Reid Priedhorsky wrote:
I can obtain the grown defect list (disk blocks gone bad since the factory) for my SCSI drives with "sginfo -G". Does anyone know of a similar utility for IDE disks? Do IDE disks even keep this information? (This is for a Seagate disk ~2-3 years old.)
I don't think IDE drives give detailed fault information.Newish drives (ATA5 and above?) tend to have extensive built in diagnostics known as S.M.A.R.T. This monitors many stats while running and during user requested tests.
Look at the smartmontools and hddtemp packages to monitor and/or test drives. It includes smartctl which lets you view stats, start tests and check the results. smartd can monitor the status of your drive and send syslog messages when it changes.
hddtemp can ask the drive its temperature to make sure it is not overheating (Heat makes it wear out faster).
If you are worried about the condition of the drive use the manufacturers diagnostic software from their website. It may offer a few more tests then you can get with plain S.M.A.R.T. since the standard is often extended.
-- Shawn D'Alimonte shawnd@mycybernet.net