Using hdparm to enable diabled features of a hard drive

Bill Davidsen davidsen at tmr.com
Sun Oct 17 21:49:15 UTC 2010


JD wrote:
>    When I issued
> sudo hdparm -I /dev/hdb I got, among other info,
> a list of commands/features, most of which are enabled,
> except for a few. To wit:
>
> Commands/features:
>       Enabled    Supported:
>          *    SMART feature set
>               Security Mode feature set<<<<<<<
>          *    Power Management feature set
>          *    Write cache
>          *    Look-ahead
>          *    Host Protected Area feature set
>          *    WRITE_BUFFER command
>          *    READ_BUFFER command
>          *    DOWNLOAD_MICROCODE
>               SET_MAX security extension<<<<<<<<<<<<
>          *    Automatic Acoustic Management feature set
>          *    48-bit Address feature set
>          *    Device Configuration Overlay feature set
>          *    Mandatory FLUSH_CACHE
>          *    FLUSH_CACHE_EXT
>          *    SMART error logging
>          *    SMART self-test
>          *    General Purpose Logging feature set
>          *    WRITE_{DMA|MULTIPLE}_FUA_EXT
>          *    64-bit World wide name
>               Write-Read-Verify feature set<<<<<<<<<<
>          *    WRITE_UNCORRECTABLE_EXT command
>          *    {READ,WRITE}_DMA_EXT_GPL commands
>          *    Segmented DOWNLOAD_MICROCODE
>          *    Gen1 signaling speed (1.5Gb/s)
>          *    Gen2 signaling speed (3.0Gb/s)
>          *    Native Command Queueing (NCQ)
>          *    Phy event counters
>               Device-initiated interface power management<<<<<<<<
>          *    Software settings preservation
>          *    SMART Command Transport (SCT) feature set
>          *    SCT Long Sector Access (AC1)
>          *    SCT LBA Segment Access (AC2)
>          *    SCT Error Recovery Control (AC3)
>          *    SCT Features Control (AC4)
>          *    SCT Data Tables (AC5)
>               unknown 206[12] (vendor specific)
>
> So, my questions are:
>
> a.  how can I use hdparm to enable write/read verify? That's what I am
> interested in.
>        Man page does not mention this.

I don't think hdparm is the tool to install new firmware with more features.
There are FOSS programs to install new versions, and usually the vendor has an 
install for Windows to upgrade.

> b. What is the effect of enabling "SET_MAX security extension", i.e.:
>        hdparm --security-mode m  /dev/hdb
>        What does it buy me?
>
>


-- 
Bill Davidsen <davidsen at tmr.com>
   "We have more to fear from the bungling of the incompetent than from
the machinations of the wicked."  - from Slashdot



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