Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]

Groups > aus.computers > #48415

Re: SMART self test log

Show all headers | View raw

On 7/10/2015 11:29 PM, Xeno wrote:
> On 6/10/2015 7:43 PM, Max wrote:
>> I have done a SMART short self test of the suspect hard drive.  Here is
>> the log:
>
> <snip>
>
> One of the 'features' of modern drives is a 'bank' of spare sectors.

Not exactly modern ESDI and SCSI drives had that 30 years ago.

> Even new drives can have a number of bad sectors. The smarts on the
> drive can reallocate these dud sectors to spares in its bank. As a user
> you will generally not be aware this has happened. Through the drives's
> life, a few sectors may go bad and these will be remapped to additional
> spares in the bank. This can be quite normal. Again, this happens quite
> transparently to the user.

SSDs even more so, enterprise standard drives usually had 25% or more 
spare blocks.

> The user will usually only be alerted to the increasing number of bad
> sectors when the bank runs out of spares and the user will be alerted to
> a number of 'hard errors' appearing. The rate of growth of these errors
> is the critical issue. Growth in the number of hard errors indicates a
> drive that is in its death throes. If you get to this stage, you are
> well advised to ditch the drive. At the cost of them, it is simply not
> worth risking your data.
>
> When I encounter a drive that is becoming increasingly flaky, I runs a
> few tests and bin the drive if the prognosis is not good. I have become
> quite mercenary about drives over the years. If I cannot rely on a
> drive, I get any data off it and toss the drive out. I consider any
> rotating platter, magnetic media hard drive as a non-permanent storage
> medium. It is best if you adopt this attitude as well. That means that
> any data you have that is in any way critical, you have it backed up on,
> typically, another hard drive as well as a different form of media. To
> that end, I have 8 TB of data backed up on 6 by 2 TB external USB hard
> drives. I also have many TB more of data backed up on smaller external
> USB hard drives. Really critical data is also backed up on DVDs. I once
> used tape drives but, frankly, I'm over them.
>

Back to aus.computers | Previous | Next — Previous in thread | Next in thread | Find similar

Thread

SMART self test log "Max" <max@val.morgan> - 2015-10-06 16:43 +0800
  Re: SMART self test log "Rod Speed" <rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com> - 2015-10-06 19:58 +1100
  Re: SMART self test log keithr0 <user@account.invalid> - 2015-10-07 22:35 +1000
    Re: SMART self test log "Rod Speed" <rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com> - 2015-10-08 15:38 +1100
  Re: SMART self test log Xeno <xenolith@optusnet.com.au> - 2015-10-08 00:29 +1100
    Re: SMART self test log "Max" <max@val.morgan> - 2015-10-08 11:44 +0800
      Re: SMART self test log Xeno <xenolith@optusnet.com.au> - 2015-10-08 15:30 +1100
    Re: SMART self test log "Rod Speed" <rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com> - 2015-10-08 16:07 +1100
    Re: SMART self test log keithr0 <user@account.invalid> - 2015-10-08 21:56 +1000
      Re: SMART self test log Xeno <xenolith@optusnet.com.au> - 2015-10-08 23:32 +1100

csiph-web