Rockpi 4a with connected SATA Penta Hat produces kernel panic in early boot stage (since October 2024), tested today via Armbian_community_25.8.0-trunk.375_Rockpi-4a_bookworm_current_6.12.38_minimal.img

[plahh]

Hello all,

not sure if this is the right place for bug reporting.

 

I'm getting a kernel panic during early boot (no hdmi initialized at this stage) since october 2024 when doing kernel updates. Mitigated the issue with holding back apt kernel updates. today i found time to finally connect a serial console to collect a boot log. The issue only happens if the SATA Penta Hat is connected via the flex cable, upon disconnecting the system/image boots to login prompt.

 

To produce a clean boot log i got the latest image and booted via sd card : Armbian_community_25.8.0-trunk.375_Rockpi-4a_bookworm_current_6.12.38_minimal.img

 

(Edit: Not sure if the reported hardware version from uboot (Model: Radxa ROCK Pi 4B) and the real hardware version from the kernel (Hardware name: Radxa ROCK Pi 4A (DT)) might hint at the root cause, since i have no problem booting without the connected SATA Hat, and also no problem booting the old Kernel version Linux 6.6.56-current-rockchip64 #1 SMP PREEMPT Thu Oct 10 10:50:06 UTC 2024 aarch64 GNU/Linux.)

 

 

console log of failed boot

 

▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒
U-Boot TPL 2022.07-armbian-2022.07-Se092-Pfa03-H8c72-V70f2-Bda0a-R448a (Sep 28 2024 - 02:33:46)
Channel 0: LPDDR4, 50MHz
BW=32 Col=10 Bk=8 CS0 Row=15 CS1 Row=15 CS=2 Die BW=16 Size=2048MB
Channel 1: LPDDR4, 50MHz
BW=32 Col=10 Bk=8 CS0 Row=15 CS1 Row=15 CS=2 Die BW=16 Size=2048MB
256B stride
lpddr4_set_rate: change freq to 400000000 mhz 0, 1
lpddr4_set_rate: change freq to 800000000 mhz 1, 0
Trying to boot from BOOTROM
Returning to boot ROM...

U-Boot SPL 2022.07-armbian-2022.07-Se092-Pfa03-H8c72-V70f2-Bda0a-R448a (Sep 28 2024 - 02:33:46 +0000)
Trying to boot from SPI
Trying to boot from MMC2
Card did not respond to voltage select! : -110
spl: mmc init failed with error: -95
Trying to boot from MMC1
NOTICE:  BL31: v1.3(release):845ee93
NOTICE:  BL31: Built : 15:51:11, Jul 22 2020
NOTICE:  BL31: Rockchip release version: v1.1
INFO:    GICv3 with legacy support detected. ARM GICV3 driver initialized in EL3
INFO:    Using opteed sec cpu_context!
INFO:    boot cpu mask: 0
INFO:    If lpddr4 need support multi frequency,
INFO:    please update loader!
INFO:    Current ctl index[0] freq=400MHz
INFO:    Current ctl index[1] freq=800MHz
INFO:    plat_rockchip_pmu_init(1196): pd status 3e
INFO:    BL31: Initializing runtime services
WARNING: No OPTEE provided by BL2 boot loader, Booting device without OPTEE initialization. SMC`s destined for OPTEE will return SMC_UNK
ERROR:   Error initializing runtime service opteed_fast
INFO:    BL31: Preparing for EL3 exit to normal world
INFO:    Entry point address = 0x200000
INFO:    SPSR = 0x3c9

U-Boot 2022.07-armbian-2022.07-Se092-Pfa03-H8c72-V70f2-Bda0a-R448a (Sep 28 2024 - 02:33:46 +0000)

SoC: Rockchip rk3399
Reset cause: POR
Model: Radxa ROCK Pi 4B
DRAM:  3.9 GiB
PMIC:  RK808
Core:  285 devices, 31 uclasses, devicetree: separate
MMC:   mmc@fe310000: 2, mmc@fe320000: 1, mmc@fe330000: 0
Loading Environment from SPIFlash... SF: Detected XT25F32B with page size 256 Bytes, erase size 4 KiB, total 4 MiB
*** Warning - bad CRC, using default environment

In:    serial
Out:   serial
Err:   serial
Model: Radxa ROCK Pi 4B
Net:   eth0: ethernet@fe300000
Hit any key to stop autoboot:  0
starting USB...
Bus usb@fe380000: USB EHCI 1.00
Bus usb@fe3c0000: USB EHCI 1.00
Bus usb@fe800000: Register 2000140 NbrPorts 2
Starting the controller
USB XHCI 1.10
Bus usb@fe900000: Register 2000140 NbrPorts 2
Starting the controller
USB XHCI 1.10
scanning bus usb@fe380000 for devices... 1 USB Device(s) found
scanning bus usb@fe3c0000 for devices... 1 USB Device(s) found
scanning bus usb@fe800000 for devices... 1 USB Device(s) found
scanning bus usb@fe900000 for devices... 1 USB Device(s) found
       scanning usb for storage devices... 0 Storage Device(s) found

Device 0: unknown device
switch to partitions #0, OK
mmc1 is current device
Scanning mmc 1:1...
Found U-Boot script /boot/boot.scr
3906 bytes read in 5 ms (762.7 KiB/s)
## Executing script at 00500000
Boot script loaded from mmc 1:1
218 bytes read in 4 ms (52.7 KiB/s)
16729239 bytes read in 711 ms (22.4 MiB/s)
38277632 bytes read in 1620 ms (22.5 MiB/s)
82808 bytes read in 15 ms (5.3 MiB/s)
2825 bytes read in 8 ms (344.7 KiB/s)
Applying kernel provided DT fixup script (rockchip-fixup.scr)
## Executing script at 09000000
Trying kaslrseed command... Info: Unknown command can be safely ignored since kaslrseed does not apply to all boards.
Unknown command 'kaslrseed' - try 'help'
Moving Image from 0x2080000 to 0x2200000, end=4760000
## Loading init Ramdisk from Legacy Image at 06000000 ...
   Image Name:   uInitrd
   Image Type:   AArch64 Linux RAMDisk Image (gzip compressed)
   Data Size:    16729175 Bytes = 16 MiB
   Load Address: 00000000
   Entry Point:  00000000
   Verifying Checksum ... OK
## Flattened Device Tree blob at 01f00000
   Booting using the fdt blob at 0x1f00000
   Loading Ramdisk to f0f17000, end f1f0b457 ... OK
   Loading Device Tree to 00000000f0e9a000, end 00000000f0f16fff ... OK

Starting kernel ...

efi_free_pool: illegal free 0x00000000f0f0d040
efi_free_pool: illegal free 0x00000000f0f0a040
[    4.133601] SError Interrupt on CPU4, code 0x00000000bf000002 -- SError
[    4.133615] CPU: 4 UID: 0 PID: 63 Comm: kworker/u26:3 Not tainted 6.12.38-current-rockchip64 #1
[    4.133628] Hardware name: Radxa ROCK Pi 4A (DT)
[    4.133634] Workqueue: events_unbound deferred_probe_work_func
[    4.133660] pstate: 600000c5 (nZCv daIF -PAN -UAO -TCO -DIT -SSBS BTYPE=--)
[    4.133672] pc : rockchip_pcie_rd_conf+0x17c/0x200
[    4.133686] lr : rockchip_pcie_rd_conf+0x170/0x200
[    4.133695] sp : ffff8000830e37c0
[    4.133700] x29: ffff8000830e37c0 x28: ffff800082383088 x27: 0000000000000000
[    4.133718] x26: 0000000000000001 x25: 0000000000000000 x24: ffff80008251f030
[    4.133733] x23: 0000000000000000 x22: ffff8000830e3894 x21: ffff8000830e37f4
[    4.133748] x20: 0000000000000000 x19: 0000000000000004 x18: ffffffffffffffff
[    4.133762] x17: 6572202c295d3030 x16: 2d3030207375625b x15: ffff8000830e3680
[    4.133777] x14: ffff000000e4da1c x13: ffff000000e4d290 x12: 00000000000e9134
[    4.133791] x11: ffff000004ebd018 x10: 0000000000000000 x9 : 0000000000000595
[    4.133806] x8 : 000000003d4d554e x7 : ffff000004eb0380 x6 : ffff000004ebd000
[    4.133821] x5 : ffff000004ebd800 x4 : ffff800089000000 x3 : 0000000000c00008
[    4.133835] x2 : 000000000080000a x1 : ffff800089c00008 x0 : ffff800089c0000c
[    4.133851] Kernel panic - not syncing: Asynchronous SError Interrupt
[    4.133857] CPU: 4 UID: 0 PID: 63 Comm: kworker/u26:3 Not tainted 6.12.38-current-rockchip64 #1
[    4.133869] Hardware name: Radxa ROCK Pi 4A (DT)
[    4.133874] Workqueue: events_unbound deferred_probe_work_func
[    4.133889] Call trace:
[    4.133894]  dump_backtrace+0x94/0x114
[    4.133906]  show_stack+0x18/0x24
[    4.133915]  dump_stack_lvl+0x34/0x8c
[    4.133929]  dump_stack+0x18/0x24
[    4.133941]  panic+0x39c/0x3fc
[    4.133955]  nmi_panic+0x40/0x8c
[    4.133966]  arm64_serror_panic+0x64/0x70
[    4.133977]  do_serror+0x3c/0x70
[    4.133987]  el1h_64_error_handler+0x30/0x48
[    4.134002]  el1h_64_error+0x64/0x68
[    4.134011]  rockchip_pcie_rd_conf+0x17c/0x200
[    4.134020]  pci_bus_read_config_dword+0x80/0xe4
[    4.134033]  pci_bus_generic_read_dev_vendor_id+0x30/0x190
[    4.134048]  pci_scan_single_device+0xac/0x110
[    4.134061]  pci_scan_slot+0x6c/0x204
[    4.134073]  pci_scan_child_bus_extend+0x44/0x2cc
[    4.134087]  pci_scan_bridge_extend+0x2bc/0x5f8
[    4.134100]  pci_scan_child_bus_extend+0x1b8/0x2cc
[    4.134113]  pci_scan_root_bus_bridge+0x64/0xd8
[    4.134128]  pci_host_probe+0x30/0xe0
[    4.134142]  rockchip_pcie_probe+0x438/0x5f4
[    4.134151]  platform_probe+0x68/0xc8
[    4.134160]  really_probe+0xc0/0x390
[    4.134174]  __driver_probe_device+0x7c/0x15c
[    4.134187]  driver_probe_device+0x3c/0x10c
[    4.134200]  __device_attach_driver+0xbc/0x158
[    4.134214]  bus_for_each_drv+0x88/0xe8
[    4.134226]  __device_attach+0xa0/0x1b4
[    4.134239]  device_initial_probe+0x14/0x20
[    4.134253]  bus_probe_device+0xac/0xb0
[    4.134266]  deferred_probe_work_func+0x9c/0xec
[    4.134279]  process_one_work+0x16c/0x3e4
[    4.134289]  worker_thread+0x2d0/0x3d8
[    4.134298]  kthread+0x10c/0x110
[    4.134312]  ret_from_fork+0x10/0x20
[    4.134326] SMP: stopping secondary CPUs
[    4.134490] Kernel Offset: disabled
[    4.134493] CPU features: 0x08,00002083,c0200000,4200421b
[    4.134501] Memory Limit: none
[    4.161152] ---[ end Kernel panic - not syncing: Asynchronous SError Interrupt ]---

Edited Monday at 07:01 PM by plahh

[laibsch]

Hello and thank you for your problem report.

 

  

On 7/22/2025 at 2:45 AM, plahh said:

not sure if this is the right place for bug reporting.

 

You are absolutely spot on, no worries!

 

On 7/22/2025 at 2:45 AM, plahh said:

I'm getting a kernel panic during early boot (no hdmi initialized at this stage) since october 2024 when doing kernel updates. Mitigated the issue with holding back apt kernel updates. today i found time to finally connect a serial console to collect a boot log. The issue only happens if the SATA Penta Hat is connected via the flex cable, upon disconnecting the system/image boots to login prompt.

 

To produce a clean boot log i got the latest image and booted via sd card : Armbian_community_25.8.0-trunk.375_Rockpi-4a_bookworm_current_6.12.38_minimal.img

 

(Edit: Not sure if the reported hardware version from uboot (Model: Radxa ROCK Pi 4B) and the real hardware version from the kernel (Hardware name: Radxa ROCK Pi 4A (DT)) might hint at the root cause, since i have no problem booting without the connected SATA Hat, and also no problem booting the old Kernel version Linux 6.6.56-current-rockchip64 #1 SMP PREEMPT Thu Oct 10 10:50:06 UTC 2024 aarch64 GNU/Linux.)

 

Your board is community maintained status.  I would advise you to try and contact Chris, the listed maintainer of this board and see if you guys can pinpoint the root cause of the problem and provide a fix we can incorporate via a PR.  

[plahh]

@laibsch Thanks for the advise, also posted a link to here to the radxa forum, where another user is also having the same issue. Will keep this updated if anything comes around at their end

 

If anybody else got an idea or needs more info/tests done by me, feel free to ask, i can submit serial console logs.

Edited Wednesday at 08:53 PM by plahh
spelling, specify "serial" to console log

[Igor]

On 7/21/2025 at 8:45 PM, plahh said:

The issue only happens if the SATA Penta Hat is connected

 

Try to experiment with this value:

https://github.com/armbian/build/blob/main/patch/kernel/archive/rockchip64-6.6/board-rockpro64-0001-Add-pcie-bus-scan-delay.patch

As this is pulled to DT, you only need to recompile DT - on board.