the following text was included in the 2.6.15 kernel changelog

The following change was found from the Adaptec developers.  Note the
"2.6.13+" reference, the word "deadlock", and the final "sign offs"

commit e5508c13ac25b07585229b144a45cf64a990171e
Author: Salyzyn, Mark <mark_salyzyn AT adaptec DOT com>
Date:   Sat Dec 17 19:26:30 2005 -0800

  [PATCH] dpt_i2o fix for deadlock condition
    
  Miquel van Smoorenburg <miquels AT cistron DOT nl> forwarded me this fix to
  resolve a deadlock condition that occurs due to the API change in
  2.6.13+ kernels dropping the host locking when entering the error
  handling.  They all end up calling adpt_i2o_post_wait(), which if  you
  call it unlocked, might return with host_lock locked anyway and that
  causes a deadlock.
    
  Signed-off-by: Mark Salyzyn <aacraid AT adaptec DOT com>
  Cc: James Bottomley <James.Bottomley AT steeleye DOT com>
  Cc: <stable AT kernel DOT org>
  Signed-off-by: Andrew Morton <akpm AT osdl DOT org>
  Signed-off-by: Linus Torvalds <torvalds AT osdl DOT org>

I can definitely say that kernel 2.6.15 fixed my problems.  I also can
definitely say that the prior kernel to work was 2.6.12.6.  My guess is
that the 2.6.8 also would work.

On Wed, 2006-01-11 at 21:27 +0100, Stefan G. Weichinger wrote:
> Stefan G. Weichinger wrote:
> > Freels, James D. wrote:
> > 
> >> The problem I had started at kernels greater than 2.6.12.x (starting 
> >> at 2.6.13.0) and was finally cleared at 2.6.15.0.
> > 
> > 
> > Interesting ... I am using that module with kernel 2.6.13 and have no 
> > problems. Maybe this related to the old hardware I use, maybe to the 
> > fact that the Suse-guys have patched that already (assumption: NO 
> > research done on this by me ...)
> 
> Some bell rang ....
> 
> Could someone point mo to any related bugreport on this?
> Maybe this has to do with some strange symptoms I see at a customers 
> site. They use aic7xx with linux-2.6.8 on a Suse-9.2 ...
> 
> No complete lockups, but strange tape-errors all over the place.
> Everything swapped already, the only thing that helped so far was 
> putting the drive out of the box and laying it on the top of the case 
> with the SCSI-cables through the air ;) Smooth backups since then.
> 
> Might be temperature, we'll try an external case for that drive.
> 
> But maybe it has to with some module/kernel-problems as well ...
> 
> Stefan
> 
------------------------------
James D. Freels, Ph.D.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
freelsjd AT ornl DOT gov
http://www.comsol.com/stories/hfir/