Tool to inspect the SMART infos of USB harddiscs (not only of IDEs)

[Jeff Korn]

I have seen some tools which inform me about the SMART data/status of internal IDE hard discs.
Unfortunately these tools do not offer the same for external USB harddiscs (connected through USB 2.0).

Is this possible at all?

Jeff

 

[D.Currie]

I have seen some tools which inform me about the SMART data/status of
internal IDE hard discs.
Unfortunately these tools do not offer the same for external USB harddiscs
(connected through USB 2.0).

Is this possible at all?

Jeff

Tools from the manufacturer's websites will usually check SMART status.
Seagate also has an online scan, and I think you can do a generic scan of
other manufacturer's drives as well. Some of the other ones also have
generic tools, but the manufacturer ones will have more testing for their
own drives.

If you're looking for one that will monitor constantly or at power on, I
don't know if any, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.

 

[Eric Gisin]

Nope, it is almost impossible.

USB uses SCSI commands, which don't have IDE SMART features.

 

[Discordia]

Nope, it is almost impossible.

USB uses SCSI commands, which don't have IDE SMART features.

I was about to ask this same question. So, if SMART won't work on an
external drive, will the manufactures drive test programs do as good a
job as SMART in determining the health of the drive?

 

[Arno Wagner]

On Mon, 1 Aug 2005 19:57:25 -0700, "Eric Gisin"

I was about to ask this same question. So, if SMART won't work on an
external drive, will the manufactures drive test programs do as good a
job as SMART in determining the health of the drive?

Today many of these just read the SMART status. That means they will
likely not work on external drives unless the USB interface was
made by the same manufactuere and they put in some vendor-specific
extensions that allow SMART pass-through.

Best option IMO: Remove the external drive from its case and connect it
internally to read smart status.

Arno

 

[David A.Lethe]

Today many of these just read the SMART status. That means they will
likely not work on external drives unless the USB interface was
made by the same manufactuere and they put in some vendor-specific
extensions that allow SMART pass-through.

Best option IMO: Remove the external drive from its case and connect it
internally to read smart status.

Arno

No that is not the case. The reason that the USB hard disks don't
"support SMART" is because many of the USB dongle chips have very poor
protocol conversion & drivers that don't translate the full
instruction set.

From the software perspective, a USB device makes the disk speak
"SCSI" instead of "ATA" instruction set, and their emulation is only
good enough to satisfy using the disk as a storage device, not to
support the type of diagnostic commands required to obtain and control
SMART.

 

[Discordia]

No that is not the case. The reason that the USB hard disks don't
"support SMART" is because many of the USB dongle chips have very poor
protocol conversion & drivers that don't translate the full
instruction set.

From the software perspective, a USB device makes the disk speak
"SCSI" instead of "ATA" instruction set, and their emulation is only
good enough to satisfy using the disk as a storage device, not to
support the type of diagnostic commands required to obtain and control
SMART.

The reason I wanted to use SMART was the new external drive I bought
makes noticable tick tick sounds as its seeking. Now, maybe most
drives do that anyway, but I haven't noticed such sounds since the
drives of about five years ago. Could be fan noise inside the case is
just drowning it out. I did return one of these drives, got a
replacement, and it does exactly the same thing. Sound normal?

 

[Arno Wagner]

Today many of these just read the SMART status. That means they will
likely not work on external drives unless the USB interface was
made by the same manufactuere and they put in some vendor-specific
extensions that allow SMART pass-through.

Best option IMO: Remove the external drive from its case and connect it
internally to read smart status.

Arno

No that is not the case. The reason that the USB hard disks don't
"support SMART" is because many of the USB dongle chips have very poor
protocol conversion & drivers that don't translate the full
instruction set.[/QUOTE]

From the software perspective, a USB device makes the disk speak
"SCSI" instead of "ATA" instruction set, and their emulation is only
good enough to satisfy using the disk as a storage device, not to
support the type of diagnostic commands required to obtain and control
SMART.

You do know that IDE and SCSI SMART is different?

Arno

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

You do know that IDE and SCSI SMART is different?

No. Really? Who would have thought that, eh?

Hey babblemouth, do you know David Lethe?

 

[Joep]

No. Really? Who would have thought that, eh?

Hey babblemouth, do you know David Lethe?

Hi Folkert!

 

[John Doe]

troll

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Subject: Re: Tool to inspect the SMART infos of USB harddiscs (not only of IDEs)
Date: Thu, 25 Aug 2005 01:00:46 +0200
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[QUOTE="Arno Wagner"]
You do know that IDE and SCSI SMART is different?

No. Really? Who would have thought that, eh?

Hey babblemouth, do you know David Lethe?

Arno

[/QUOTE]

 

[Curious George]

troll

<newbie instruction>

Don't be stupid. David is the president of a company that makes SMART
monitoring SW.
http://www.santools.com/companyinfo.html

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Subject: Re: Tool to inspect the SMART infos of USB harddiscs (not only of IDEs)
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[QUOTE="Arno Wagner"]
Previously David A.Lethe <david santools.com> wrote:
On 20 Aug 2005 23:33:45 GMT, Arno Wagner <me privacy.net> wrote:
Previously Discordia <goaway you.net> wrote:
On Mon, 1 Aug 2005 19:57:25 -0700, "Eric Gisin" <ericgisin hotmail.com> wrote:

Nope, it is almost impossible.

USB uses SCSI commands, which don't have IDE SMART features.

"Jeff Korn" under lycos.co.uk> wrote in message newsread2.arcor-online.net...
I have seen some tools which inform me about the SMART data/status of internal IDE hard discs.
Unfortunately these tools do not offer the same for external USB harddiscs (connected through USB 2.0).

Is this possible at all?


I was about to ask this same question. So, if SMART won't work on an
external drive, will the manufactures drive test programs do as good a
job as SMART in determining the health of the drive?

Today many of these just read the SMART status. That means they will
likely not work on external drives unless the USB interface was
made by the same manufactuere and they put in some vendor-specific
extensions that allow SMART pass-through.

Best option IMO: Remove the external drive from its case and connect it
internally to read smart status.

Arno

No that is not the case. The reason that the USB hard disks don't
"support SMART" is because many of the USB dongle chips have very poor
protocol conversion & drivers that don't translate the full
instruction set.

From the software perspective, a USB device makes the disk speak
"SCSI" instead of "ATA" instruction set, and their emulation is only
good enough to satisfy using the disk as a storage device, not to
support the type of diagnostic commands required to obtain and control
SMART.

You do know that IDE and SCSI SMART is different?

No. Really? Who would have thought that, eh?

Hey babblemouth, do you know David Lethe?

Arno

[/QUOTE]

 

[Arno Wagner]

Today many of these just read the SMART status. That means they will
likely not work on external drives unless the USB interface was
made by the same manufactuere and they put in some vendor-specific
extensions that allow SMART pass-through.

Best option IMO: Remove the external drive from its case and connect it
internally to read smart status.

Arno

No that is not the case. The reason that the USB hard disks don't
"support SMART" is because many of the USB dongle chips have very poor
protocol conversion & drivers that don't translate the full
instruction set.[/QUOTE]

Can you translate IDE SMART to current SCSI SMART?

From the software perspective, a USB device makes the disk speak
"SCSI" instead of "ATA" instruction set, and their emulation is only
good enough to satisfy using the disk as a storage device, not to
support the type of diagnostic commands required to obtain and control
SMART.

Yes, I know that. And at the moment IDE SMART cannot be passed through
SCSI commands. Although from the Linux SATA SMART page I conclude that
the commands for this have been standardised recently by the T10
comitee.

Arno