# smartmontools: is this disk dying?

## lo-jay

ok. i'm new to this tool: this is my /home disk, is it going to fail quickly?

what bothers me is 

```
195 Hardware_ECC_Recovered  0x000a   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       34042
```

but here is the whole output:

```
smartctl -a /dev/sdb

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

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

=== START OF INFORMATION SECTION ===

Model Family:     Maxtor DiamondMax 10 family (ATA/133 and SATA/150)

Device Model:     Maxtor 6B200M0

Serial Number:    B40EW2NH

Firmware Version: BANC1B10

User Capacity:    203,928,109,056 bytes

Device is:        In smartctl database [for details use: -P show]

ATA Version is:   7

ATA Standard is:  ATA/ATAPI-7 T13 1532D revision 0

Local Time is:    Mon Mar  3 19:25:43 2008 CET

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

General SMART Values:

Offline data collection status:  (0x80) Offline data collection activity

                                        was never started.

                                        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:                 (1562) seconds.

Offline data collection

capabilities:                    (0x5b) SMART execute Offline immediate.

                                        Auto Offline data collection on/off support.

                                        Suspend Offline collection upon new

                                        command.

                                        Offline surface scan supported.

                                        Self-test supported.

                                        No 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:        (  81) 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

  3 Spin_Up_Time            0x0027   194   193   063    Pre-fail  Always       -       20904

  4 Start_Stop_Count        0x0032   252   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       2035

  5 Reallocated_Sector_Ct   0x0033   253   253   063    Pre-fail  Always       -       0

  6 Read_Channel_Margin     0x0001   253   253   100    Pre-fail  Offline      -       0

  7 Seek_Error_Rate         0x000a   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       0

  8 Seek_Time_Performance   0x0027   246   232   187    Pre-fail  Always       -       36550

  9 Power_On_Minutes        0x0032   241   241   000    Old_age   Always       -       1032h+43m

 10 Spin_Retry_Count        0x002b   253   252   157    Pre-fail  Always       -       0

 11 Calibration_Retry_Count 0x002b   253   252   223    Pre-fail  Always       -       0

 12 Power_Cycle_Count       0x0032   246   246   000    Old_age   Always       -       2940

192 Power-Off_Retract_Count 0x0032   253   253   000    Old_age   Always       -       0

193 Load_Cycle_Count        0x0032   253   253   000    Old_age   Always       -       0

194 Temperature_Celsius     0x0032   043   253   000    Old_age   Always       -       26

195 Hardware_ECC_Recovered  0x000a   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       34042

196 Reallocated_Event_Count 0x0008   253   253   000    Old_age   Offline      -       0

197 Current_Pending_Sector  0x0008   253   253   000    Old_age   Offline      -       0

198 Offline_Uncorrectable   0x0008   253   253   000    Old_age   Offline      -       0

199 UDMA_CRC_Error_Count    0x0008   199   199   000    Old_age   Offline      -       0

200 Multi_Zone_Error_Rate   0x000a   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       0

201 Soft_Read_Error_Rate    0x000a   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       0

202 TA_Increase_Count       0x000a   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       0

203 Run_Out_Cancel          0x000b   253   252   180    Pre-fail  Always       -       6

204 Shock_Count_Write_Opern 0x000a   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       0

205 Shock_Rate_Write_Opern  0x000a   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       0

207 Spin_High_Current       0x002a   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       0

208 Spin_Buzz               0x002a   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       0

209 Offline_Seek_Performnce 0x0024   240   240   000    Old_age   Offline      -       167

210 Unknown_Attribute       0x0032   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       0

211 Unknown_Attribute       0x0032   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       0

212 Unknown_Attribute       0x0032   253   253   000    Old_age   Always       -       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.

```

thanks again!

----------

## ikshaar

As far as I know, I would say no. "Old Age" parameter only tell you your disc is aging - and this one is going to increase constantly (the raw_value). And the reported current value (253) is still high - those value decreases with time.

----------

## timeBandit

The disk has no reallocated sectors, all other error counts are zero and it's still quite "young" in terms of start/stop count and power-on time. I'd say the ECC logic is doing its job and you've little cause to worry. When sector reallocation starts climbing steadily, then worry (it implies multiple, uncorrectable failures in each reallocated sector, a good sign of deterioration).

----------

## Cyker

The important bit of the SMART report there is the bit that says:

 *Quote:*   

> SMART overall-health self-assessment test result: PASSED

 

The rest is pretty arbitrary. For instance, my Seagate 7200.10 says:

 *Quote:*   

> smartctl version 5.37 [i686-pc-linux-gnu] Copyright (C) 2002-6 Bruce Allen
> 
> Home page is http://smartmontools.sourceforge.net/
> 
> === START OF INFORMATION SECTION ===
> ...

 

Selected sections bolded for amusement value  :Wink: 

But all of those values are deceptive as Seagate, tossers that they are, decided to measure all their things in a non-standard way.

When I e-mailed them about this, their argument was that SMART values are proprietary, despite the fact that my Maxtor, Western Digital, Samsung and IBM/Hitachi hard disks all measure the values in a comparable way to each other.

----------

## lo-jay

thanks a lot! now i can sleep better  :Smile:  !

----------

## ikshaar

 *Cyker wrote:*   

> But all of those values are deceptive as Seagate, tossers that they are, decided to measure all their things in a non-standard way.
> 
> When I e-mailed them about this, their argument was that SMART values are proprietary...

 

So be it.

Power of consumer => Seagate has been off my buying list for a while.

----------

## timeBandit

 *ikshaar wrote:*   

>  *Cyker wrote:*   When I e-mailed [Seagate] about this, their argument was that SMART values are proprietary... So be it.
> 
> Power of consumer => Seagate has been off my buying list for a while.

 Not to defend Seagate, but they're technically correct. Per the SMART standard, manufacturers can encode the raw data any way they choose, it's the cooked values that must conform. *man smartctl wrote:*   

> The conversion from Raw value to a quantity with physical units is not specified by the SMART standard. In most cases, the values printed by smartctl are sensible. For example the temperature Attribute generally has its raw value equal to the temperature in Celsius. However in some cases vendors use unusual conventions. For example [some] Hitachi disk[s report] power-on hours in minutes, not hours. Some IBM disks track three temperatures rather than one, in their raw values. And so on.

 Seagate have their problems but they're not doing anything wrong (just annoying), here.

----------

## BlackEdder

```
195 Hardware_ECC_Recovered  0x000a   253   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       34042
```

Smart's output is pretty confusing, but I resently looked into it and thing this line indicates that the best amount would be 253, the lowest amount ever recorded is 252. The lowest amount that is acceptable is 000. Then the Old_age thing says that an amount of 000 wouldn't mean that your hard disk is going to die/loose its data. It just means that your disk is getting quite old.

In short only if the second value is lower than the third value and the next column is labelled pre-fail you should get worried.

----------

## Monkeh

 *Quote:*   

>  12 Power_Cycle_Count       0x0032   246   246   000    Old_age   Always       -       2940 

 

That's what you should be worried about. Stop pointlessly power cycling!

----------

## timeBandit

++

I was going to point that out also. These two stats caught my eye:

```
ID# ATTRIBUTE_NAME     FLAG     VALUE WORST THRESH TYPE      UPDATED  WHEN_FAILED RAW_VALUE

  4 Start_Stop_Count   0x0032   252   252   000    Old_age   Always       -       2035

  9 Power_On_Minutes   0x0032   241   241   000    Old_age   Always       -       1032h+43m 
```

That's a lot of restarts and pretty short run time (~31 min/cycle). Your system might live longer if you change your work habits slightly and restart less often. (For comparison, the oldest drive I have (that records these stats) reports half as many restarts and >14,000 power-on hours--10+ years old and going strong.)

----------

## Monkeh

 *timeBandit wrote:*   

> ++
> 
> I was going to point that out also. These two stats caught my eye:
> 
> ```
> ...

 

That's nothing. I have a three year old drive with 25700 hours on it, and only 283 power cycles.

----------

## timeBandit

 *Monkeh wrote:*   

> That's nothing. I have a three year old drive with 25700 hours on it, and only 283 power cycles.

   :Laughing:  I didn't expect to "win." If anything the drive I described has had a pretty average life, illustrating what's unusual about the OP's.

Hmm, three years ~= 26300 hrs ~= 98% uptime. Get some sleep, man!  :Very Happy: 

----------

## Monkeh

 *timeBandit wrote:*   

>  *Monkeh wrote:*   That's nothing. I have a three year old drive with 25700 hours on it, and only 283 power cycles.   I didn't expect to "win." If anything the drive I described has had a pretty average life, illustrating what's unusual about the OP's.
> 
> Hmm, three years ~= 26300 hrs ~= 98% uptime. Get some sleep, man! 

 

I never turn my equipment off if I can help it.  :Smile: 

I've probably had it three and a half years, realistically.

----------

## eccerr0r

some Maxtor disks specify power-on minutes that roll over quite often when running, so that number isn't accurate.

My most abused disk is a Maxtor Diamondmax 9 series 120G disk, and it reports 31425 hours on it since the last selftest.  But its internal timer is apparently wrong as I do a selftest every week, and the number of hours don't quite jive... Recalculating it's around 33600 hours (75% uptime), 341 power cycles, 1700 start/stops over the 5 years I've had it.  Knock on wood, the hdd's been out of warranty for 4 years =(

----------

