Bacula, kernel 2.6.x and SCSI hangs

I stumbled upon this issue while configuring bacula on a 2.6.x based system on an IBM 4560SLX tape library.

http://www.ussg.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/0302.2/0066.html

The open() behaviour of st was changed at 2.5.3 to conform with SUS
(blocking) and what the other Unices do (timeout). If the device is opened
without O_NONBLOCK, the driver waits for some time (default 2 minutes) for
the device to become ready. If it does not become ready, an error is returned.

Bacula 1.36.x does not open the device with O_NONBLOCK and thus isn't able to cope with this change. The solution is either to upgrade bacula to a 1.37.x version or to use a 2.4.x kernel.

I'll probably clean this up and ask to add it to the bacula FAQ list.