Ubuntu 12.04 fails to recognise my blu-ray drive

Question

This blu-ray drive was working fine in Windows (before Windows became corrupted and I used the opportunity to move to Linux). I have checked SATA connections and the drive is picked up by the BIOS but there is no reference to it in Ubuntu. The command

sudo lshw | grep cdrom

returns nothing and a full lshw has no reference to the drive. I'm sure there must be support for most rom drives in Linux.

dmesg reports the following for the drive:

[    1.220625] ata3: SATA max UDMA/133 cmd 0x9e0 ctl 0xbe0 bmdma 0xc400 irq 20
[    1.688036] ata3: SATA link up 1.5 Gbps (SStatus 113 SControl 300)
[    1.696153] ata3.00: ATAPI: ATAPI   iHOS104, WL0B, max UDMA/100
[    1.712123] ata3.00: configured for UDMA/100
[    6.712036] ata3.00: qc timeout (cmd 0xa0)
[    6.712039] ata3.00: TEST_UNIT_READY failed (err_mask=0x4)
[    7.180030] ata3: SATA link up 1.5 Gbps (SStatus 113 SControl 300)
[    7.204109] ata3.00: configured for UDMA/100
[   12.204028] ata3.00: qc timeout (cmd 0xa0)
[   12.204030] ata3.00: TEST_UNIT_READY failed (err_mask=0x4)
[   12.204033] ata3: limiting SATA link speed to 1.5 Gbps
[   12.204035] ata3.00: limiting speed to UDMA/100:PIO3
[   12.672031] ata3: SATA link up 1.5 Gbps (SStatus 113 SControl 300)
[   12.696108] ata3.00: configured for UDMA/100
[   17.696032] ata3.00: qc timeout (cmd 0xa0)
[   17.696034] ata3.00: TEST_UNIT_READY failed (err_mask=0x4)
[   17.696035] ata3.00: disabled
[   17.696043] ata3: hard resetting link
[   17.696045] ata3: nv: skipping hardreset on occupied port
[   18.164030] ata3: SATA link up 1.5 Gbps (SStatus 113 SControl 300)
[   18.164036] ata3: EH complete

What does TEST_UNIT_READY failed (err_mask=0x4) portend and has anybody here overcome a similar problem in Ubuntu 12.04. A search brings fairly arcane suggestions for other Ubuntu versions with other kernels. Is it really likely that'll have to compile my own kernel (I rather hoped to avoid anything so drastic)?

EDIT===============================================================

The following discussion concerning the same drive seems to have met with success:

http://www.gossamer-threads.com/lists/engine?do=post_view_flat;post=1170613;page=1;mh=-1;list=linux;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC

Question, am I right to assume that applying a patch that old made specifically for another kernel would be foolhardy?

TIA,

Tony Martin

Answer 1

Sensible answer: sell the drive to a windows user and replace with something known to be compatible with the distribution you use.

Answer 2

Have you tried installing the additional drivers for your hardware? If not, try it:

• Click on the Dash
• Search for Additional and click Additional Drivers
• Wait a bit, and you'll see a list with all the compatible drivers for your computer. You can install your graphics card drivers (I usually install the post-release drivers) and all your other devices.
• Check if your drive name appears at that list, select the entry for it and click Activate. After a while, you'll have to restart your computer.

If you have installed the drivers yet, or there are no avaliable drivers for it, maybe the device isn't compatible with ubuntu's kernel.

I hope it works to you!