Bug#277358: kernel-image-2.4.27-1-k7: cannot mount SCSI LVM at boot

[Giuseppe Sacco <giuseppe@eppesuigoccas.homedns.org>]

Package: kernel-image-2.4.27-1-k7
Version: 2.4.27-2
Severity: important

[I am not sure that this is a kernel or LVM2 problem, please feel
free to reassign it.]

I have a running Sarge system that uses 2.6.8 kernel and have almost
all file systems in LVM2, as shown here:
sh-2.05b$ sudo pvscan -v -u
    Wiping cache of LVM-capable devices
    Wiping internal cache
    Walking through all physical volumes
  PV /dev/sda1 with UUID t45QxT-LTOf-IIdK-jWJ1-DJww-vVYQ-GQiMjr VG dativg   lvm2 [34.41 GB / 0    free]
  PV /dev/hda1 with UUID nxdSqs-Ul7d-enOe-Bq8R-6hLf-p5Bh-d3b5LS VG dativg   lvm2 [19.13 GB / 0    free]
  PV /dev/hdb3 with UUID ZbDBgS-ZEDX-WNxk-aTjh-UyDH-k1B8-v0wbez VG dativg   lvm2 [71.56 GB / 32.43 GB free]
  Total: 3 [125.10 GB] / in use: 3 [125.10 GB] / in no VG: 0 [0   ]
sh-2.05b$ 

I just installed this package and rebooted the system. During reboot
the physical volumes weren't correctly detected and the LVM cound't
build the volume group.

The main problem was the SCSI disk that is connected to Adaptec
AIC-7892B U160/m (rev 02) controller. The module aic7xxx is loaded
since it is written in /etc/modules.

When the boot process stopped saying that volume t45QxT-LTOf-IIdK-jWJ1-DJww-vVYQ-GQiMjr
wasn't found, I checked in /proc/scsi/... that the SCSI disk was visible and it was.
Then I ran 'pvscan -v -u' manually getting the same error message.
Then I did 'cfdisk /dev/sda', checked the partition list and quitted.
Then pvscan again and it worked.

I did this process, from rebooting, three times, so I may reproduce it, but I cannot
understand why pvscan do not "see" the volumes until I use cfdisk.

Any hints?

Thanks,
Giuseppe

-- System Information:
Debian Release: 3.1
  APT prefers testing
  APT policy: (500, 'testing')
Architecture: i386 (i686)
Kernel: Linux 2.6.8-1-k7
Locale: LANG=C, LC_CTYPE=C

Versions of packages kernel-image-2.4.27-1-k7 depends on:
ii  coreutils [fileutils]         5.2.1-2    The GNU core utilities
ii  fileutils                     5.2.1-2    The GNU file management utilities 
ii  initrd-tools                  0.1.74     tools to create initrd image for p
ii  modutils                      2.4.26-1   Linux module utilities

-- no debconf information