How to fix WAFL hung in SK process

Issue:

You receive the following error message during a failover of Netapp controllers.

WAFL hung in SK process idle_thread0 on release NetApp Release 8.0.1

Cause:

The most likely cause is Netapp bug #455404.  In general this bug is caused because WAFL runs out of buffers due to a memory leak.

Solution:

Contact Netapp support for a core dump analysis, most likely they will find WAFL ran out of buffers.

If your Netapp controllers are configured in a clustered pair you should perform a giveback ASAP.  This should be done just in case the WAFL bug hits the other controller, you will be in a fault tolerant state.

More Information:

Log onto the Netapp Now site and use the Bug Tool to review bug #455404 for a list of Data Ontap versions in which this bug was fixed.  In general these are.

• Data ONTAP 7.3.6RC1
• Data ONTAP 7.3.6 (GA)
• Data ONTAP 8.0.2 (GA)

You may want to schedule an upgrade to one of the fixed Data Ontap versions if needed, contact Netapp support for more information.

WAFL is an acronym for Write Anywhere File Layout and is a type of file system used by Data Ontap.

SK is a process used by WAFL to do cleanup of the WAFL file system.