Re: smartctl usage (was Re: input/output error, looks bad!)

[Hugo Vanwoerkom <hvw59601@care2.com>]

Tyler Smith wrote:
> On 2007-03-18, Tyler Smith <tyler.smith@mail.mcgill.ca> wrote:
> > On 2007-03-18, Hugo Vanwoerkom <hvw59601@care2.com> wrote:
> > > and what this show?
> > >
> > > /usr/sbin/smartctl -a -d ata /dev/<drive>
> > I decided to start with the long self test, which is running now:
> >
> > smartctl -t long -d ata /dev/sda
>
> Ok, I've run smartctl -t long -d ata /dev/sda test. I think the
> pertinent output from smartctl -a -d ata /dev/sda is:
>
> SMART Self-test log structure revision number 1
> Num  Test_Description    Status                  Remaining  LifeTime(hours)  LBA_of_first_error
> # 1  Extended offline    Completed without error       00%      1343         -
>
> > From what I've now read I take this to mean that my hard drive is
> operating as expected, so I can stop worrying about imminent
> failure. I'm not clear on the offline testing and other options for
> using smartd. For the /etc/smartd.conf file I take it I should use
> something like: 
>
> /dev/hda -a -o on -S on -s (S/../.././02|L/../../6/03) -m root
>
> Am I correct in interpreting this to mean that smartctl will run
> appropriate tests on a weekly schedule, and if it finds any problems
> it will email me a warning? Is there anything else I should do to set
> up proper disk monitoring?

I had not noticed that. Interesting. I just run a cron job once a week.
However, a while back I posted a query if anybody had ever gotten a 
warning from smartmon that their disk was failing. In your case you 
think your disk is failing but smartmon indicates nothing except for 
those 2 values of Reallocated_Sector_Ct and Reallocated_Event_Count. In 
my case these show a rawvalue of 0. and the disks have respectively:
LifeTime(hours) 9566 and 4757.

If you would keep us posted on whether that disk actually fails or not.

Hugo