# Can't start SMART monitoring with smartctl

## Tonglebeak

```
localhost aaron # smartctl -s on -d ata /dev/sda

smartctl version 5.37 [x86_64-pc-linux-gnu] Copyright (C) 2002-6 Bruce Allen

Home page is http://smartmontools.sourceforge.net/

=== START OF ENABLE/DISABLE COMMANDS SECTION ===

SMART Enabled.

Error SMART Status command failed

Please get assistance from http://smartmontools.sourceforge.net/

Register values returned from SMART Status command are:

CMD=0x50

FR =0x00

NS =0x00

SC =0x00

CL =0x00

CH =0x00

SEL=0x00

A mandatory SMART command failed: exiting. To continue, add one or more '-T permissive' options.

```

I've already enabled SMART in my bios. I'm using a 250gb maxtor sata drive. linux-2.6.22-gentoo-r2 . Anyone know what might be wrong here?

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## hollovoid7

What kinda system are you running?

Ex: Sata controller, Motherboard model, x86/amd64

and as for the bios settings, according to smartmon website, 

"Some type of BIOS can check the SMART health status of a disk at bootup: the equivalent of 'smartctl -H /dev/hd?'. This one-time check on bootup is done if the BIOS SMART setting is set to 'ENABLE', and is not done if the setting is set to 'DISABLE'. 

If this one-time check is done, and the disk's health status is found to be 'FAIL', then typically the BIOS will display an error message and refuse to boot the machine. 

For the proper functioning of smartmontools, either BIOS setting may be used. "

http://smartmontools.sourceforge.net

They also mention that support depends on the controller, and drive.

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## Tonglebeak

asus a8n5x, nforce4 chipset, amd64 3200+@2.4ghz

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## hollovoid7

Have you looked through your kernel config to see if all the SMART monitoring options  for your chipset have been enabled? I forget where to find these since I am not at my machine right now, but may be worth a check.

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## lmcogs

Same here on much the same system.  2 hard disk sda and sdb.  I would like to check especially sdb since my system randomly crashes.  I have ruled out the memory with memtest but how to check the disks.  Smart is enabled in the bios.  What should be enabled in kernel config?

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## Rob1n

I'm pretty sure there are no specific options.  I think you'll need to make sure you have the right controller selected - I doubt it'll work with a more generic driver.  Nor have I seen any BIOS options which need to be set (the BIOS SMART test just triggers a one-off check each boot).

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## lmcogs

Well I found this which helped a bit https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux-source-2.6.22/+bug/106821.  Ithen did

smartctl -T permissive -a -d ata /dev/sdb

smartctl version 5.36 [x86_64-pc-linux-gnu] Copyright (C) 2002-6 Bruce Allen

Home page is http://smartmontools.sourceforge.net/

=== START OF INFORMATION SECTION ===

Device Model:     WDC WD2000JS-00MHB0

Serial Number:    WD-WCANL1043377

Firmware Version: 02.01C03

User Capacity:    200,049,647,616 bytes

Device is:        Not in smartctl database [for details use: -P showall]

ATA Version is:   7

ATA Standard is:  Exact ATA specification draft version not indicated

Local Time is:    Wed Aug 29 19:44:28 2007 IST

SMART support is: Available - device has SMART capability.

SMART support is: Enabled

=== START OF READ SMART DATA SECTION ===

SMART overall-health self-assessment test result: PASSED

See vendor-specific Attribute list for marginal Attributes.

General SMART Values:

Offline data collection status:  (0x84) Offline data collection activity

                                        was suspended by an interrupting command from host.

                                        Auto Offline Data Collection: Enabled.

Self-test execution status:      (   0) The previous self-test routine completed

                                        without error or no self-test has ever

                                        been run.

Total time to complete Offline

data collection:                 (6300) seconds.

Offline data collection

capabilities:                    (0x7b) SMART execute Offline immediate.

                                        Auto Offline data collection on/off support.

                                        Suspend Offline collection upon new

                                        command.

                                        Offline surface scan supported.

                                        Self-test supported.

                                        Conveyance Self-test supported.

                                        Selective Self-test supported.

SMART capabilities:            (0x0003) Saves SMART data before entering

                                        power-saving mode.

                                        Supports SMART auto save timer.

Error logging capability:        (0x01) Error logging supported.

                                        General Purpose Logging supported.

Short self-test routine

recommended polling time:        (   2) minutes.

Extended self-test routine

recommended polling time:        (  74) minutes.

Conveyance self-test routine

recommended polling time:        (   6) minutes.

SMART Attributes Data Structure revision number: 16

Vendor Specific SMART Attributes with Thresholds:

ID# ATTRIBUTE_NAME          FLAG     VALUE WORST THRESH TYPE      UPDATED  WHEN_FAILED RAW_VALUE

  1 Raw_Read_Error_Rate     0x000f   200   200   051    Pre-fail  Always       -       0

  3 Spin_Up_Time            0x0003   253   185   021    Pre-fail  Always       -       2208

  4 Start_Stop_Count        0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       -       526

  5 Reallocated_Sector_Ct   0x0033   200   200   140    Pre-fail  Always       -       0

  7 Seek_Error_Rate         0x000f   200   200   051    Pre-fail  Always       -       0

  9 Power_On_Hours          0x0032   084   084   000    Old_age   Always       -       12245

 10 Spin_Retry_Count        0x0013   100   100   051    Pre-fail  Always       -       0

 11 Calibration_Retry_Count 0x0012   100   100   051    Old_age   Always       -       0

 12 Power_Cycle_Count       0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       -       526

190 Unknown_Attribute       0x0022   051   001   045    Old_age   Always   In_the_past 49

194 Temperature_Celsius     0x0022   101   001   000    Old_age   Always       -       49

196 Reallocated_Event_Count 0x0032   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       -       0

197 Current_Pending_Sector  0x0012   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       -       0

198 Offline_Uncorrectable   0x0010   200   200   000    Old_age   Offline      -       0

199 UDMA_CRC_Error_Count    0x003e   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       -       1

200 Multi_Zone_Error_Rate   0x0009   200   200   051    Pre-fail  Offline      -       0

SMART Error Log Version: 1

No Errors Logged

SMART Self-test log structure revision number 1

No self-tests have been logged.  [To run self-tests, use: smartctl -t]

SMART Selective self-test log data structure revision number 1

 SPAN  MIN_LBA  MAX_LBA  CURRENT_TEST_STATUS

    1        0        0  Not_testing

    2        0        0  Not_testing

    3        0        0  Not_testing

    4        0        0  Not_testing

    5        0        0  Not_testing

Selective self-test flags (0x0):

  After scanning selected spans, do NOT read-scan remainder of disk.

If Selective self-test is pending on power-up, resume after 0 minute delay.

Can anyone tell me if this is ok and if so is the disk ok?

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## Rob1n

It's not showing any errors yes, but this doesn't mean much (errors rarely seem to show up here).  You'd be better running a long test on the drive:

```

smartctl -d ata -t long /dev/sdb

```

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## lmcogs

Thank Robin  I did that and it will take about 74 mins it says.  To see the results do I type smartctl -l selftest /dev/sdb?  Will post results when finished if successful

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## lmcogs

Hi I tried a few commands but eventually got this

smartctl -d ata -l selftest /dev/sdb

smartctl version 5.36 [x86_64-pc-linux-gnu] Copyright (C) 2002-6 Bruce Allen

Home page is http://smartmontools.sourceforge.net/

=== START OF READ SMART DATA SECTION ===

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%     12250         -

That looks ok to me.  Does this mean tht hard disk is ok?

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## Rob1n

 *lmcogs wrote:*   

> That looks ok to me.  Does this mean tht hard disk is ok?

 

It means it didn't find any errors, so the hard disk should be okay.  Unless you're having issues with the disk then I'd be happy with that (if you are having issues then be aware that the SMART tests are not infallible, so additional testing may be needed).

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## lmcogs

Thanks for help Rob1n.  Must be software issue I have

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