evades polling IDENTIFY presence
    detection thanks to the missing BSY in the status value causing
    excessive delays during boot.

    This patch makes libata-sff HSM set NODEV_HINT if the status is 0x7f
    to make polling IDENTIFY presence detection work for these machines.

    Signed-off-by: Tejun Heo <email address hidden>
    Signed-off-by: Jeff Garzik <email address hidden>

http://kernel.ubuntu.com/git?p=ubuntu/ubuntu-jaunty.git;a=commit;h=d3759621d5bd2f79db32b697cb50ac3118fe0165

This bug was fixed in the package linux - 2.6.28-11.35

---------------
linux (2.6.28-11.35) jaunty; urgency=low

  [ Amit Kucheria ]

  * Updating imx51 configs

  [ Andy Whitcroft ]

  * SAUCE: hotkey quirks for various Zeptro Znote and Fujitsu Amilo laptops
    - LP: #330259

  [ Tim Gardner ]

  * Revert "SAUCE: (drop after 2.6.28) eCryptfs: Don't encrypt file key
    with filename key". Use upstream commit.
  * CONFIG_SECURITY_DEFAULT_MMAP_MIN_ADDR set to upstream defaults.
    64K for x86'en, 32K for ARM
    - LP: #344955

  [ Upstream Kernel Changes ]

  * eCryptfs: don't encrypt file key with filename key
  * libata: set NODEV_HINT for 0x7f status
    - LP: #293218
  * USB: cdc-acm: Add another conexant modem to the quirks
    - LP: #323829
  * Input: elantech - touchpad driver miss-recognising logitech mice
    - LP: #318722

 -- Tim Gardner <email address hidden> Wed, 18 Mar 2009 08:52:46 -0600