How to force a SMART failure in a drive while operating?

  • Thread starter Thread starter chris
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chris

Hi,

I need to test some software that reacts to a drive (specifically,
SATA drives) reporing a SMART failure.

Specifically, I want the SMART failure to be reported by the drive
while in operation:
* system starts up with drive not reporting any failure
* after some time (ideally I can control when, or the time is short -
on the order of minutes) , the drive reports a SMART failure

Does anybody of any way to force a SATA HDD to report a SMART failure?

Thanks.

Chris.
 
chris said:
Hi,

I need to test some software that reacts to a drive (specifically,
SATA drives) reporing a SMART failure.

Specifically, I want the SMART failure to be reported by the drive
while in operation:
* system starts up with drive not reporting any failure
* after some time (ideally I can control when, or the time is short -
on the order of minutes) , the drive reports a SMART failure

Does anybody of any way to force a SATA HDD to report a SMART failure?
Click to expand...

Hit it with the flame from an oxy-acetylene torch.

HTH.
 
Previously chris said:
Hi,
Click to expand...
I need to test some software that reacts to a drive (specifically,
SATA drives) reporing a SMART failure.
Click to expand...
Specifically, I want the SMART failure to be reported by the drive
while in operation:
* system starts up with drive not reporting any failure
* after some time (ideally I can control when, or the time is short -
on the order of minutes) , the drive reports a SMART failure
Click to expand...
Does anybody of any way to force a SATA HDD to report a SMART failure?
Click to expand...

Other than the (expensive) software Odie mentions here sometimes,
that apparantly can modify SMART attributes, I can only think
of using a damaged drive.

But why not do a stub-test, i.e. feed simulated SMART data to the
software?

Arno
 
Other than the (expensive) software Odie mentions here sometimes,
that apparantly can modify SMART attributes, I can only think
of using a damaged drive.

But why not do a stub-test, i.e. feed simulated SMART data to the
software?

Arno
Click to expand...

I'm testing this at a system level. I have no access to the source, so
I can't do a stub test. Also, FYI, this is not a PC, its a custom
hardware design.
 
I'm testing this at a system level. I have no access to the source, so
I can't do a stub test. Also, FYI, this is not a PC, its a custom
hardware design.
Click to expand...

Hmm. I would say then you are not in a position to do really meaningful
testing, unless you find that disk with the SMART failure.

Side note: At least older Maxtor disks had some extremely optimistic
SMART thresholds. I had one disk (dropped in transport and
went bad after some months), that had > 1000 reallocated sectors and
was dog-slow, but the SMART status was still fine. So don't trust
too much in a passing SMART status.

Personally I watch the reallocated count and the realocation event
count and consider any change in one of those to be alarming.

Arno
 
Arno Wagner said:
Hmm. I would say then you are not in a position to do really meaningful
testing, unless you find that disk with the SMART failure.
Click to expand...
Side note: At least older Maxtor disks had some extremely optimistic
SMART thresholds. I had one disk (dropped in transport and
went bad after some months), that had > 1000 reallocated sectors and
was dog-slow, but the SMART status was still fine. So don't trust
too much in a passing SMART status.
Click to expand...

Babblebot clueless as always.
1000 re-assigned sectors is like a scratch (pun intended) on the pool
of literally hundreds of thousands of spare sectors.
There wouldn't be so many if the drive never intended to use them.
 
Hi,

I need to test some software that reacts to a drive (specifically,
SATA drives) reporing a SMART failure.

Specifically, I want the SMART failure to be reported by the drive
while in operation:
* system starts up with drive not reporting any failure
* after some time (ideally I can control when, or the time is short -
on the order of minutes) , the drive reports a SMART failure

Does anybody of any way to force a SATA HDD to report a SMART failure?

Thanks.

Chris.
Click to expand...

One *practical* suggestion. Buy an extra fan. Break off one blade from
the fan. Tape that fan to the drive. Power the fan and the vibration
will cause significant soft errors (but won'd destroy the drive).

Yes, I found actual system problems where a bad fan was causing disk
errors.
 
One *practical* suggestion. Buy an extra fan. Break off one blade from
the fan. Tape that fan to the drive. Power the fan and the vibration
will cause significant soft errors (but won'd destroy the drive).
Click to expand...
Yes, I found actual system problems where a bad fan was causing disk
errors.
Click to expand...

Cool idea! Let me know if that works.

Arno
 
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