secure erase drive errors

[Konstantin Svist]

On 06/23/2015 03:04 PM, jd1008 wrote:
> during secure erase, I am seeing these continuous rolling errors
> in /var/log/messages
>
>   Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel: ata6.00: error: { ABRT }
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel: ata6.00: configured for UDMA/100
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel: ata6: EH complete
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel: ata6.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct
> 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x0
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel: ata6.00: irq_stat 0x00060002, device
> error via D2H FIS
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel: ata6.00: failed command: WRITE DMA EXT
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel: ata6.00: cmd
> 35/00:00:b0:b5:47/00:04:02:00:00/e0 tag 0 dma 524288 out
>          res 51/04:00:b0:b5:47/00:04:02:00:00/e0 Emask 0x1 (device error)
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel: ata6.00: status: { DRDY ERR }
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel: ata6.00: error: { ABRT }
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel: ata6.00: configured for UDMA/100
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc]
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel: Result: hostbyte=DID_OK
> driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc]
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel: Sense Key : Aborted Command
> [current] [descriptor]
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel: Descriptor sense data with sense
> descriptors (in hex):
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel:        72 0b 00 00 00 00 00 0c 00 0a
> 80 00 00 00 00 00
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel:        02 47 b5 b0
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc]
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel: Add. Sense: No additional sense
> information
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdc] CDB:
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel: Write(10): 2a 00 02 47 b5 b0 00 04
> 00 00
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel: end_request: I/O error, dev sdc,
> sector 38254000
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel: ata6: EH complete
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel: ata6.00: exception Emask 0x0 SAct
> 0x0 SErr 0x0 action 0x0
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel: ata6.00: irq_stat 0x00060002, device
> error via D2H FIS
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel: ata6.00: failed command: WRITE DMA EXT
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel: ata6.00: cmd
> 35/00:00:b0:b9:47/00:04:02:00:00/e0 tag 0 dma 524288 out
>          res 51/04:00:b0:b9:47/00:04:02:00:00/e0 Emask 0x1 (device error)
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel: ata6.00: status: { DRDY ERR }
> Jun 23 16:00:37 localhost kernel: ata6.00: error: { ABRT }
>
>
> So, then, the drive is DeD dead ????
>


Sector 38254000is dead. Possibly some others, too...
You can continue secure erase (assuming the erase program can ignore the
error), but you're not guaranteed that the data will be wiped from dead
sectors.
It's very hard to retrieve data from those, but may be possible with
specialized equipment.

If you're wiping mostly for privacy and there are few dead sectors,
you're probably fine. If you have very sensitive data and/or many bad
sectors, you need to take extra measures to destroy the data.


HTH