Comments on: Monitoring Hard Drive Health on Linux with smartmontools http://blog.shadypixel.com/monitoring-hard-drive-health-on-linux-with-smartmontools/ tech, politics, etc. Thu, 25 Feb 2010 18:47:30 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: wobbe http://blog.shadypixel.com/monitoring-hard-drive-health-on-linux-with-smartmontools/#comment-4247 wobbe Sun, 07 Feb 2010 12:48:13 +0000 http://blog.shadypixel.com/?p=83#comment-4247 Hi, check out: http://forums11.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=1404978 Hi, check out:

http://forums11.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=1404978

]]> By: btmorex http://blog.shadypixel.com/monitoring-hard-drive-health-on-linux-with-smartmontools/#comment-4215 btmorex Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:33:34 +0000 http://blog.shadypixel.com/?p=83#comment-4215 What is cciss_vol_status actually checking? One possibility is that the drive is completely dead. There would be no S.M.A.R.T. status, but cciss_vol_status would know that there was supposed to be a drive there so it could determine it was dead. As for the one that's failing, probably cciss_vol_status isn't checking S.M.A.R.T. status (I have no idea because I haven't used it). What is cciss_vol_status actually checking? One possibility is that the drive is completely dead. There would be no S.M.A.R.T. status, but cciss_vol_status would know that there was supposed to be a drive there so it could determine it was dead.

As for the one that’s failing, probably cciss_vol_status isn’t checking S.M.A.R.T. status (I have no idea because I haven’t used it).

]]> By: Justin http://blog.shadypixel.com/monitoring-hard-drive-health-on-linux-with-smartmontools/#comment-4214 Justin Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:51:19 +0000 http://blog.shadypixel.com/?p=83#comment-4214 Here's an oddity. I'm testing smartmontools vs. cciss_vol_status on an HP with external array, and getting some inconsistent results. I know that one drive has failed. I know that another drive is in jeopardy (which is why I'm testing on the box I'm testing on). Running smartctl, I see in my health report that the second drive is in danger, but it makes no mention of the failed drive. Then, running cciss_vol_status, I see that the first drive has failed, but no mention is made of the second. I'll post this in the cciss_vol_status forum as well, but I find it interesting that the two utilities show such different results! Here’s an oddity. I’m testing smartmontools vs. cciss_vol_status on an HP with external array, and getting some inconsistent results.
I know that one drive has failed.
I know that another drive is in jeopardy (which is why I’m testing on the box I’m testing on).
Running smartctl, I see in my health report that the second drive is in danger, but it makes no mention of the failed drive.
Then, running cciss_vol_status, I see that the first drive has failed, but no mention is made of the second.

I’ll post this in the cciss_vol_status forum as well, but I find it interesting that the two utilities show such different results!

]]> By: SMARTmontools « denispyr http://blog.shadypixel.com/monitoring-hard-drive-health-on-linux-with-smartmontools/#comment-3993 SMARTmontools « denispyr Mon, 04 Jan 2010 09:04:10 +0000 http://blog.shadypixel.com/?p=83#comment-3993 [...] http://www.adslgr.com/forum/showthread.php?p=278455#poststophttp://blog.shadypixel.com/monitoring-hard-drive-health-on-linux-with-smartmontools/also: http://denispyr.blogspot.com/2009/12/local-mail.html. Use denispyr@localhost as the email [...] [...] http://www.adslgr.com/forum/showthread.php?p=278455#poststophttp://blog.shadypixel.com/monitoring-hard-drive-health-on-linux-with-smartmontools/also: http://denispyr.blogspot.com/2009/12/local-mail.html. Use denispyr@localhost as the email [...]

]]> By: btmorex http://blog.shadypixel.com/monitoring-hard-drive-health-on-linux-with-smartmontools/#comment-3323 btmorex Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:21:33 +0000 http://blog.shadypixel.com/?p=83#comment-3323 Are you talking about running a self test? You need to check results too. Run <code>smartctl -l selftest <device></code> Are you talking about running a self test? You need to check results too. Run smartctl -l selftest <device>

]]> By: mark http://blog.shadypixel.com/monitoring-hard-drive-health-on-linux-with-smartmontools/#comment-3319 mark Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:29:31 +0000 http://blog.shadypixel.com/?p=83#comment-3319 here didn't work :( takes forever with no result. no error message anyway. here didn’t work :(
takes forever with no result.
no error message anyway.

]]> By: Pol http://blog.shadypixel.com/monitoring-hard-drive-health-on-linux-with-smartmontools/#comment-3234 Pol Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:06:07 +0000 http://blog.shadypixel.com/?p=83#comment-3234 cool! thanks :-) Pol cool!
thanks :-)

Pol

]]> By: btmorex http://blog.shadypixel.com/monitoring-hard-drive-health-on-linux-with-smartmontools/#comment-2579 btmorex Wed, 07 Oct 2009 16:59:31 +0000 http://blog.shadypixel.com/?p=83#comment-2579 To answer your question right away: I don't have any formula. I want to add though that I think what you'll find is that you'll be able to split drives into two groups: one group will have no predictive S.M.A.R.T. values, and one group will have one or more values that indicate imminent failure. There's no doubt that that's valuable, but I don't think you'll be able to estimate remaining life with any accuracy for most of the drives. To answer your question right away: I don’t have any formula.

I want to add though that I think what you’ll find is that you’ll be able to split drives into two groups: one group will have no predictive S.M.A.R.T. values, and one group will have one or more values that indicate imminent failure. There’s no doubt that that’s valuable, but I don’t think you’ll be able to estimate remaining life with any accuracy for most of the drives.

]]> By: peshkira http://blog.shadypixel.com/monitoring-hard-drive-health-on-linux-with-smartmontools/#comment-2575 peshkira Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:13:10 +0000 http://blog.shadypixel.com/?p=83#comment-2575 Hey! 10x for your reply. However, the study says that if you combine all parameters only 36 % of all failed drives were unable to predict or have zero values, so actually this is quite good for me. What is more, even if I take only the 4 important parameters into account I will be successful in 44% of the cases. Combining this with the age of the hard drive will be enough for me... So are you aware of a formula or combination of these parameters in a way that I can estimate the health (or the remaining life time) of a hdd. Thanks in advance... Hey!

10x for your reply. However, the study says that if you combine all parameters only 36 % of all failed drives were unable to predict or have zero values, so actually this is quite good for me. What is more, even if I take only the 4 important parameters into account I will be successful in 44% of the cases. Combining this with the age of the hard drive will be enough for me… So are you aware of a formula or combination of these parameters in a way that I can estimate the health (or the remaining life time) of a hdd.

Thanks in advance…

]]> By: btmorex http://blog.shadypixel.com/monitoring-hard-drive-health-on-linux-with-smartmontools/#comment-2561 btmorex Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:23:30 +0000 http://blog.shadypixel.com/?p=83#comment-2561 No, you can't really make an estimate like that. Actually, Google did there S.M.A.R.T. study (http://labs.google.com/papers/disk_failures.pdf) to find out exactly what you're asking. The conclusion they reached is that even though some values have predictive value, they are nowhere near good enough to actually preemptively replace hard drives (which is very similar to estimating remaining life). No, you can’t really make an estimate like that. Actually, Google did there S.M.A.R.T. study (http://labs.google.com/papers/disk_failures.pdf) to find out exactly what you’re asking. The conclusion they reached is that even though some values have predictive value, they are nowhere near good enough to actually preemptively replace hard drives (which is very similar to estimating remaining life).

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