WDC WD15EARS-00Z5B1: harddrive which does crazy unloading

WDC WD15EARS-00Z5B1: harddrive which does crazy unloading

[Al Bogner]

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# If you have a harddrive which does crazy unloading but not listed            
# here, please write to linux-ide@vger.kernel.org with the outputs of          
# "dmidecode" and "hdparm -I DRIVE" attached.  On a laptop the DRIVE           
# is usually /dev/sda.

Hi,

I append info of an 1.5 TB WD Caviar green drive with a lot of start/stop 
cycles. I would like to mention, that I have 4 1 TB Caviar green (WD10EADS) 
which work fine!

The e-SATA drive is used with this machine:
http://www.smolts.org/client/show/pub_b214fce2-b5b5-4a32-ba7e-cf9de6d55757
but has problems with other machines too.

I use Openesuse 11.1
Kernel 2.6.27.42-0.1-default
FANTEC Fanbox FB-35US2 (probably JMicron 20360/20363 AHCI Controller)
storage-fixup-0.2-25.3 is installed, but not especially configured


If you need more info let me know.

Al


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# dmidecode 2.9
SMBIOS 2.5 present.
54 structures occupying 2048 bytes.
Table at 0x000FD590.

Handle 0x0000, DMI type 0, 24 bytes
BIOS Information
	Vendor: American Megatrends Inc.
	Version: V3.4
	Release Date: 01/18/2009
	Address: 0xF0000
	Runtime Size: 64 kB
	ROM Size: 1024 kB
	Characteristics:
		ISA is supported
		PCI is supported
		PNP is supported
		APM is supported
		BIOS is upgradeable
		BIOS shadowing is allowed
		ESCD support is available
		Boot from CD is supported
		Selectable boot is supported
		BIOS ROM is socketed
		EDD is supported
		5.25"/1.2 MB floppy services are supported (int 13h)
		3.5"/720 KB floppy services are supported (int 13h)
		3.5"/2.88 MB floppy services are supported (int 13h)
		Print screen service is supported (int 5h)
		8042 keyboard services are supported (int 9h)
		Serial services are supported (int 14h)
		Printer services are supported (int 17h)
		CGA/mono video services are supported (int 10h)
		ACPI is supported
		USB legacy is supported
		LS-120 boot is supported
		ATAPI Zip drive boot is supported
		BIOS boot specification is supported
		Targeted content distribution is supported
	BIOS Revision: 8.15

Handle 0x0001, DMI type 1, 27 bytes
System Information
	Manufacturer: MSI
	Product Name: MS-7374
	Version: 1.0
	Serial Number: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
	UUID: 00000000-0000-0000-0000-00218563A101
	Wake-up Type: Power Switch
	SKU Number: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
	Family: To Be Filled By O.E.M.

Handle 0x0002, DMI type 2, 15 bytes
Base Board Information
	Manufacturer: MSI
	Product Name: MS-7374
	Version: 1.0
	Serial Number: To be filled by O.E.M.
	Asset Tag: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
	Features:
		Board is a hosting board
		Board is replaceable
	Location In Chassis: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
	Chassis Handle: 0x0003
	Type: Motherboard
	Contained Object Handles: 0

Handle 0x0003, DMI type 3, 21 bytes
Chassis Information
	Manufacturer: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
	Type: Desktop
	Lock: Not Present
	Version: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
	Serial Number: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
	Asset Tag: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
	Boot-up State: Safe
	Power Supply State: Safe
	Thermal State: Safe
	Security Status: None
	OEM Information: 0x00000000
	Height: Unspecified
	Number Of Power Cords: 1
	Contained Elements: 0

Handle 0x0004, DMI type 4, 40 bytes
Processor Information
	Socket Designation: CPU 1
	Type: Central Processor
	Family: Athlon 64 X2
	Manufacturer: AMD              
	ID: B2 0F 06 00 FF FB 8B 17
	Signature: Family 15, Model 107, Stepping 2
	Flags:
		FPU (Floating-point unit on-chip)
		VME (Virtual mode extension)
		DE (Debugging extension)
		PSE (Page size extension)
		TSC (Time stamp counter)
		MSR (Model specific registers)
		PAE (Physical address extension)
		MCE (Machine check exception)
		CX8 (CMPXCHG8 instruction supported)
		APIC (On-chip APIC hardware supported)
		SEP (Fast system call)
		MTRR (Memory type range registers)
		PGE (Page global enable)
		MCA (Machine check architecture)
		CMOV (Conditional move instruction supported)
		PAT (Page attribute table)
		PSE-36 (36-bit page size extension)
		CLFSH (CLFLUSH instruction supported)
		MMX (MMX technology supported)
		FXSR (Fast floating-point save and restore)
		SSE (Streaming SIMD extensions)
		SSE2 (Streaming SIMD extensions 2)
		HTT (Hyper-threading technology)
	Version: AMD Athlon(tm) Dual Core Processor 5050e            
	Voltage: 1.5 V
	External Clock: 200 MHz
	Max Speed: 2600 MHz
	Current Speed: 2615 MHz
	Status: Populated, Enabled
	Upgrade: Other
	L1 Cache Handle: 0x0005
	L2 Cache Handle: 0x0006
	L3 Cache Handle: 0x0007
	Serial Number: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
	Asset Tag: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
	Part Number: To Be Filled By O.E.M.
	Core Count: 2
	Core Enabled: 2
	Characteristics:
		64-bit capable

Handle 0x0005, DMI type 7, 19 bytes
Cache Information
	Socket Designation: L1-Cache
	Configuration: Enabled, Not Socketed, Level 1
	Operational Mode: Varies With Memory Address
	Location: Internal
	Installed Size: 256 KB
	Maximum Size: 256 KB
	Supported SRAM Types:
		Pipeline Burst
	Installed SRAM Type: Pipeline Burst
	Speed: Unknown
	Error Correction Type: Single-bit ECC
	System Type: Data
	Associativity: 4-way Set-associative

Handle 0x0006, DMI type 7, 19 bytes
Cache Information
	Socket Designation: L2-Cache
	Configuration: Enabled, Not Socketed, Level 2
	Operational Mode: Varies With Memory Address
	Location: Internal
	Installed Size: 1024 KB
	Maximum Size: 1024 KB
	Supported SRAM Types:
		Pipeline Burst
	Installed SRAM Type: Pipeline Burst
	Speed: Unknown
	Error Correction Type: Single-bit ECC
	System Type: Unified
	Associativity: 4-way Set-associative

Handle 0x0007, DMI type 7, 19 bytes
Cache Information
	Socket Designation: L3-Cache
	Configuration: Disabled, Not Socketed, Level 3
	Operational Mode: Unknown
	Location: Internal
	Installed Size: 0 KB
	Maximum Size: 0 KB
	Supported SRAM Types:
		Unknown
	Installed SRAM Type: Unknown
	Speed: Unknown
	Error Correction Type: Unknown
	System Type: Unknown
	Associativity: Unknown

Handle 0x0008, DMI type 5, 24 bytes
Memory Controller Information
	Error Detecting Method: 64-bit ECC
	Error Correcting Capabilities:
		None
	Supported Interleave: One-way Interleave
	Current Interleave: One-way Interleave
	Maximum Memory Module Size: 1024 MB
	Maximum Total Memory Size: 4096 MB
	Supported Speeds:
		70 ns
		60 ns
		50 ns
	Supported Memory Types:
		DIMM
		SDRAM
	Memory Module Voltage: 3.3 V
	Associated Memory Slots: 4
		0x0009
		0x000A
		0x000B
		0x000C
	Enabled Error Correcting Capabilities:
		None

Handle 0x0009, DMI type 6, 12 bytes
Memory Module Information
	Socket Designation: DIMM0
	Bank Connections: 0 5
	Current Speed: 160 ns
	Type: ECC DIMM
	Installed Size: 2048 MB (Double-bank Connection)
	Enabled Size: 2048 MB (Double-bank Connection)
	Error Status: OK

Handle 0x000A, DMI type 6, 12 bytes
Memory Module Information
	Socket Designation: DIMM1
	Bank Connections: 0 5
	Current Speed: 162 ns
	Type: ECC DIMM
	Installed Size: 2048 MB (Double-bank Connection)
	Enabled Size: 2048 MB (Double-bank Connection)
	Error Status: OK

Handle 0x000B, DMI type 6, 12 bytes
Memory Module Information
	Socket Designation: DIMM2
	Bank Connections: 0
	Current Speed: Unknown
	Type: Other
	Installed Size: Not Installed
	Enabled Size: Not Installed
	Error Status: OK

Handle 0x000C, DMI type 6, 12 bytes
Memory Module Information
	Socket Designation: DIMM3
	Bank Connections: 0
	Current Speed: Unknown
	Type: Other
	Installed Size: Not Installed
	Enabled Size: Not Installed
	Error Status: OK

Handle 0x000D, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: J1A1
	Internal Connector Type: None
	External Reference Designator: PS2Mouse
	External Connector Type: PS/2
	Port Type: Mouse Port

Handle 0x000E, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: J1A1
	Internal Connector Type: None
	External Reference Designator: Keyboard
	External Connector Type: PS/2
	Port Type: Keyboard Port

Handle 0x000F, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: J2A2
	Internal Connector Type: None
	External Reference Designator: USB1
	External Connector Type: Access Bus (USB)
	Port Type: USB

Handle 0x0010, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: J2A2
	Internal Connector Type: None
	External Reference Designator: USB2
	External Connector Type: Access Bus (USB)
	Port Type: USB

Handle 0x0011, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: J2A1
	Internal Connector Type: None
	External Reference Designator: COM A
	External Connector Type: DB-9 male
	Port Type: Serial Port 16550A Compatible

Handle 0x0012, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: J6A1
	Internal Connector Type: None
	External Reference Designator: Audio Mic In
	External Connector Type: Mini Jack (headphones)
	Port Type: Audio Port

Handle 0x0013, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: J6A1
	Internal Connector Type: None
	External Reference Designator: Audio Line In
	External Connector Type: Mini Jack (headphones)
	Port Type: Audio Port

Handle 0x0014, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: J6A1
	Internal Connector Type: None
	External Reference Designator: Audio Line Out
	External Connector Type: Mini Jack (headphones)
	Port Type: Audio Port

Handle 0x0015, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: J6B1 - AUX IN
	Internal Connector Type: On Board Sound Input From CD-ROM
	External Reference Designator: Not Specified
	External Connector Type: None
	Port Type: Audio Port

Handle 0x0016, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: J6B2 - CDIN
	Internal Connector Type: On Board Sound Input From CD-ROM
	External Reference Designator: Not Specified
	External Connector Type: None
	Port Type: Audio Port

Handle 0x0017, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: J6J2 - PRI IDE
	Internal Connector Type: On Board IDE
	External Reference Designator: Not Specified
	External Connector Type: None
	Port Type: Other

Handle 0x0018, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: J6J1 - SEC IDE
	Internal Connector Type: On Board IDE
	External Reference Designator: Not Specified
	External Connector Type: None
	Port Type: Other

Handle 0x0019, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: J4J1 - FLOPPY
	Internal Connector Type: On Board Floppy
	External Reference Designator: Not Specified
	External Connector Type: None
	Port Type: Other

Handle 0x001A, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: J9H1 - FRONT PNL
	Internal Connector Type: 9 Pin Dual Inline (pin 10 cut)
	External Reference Designator: Not Specified
	External Connector Type: None
	Port Type: Other

Handle 0x001B, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: J1B1 - CHASSIS REAR FAN
	Internal Connector Type: Other
	External Reference Designator: Not Specified
	External Connector Type: None
	Port Type: Other

Handle 0x001C, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: J2F1 - CPU FAN
	Internal Connector Type: Other
	External Reference Designator: Not Specified
	External Connector Type: None
	Port Type: Other

Handle 0x001D, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: J8B4 - FRONT FAN
	Internal Connector Type: Other
	External Reference Designator: Not Specified
	External Connector Type: None
	Port Type: Other

Handle 0x001E, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: J9G2 - FNT USB
	Internal Connector Type: Other
	External Reference Designator: Not Specified
	External Connector Type: None
	Port Type: Other

Handle 0x001F, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: J6C3 - FP AUD
	Internal Connector Type: Other
	External Reference Designator: Not Specified
	External Connector Type: None
	Port Type: Other

Handle 0x0020, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: J9G1 - CONFIG
	Internal Connector Type: Other
	External Reference Designator: Not Specified
	External Connector Type: None
	Port Type: Other

Handle 0x0021, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: J8C1 - SCSI LED
	Internal Connector Type: Other
	External Reference Designator: Not Specified
	External Connector Type: None
	Port Type: Other

Handle 0x0022, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: J9J2 - INTRUDER
	Internal Connector Type: Other
	External Reference Designator: Not Specified
	External Connector Type: None
	Port Type: Other

Handle 0x0023, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: J9G4 - ITP
	Internal Connector Type: Other
	External Reference Designator: Not Specified
	External Connector Type: None
	Port Type: Other

Handle 0x0024, DMI type 8, 9 bytes
Port Connector Information
	Internal Reference Designator: J2H1 - MAIN POWER
	Internal Connector Type: Other
	External Reference Designator: Not Specified
	External Connector Type: None
	Port Type: Other

Handle 0x0025, DMI type 9, 13 bytes
System Slot Information
	Designation: PCI1
	Type: 32-bit PCI
	Current Usage: Available
	Length: Short
	ID: 1
	Characteristics:
		3.3 V is provided
		Opening is shared
		PME signal is supported

Handle 0x0026, DMI type 9, 13 bytes
System Slot Information
	Designation: PCI2
	Type: 32-bit PCI
	Current Usage: Available
	Length: Short
	ID: 2
	Characteristics:
		3.3 V is provided
		Opening is shared
		PME signal is supported

Handle 0x0027, DMI type 10, 6 bytes
On Board Device Information
	Type: Video
	Status: Enabled
	Description:   To Be Filled By O.E.M.

Handle 0x0028, DMI type 11, 5 bytes
OEM Strings
	String 1: To Be Filled By O.E.M.

Handle 0x0029, DMI type 12, 5 bytes
System Configuration Options
	Option 1: To Be Filled By O.E.M.

Handle 0x002A, DMI type 13, 22 bytes
BIOS Language Information
	Installable Languages: 1
		en|US|iso8859-1
	Currently Installed Language: en|US|iso8859-1

Handle 0x002B, DMI type 16, 15 bytes
Physical Memory Array
	Location: System Board Or Motherboard
	Use: System Memory
	Error Correction Type: None
	Maximum Capacity: 8 GB
	Error Information Handle: Not Provided
	Number Of Devices: 4

Handle 0x002C, DMI type 19, 15 bytes
Memory Array Mapped Address
	Starting Address: 0x00000000000
	Ending Address: 0x0011FFFFFFF
	Range Size: 4608 MB
	Physical Array Handle: 0x002B
	Partition Width: 0

Handle 0x002D, DMI type 17, 27 bytes
Memory Device
	Array Handle: 0x002B
	Error Information Handle: Not Provided
	Total Width: 64 bits
	Data Width: 72 bits
	Size: 2048 MB
	Form Factor: DIMM
	Set: None
	Locator: DIMM0
	Bank Locator: BANK0
	Type: DDR2
	Type Detail: Synchronous
	Speed: 400 MHz (2.5 ns)
	Manufacturer: Corsair       
	Serial Number: 00000000
	Asset Tag: AssetTagNum0
	Part Number: CM2X2048-6400C5   

Handle 0x002E, DMI type 20, 19 bytes
Memory Device Mapped Address
	Starting Address: 0x00000000000
	Ending Address: 0x0007FFFFFFF
	Range Size: 2 GB
	Physical Device Handle: 0x002D
	Memory Array Mapped Address Handle: 0x002C
	Partition Row Position: 1

Handle 0x002F, DMI type 17, 27 bytes
Memory Device
	Array Handle: 0x002B
	Error Information Handle: Not Provided
	Total Width: 64 bits
	Data Width: 72 bits
	Size: 2048 MB
	Form Factor: DIMM
	Set: None
	Locator: DIMM1
	Bank Locator: BANK1
	Type: DDR2
	Type Detail: Synchronous
	Speed: 400 MHz (2.5 ns)
	Manufacturer: Corsair       
	Serial Number: 00000000
	Asset Tag: AssetTagNum1
	Part Number: CM2X2048-6400C5   

Handle 0x0030, DMI type 20, 19 bytes
Memory Device Mapped Address
	Starting Address: 0x00080000000
	Ending Address: 0x000FFFFFFFF
	Range Size: 2 GB
	Physical Device Handle: 0x002F
	Memory Array Mapped Address Handle: 0x002C
	Partition Row Position: 1

Handle 0x0031, DMI type 17, 27 bytes
Memory Device
	Array Handle: 0x002B
	Error Information Handle: Not Provided
	Total Width: Unknown
	Data Width: 64 bits
	Size: No Module Installed
	Form Factor: Other
	Set: None
	Locator: DIMM2
	Bank Locator: BANK2
	Type: Unknown
	Type Detail: None
	Speed: Unknown
	Manufacturer: Manufacturer02
	Serial Number: SerNum02
	Asset Tag: AssetTagNum2
	Part Number: ModulePartNumber02

Handle 0x0032, DMI type 126, 19 bytes
Inactive

Handle 0x0033, DMI type 17, 27 bytes
Memory Device
	Array Handle: 0x002B
	Error Information Handle: Not Provided
	Total Width: Unknown
	Data Width: 64 bits
	Size: No Module Installed
	Form Factor: Other
	Set: None
	Locator: DIMM3
	Bank Locator: BANK3
	Type: Unknown
	Type Detail: None
	Speed: Unknown
	Manufacturer: Manufacturer03
	Serial Number: SerNum03
	Asset Tag: AssetTagNum3
	Part Number: ModulePartNumber03

Handle 0x0034, DMI type 126, 19 bytes
Inactive

Handle 0x0035, DMI type 127, 4 bytes
End Of Table


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smartctl 5.39 2008-10-24 22:33 [x86_64-suse-linux-gnu] (openSUSE RPM)
Copyright (C) 2002-8 by Bruce Allen, http://smartmontools.sourceforge.net

=== START OF INFORMATION SECTION ===
Device Model:     WDC WD15EARS-00Z5B1
Serial Number:    WD-WMAVU1371932
Firmware Version: 80.00A80
User Capacity:    1,500,301,910,016 bytes
Device is:        Not in smartctl database [for details use: -P showall]
ATA Version is:   8
ATA Standard is:  Exact ATA specification draft version not indicated
Local Time is:    Mon Feb  8 18:58:52 2010 CET
SMART support is: Available - device has SMART capability.
SMART support is: Enabled

=== START OF ENABLE/DISABLE COMMANDS SECTION ===
SMART Enabled.

=== START OF READ SMART DATA SECTION ===
SMART overall-health self-assessment test result: PASSED

General SMART Values:
Offline data collection status:  (0x84)	Offline data collection activity
					was suspended by an interrupting command from host.
					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: 		 (31800) seconds.
Offline data collection
capabilities: 			 (0x7b) SMART execute Offline immediate.
					Auto Offline data collection on/off support.
					Suspend Offline collection upon new
					command.
					Offline surface scan supported.
					Self-test supported.
					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: 	 ( 255) minutes.
Conveyance self-test routine
recommended polling time: 	 (   5) minutes.
SCT capabilities: 	       (0x3031)	SCT Status supported.
					SCT Feature Control supported.
					SCT Data Table supported.

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
  1 Raw_Read_Error_Rate     0x002f   200   200   051    Pre-fail  Always       -       0
  3 Spin_Up_Time            0x0027   187   187   021    Pre-fail  Always       -       5633
  4 Start_Stop_Count        0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       -       8
  5 Reallocated_Sector_Ct   0x0033   200   200   140    Pre-fail  Always       -       0
  7 Seek_Error_Rate         0x002e   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
  9 Power_On_Hours          0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       -       44
 10 Spin_Retry_Count        0x0032   100   253   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
 11 Calibration_Retry_Count 0x0032   100   253   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
 12 Power_Cycle_Count       0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       -       7
192 Power-Off_Retract_Count 0x0032   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       -       3
193 Load_Cycle_Count        0x0032   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       -       765
194 Temperature_Celsius     0x0022   110   109   000    Old_age   Always       -       40
196 Reallocated_Event_Count 0x0032   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
197 Current_Pending_Sector  0x0032   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
198 Offline_Uncorrectable   0x0030   200   200   000    Old_age   Offline      -       0
199 UDMA_CRC_Error_Count    0x0032   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
200 Multi_Zone_Error_Rate   0x0008   200   200   000    Old_age   Offline      -       0

SMART Error Log Version: 1
No Errors Logged

SMART Self-test log structure revision number 1
Num  Test_Description    Status                  Remaining  LifeTime(hours)  LBA_of_first_error
# 1  Short offline       Completed without error       00%        39         -
# 2  Extended offline    Completed without error       00%         5         -
# 3  Short offline       Completed without error       00%         0         -

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.


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/dev/sdc:
 IO_support    =  0 (default) 
 readonly      =  0 (off)
 readahead     = 256 (on)
 geometry      = 51329/255/63, sectors = 2930277168, start = 0

 Model=WDC WD15EARS-00Z5B1                     , FwRev=80.00A80, SerialNo=     WD-WMAVU1371932
 Config={ HardSect NotMFM HdSw>15uSec SpinMotCtl Fixed DTR>5Mbs FmtGapReq }
 RawCHS=16383/16/63, TrkSize=0, SectSize=0, ECCbytes=50
 BuffType=unknown, BuffSize=0kB, MaxMultSect=16, MultSect=?16?
 CurCHS=16383/16/63, CurSects=16514064, LBA=yes, LBAsects=18446744072344861488
 IORDY=on/off, tPIO={min:120,w/IORDY:120}, tDMA={min:120,rec:120}
 PIO modes:  pio0 pio3 pio4 
 DMA modes:  mdma0 mdma1 mdma2 
 UDMA modes: udma0 udma1 udma2 udma3 udma4 udma5 *udma6 
 AdvancedPM=no WriteCache=enabled
 Drive conforms to: Unspecified:  ATA/ATAPI-1,2,3,4,5,6,7

 * signifies the current active mode


ATA device, with non-removable media
	Model Number:       WDC WD15EARS-00Z5B1                     
	Serial Number:      WD-WMAVU1371932
	Firmware Revision:  80.00A80
	Transport:          Serial, SATA 1.0a, SATA II Extensions, SATA Rev 2.5
Standards:
	Supported: 8 7 6 5 
	Likely used: 8
Configuration:
	Logical		max	current
	cylinders	16383	16383
	heads		16	16
	sectors/track	63	63
	--
	CHS current addressable sectors:   16514064
	LBA    user addressable sectors:  268435455
	LBA48  user addressable sectors: 2930277168
	device size with M = 1024*1024:     1430799 MBytes
	device size with M = 1000*1000:     1500301 MBytes (1500 GB)
Capabilities:
	LBA, IORDY(can be disabled)
	Queue depth: 32
	Standby timer values: spec'd by Standard, with device specific minimum
	R/W multiple sector transfer: Max = 16	Current = 16
	Recommended acoustic management value: 128, current value: 254
	DMA: mdma0 mdma1 mdma2 udma0 udma1 udma2 udma3 udma4 udma5 *udma6 
	     Cycle time: min=120ns recommended=120ns
	PIO: pio0 pio1 pio2 pio3 pio4 
	     Cycle time: no flow control=120ns  IORDY flow control=120ns
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
	   *	NOP cmd
	   *	DOWNLOAD_MICROCODE
	    	Power-Up In Standby feature set
	   *	SET_FEATURES required to spinup after power up
	    	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
	   *	64-bit World wide name
	   *	{READ,WRITE}_DMA_EXT_GPL commands
	   *	Segmented DOWNLOAD_MICROCODE
	   *	SATA-I signaling speed (1.5Gb/s)
	   *	SATA-II signaling speed (3.0Gb/s)
	   *	Native Command Queueing (NCQ)
	   *	Host-initiated interface power management
	   *	Phy event counters
	   *	unknown 76[12]
	    	DMA Setup Auto-Activate optimization
	   *	Software settings preservation
	   *	SMART Command Transport (SCT) feature set
	   *	SCT Features Control (AC4)
	   *	SCT Data Tables (AC5)
	    	unknown 206[12] (vendor specific)
	    	unknown 206[13] (vendor specific)
Security: 
	Master password revision code = 65534
		supported
	not	enabled
	not	locked
		frozen
	not	expired: security count
		supported: enhanced erase
	324min for SECURITY ERASE UNIT. 324min for ENHANCED SECURITY ERASE UNIT.
Logical Unit WWN Device Identifier: 50014ee0ac90a071
	NAA		: 5
	IEEE OUI	: 14ee
	Unique ID	: 0ac90a071
Checksum: correct
 Timing cached reads:   2416 MB in  2.00 seconds = 1209.09 MB/sec
 Timing buffered disk reads:  302 MB in  3.02 seconds = 100.07 MB/sec

Re: WDC WD15EARS-00Z5B1: harddrive which does crazy unloading

[Tejun Heo]

Hello,

Sorry about very late reply.

On 02/09/2010 03:33 AM, Al Bogner wrote:
> I append info of an 1.5 TB WD Caviar green drive with a lot of start/stop 
> cycles. I would like to mention, that I have 4 1 TB Caviar green (WD10EADS) 
> which work fine!
> 
> The e-SATA drive is used with this machine:
> http://www.smolts.org/client/show/pub_b214fce2-b5b5-4a32-ba7e-cf9de6d55757
> but has problems with other machines too.
> 
> I use Openesuse 11.1
> Kernel 2.6.27.42-0.1-default
> FANTEC Fanbox FB-35US2 (probably JMicron 20360/20363 AHCI Controller)
> storage-fixup-0.2-25.3 is installed, but not especially configured
> 
> If you need more info let me know.

How fast does it increase?  ie. counts / hour.

Thanks.

-- 
tejun

Re: WDC WD15EARS-00Z5B1: harddrive which does crazy unloading

[Mikael Abrahamsson]

On Tue, 9 Mar 2010, Tejun Heo wrote:

> How fast does it increase?  ie. counts / hour.

I can confirm this, and it seems to differ between different firmware 
versions and WD20-models:

# smartctl -a /dev/sdc | egrep 
'Power_On_Hours|Load_Cycle_Count|Device|Firmware'
Device Model:     WDC WD20EADS-32S2B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
Device is:        Not in smartctl database [for details use: -P showall]
   9 Power_On_Hours          0x0032   099   099   000    Old_age   Always       -       905
193 Load_Cycle_Count        0x0032   193   193   000    Old_age   Always       -       22562
# smartctl -a /dev/sdd | egrep 
'Power_On_Hours|Load_Cycle_Count|Device|Firmware'
Device Model:     WDC WD20EADS-32S2B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
Device is:        Not in smartctl database [for details use: -P showall]
   9 Power_On_Hours          0x0032   099   099   000    Old_age   Always       -       919
193 Load_Cycle_Count        0x0032   193   193   000    Old_age   Always       -       22520
# smartctl -a /dev/sde | egrep 'Power_On_Hours|Load_Cycle_Count|Device|Firmware'
Device Model:     WDC WD20EADS-00R6B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
Device is:        Not in smartctl database [for details use: -P showall]
   9 Power_On_Hours          0x0032   089   089   000    Old_age   Always       -       8581
193 Load_Cycle_Count        0x0032   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       -       45
# smartctl -a /dev/sdf | egrep 'Power_On_Hours|Load_Cycle_Count|Device|Firmware'
Device Model:     WDC WD20EADS-00R6B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
Device is:        Not in smartctl database [for details use: -P showall]
   9 Power_On_Hours          0x0032   092   092   000    Old_age   Always       -       5849
193 Load_Cycle_Count        0x0032   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       -       30
# smartctl -a /dev/sdg | egrep 'Power_On_Hours|Load_Cycle_Count|Device|Firmware'
Device Model:     WDC WD20EARS-00S8B1
Firmware Version: 80.00A80
Device is:        Not in smartctl database [for details use: -P showall]
   9 Power_On_Hours          0x0032   099   099   000    Old_age   Always       -       760
193 Load_Cycle_Count        0x0032   195   195   000    Old_age   Always       -       16615


-- 
Mikael Abrahamsson    email: swmike@swm.pp.se

Re: WDC WD15EARS-00Z5B1: harddrive which does crazy unloading

[Al Bogner]

Am Dienstag 09 März 2010 09:05:19 schrieb Tejun Heo:
> Hello,
> 
> Sorry about very late reply.
> 
> On 02/09/2010 03:33 AM, Al Bogner wrote:
> > I append info of an 1.5 TB WD Caviar green drive with a lot of start/stop
> > cycles. I would like to mention, that I have 4 1 TB Caviar green
> > (WD10EADS) which work fine!
> >
> > The e-SATA drive is used with this machine:
> > http://www.smolts.org/client/show/pub_b214fce2-b5b5-4a32-ba7e-cf9de6d5575
> >7 but has problems with other machines too.
> >
> > I use Openesuse 11.1
> > Kernel 2.6.27.42-0.1-default
> > FANTEC Fanbox FB-35US2 (probably JMicron 20360/20363 AHCI Controller)
> > storage-fixup-0.2-25.3 is installed, but not especially configured
> >
> > If you need more info let me know.
> 
> How fast does it increase?  ie. counts / hour.

Hi,

I can't give you exact values. It depends how busy the drive is. If the drivec 
is busy the drive has less spindowns.


Device Model:     WDC WD15EARS-00Z5B1
Firmware Version: 80.00A80



9 Power_On_Hours          0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       
-       11
 12 Power_Cycle_Count       0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       
-       4
193 Load_Cycle_Count        0x0032   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       
-       127




ID# ATTRIBUTE_NAME          FLAG     VALUE WORST THRESH TYPE      UPDATED  
WHEN_FAILED RAW_VALUE
  1 Raw_Read_Error_Rate     0x002f   200   200   051    Pre-fail  Always       
-       0
  3 Spin_Up_Time            0x0027   219   219   021    Pre-fail  Always       
-       4025
  4 Start_Stop_Count        0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       
-       6
  5 Reallocated_Sector_Ct   0x0033   200   200   140    Pre-fail  Always       
-       0
  7 Seek_Error_Rate         0x002e   100   253   000    Old_age   Always       
-       0
  9 Power_On_Hours          0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       
-       31
 10 Spin_Retry_Count        0x0032   100   253   000    Old_age   Always       
-       0
 11 Calibration_Retry_Count 0x0032   100   253   000    Old_age   Always       
-       0
 12 Power_Cycle_Count       0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       
-       5
192 Power-Off_Retract_Count 0x0032   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       
-       2
193 Load_Cycle_Count        0x0032   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       
-       644
194 Temperature_Celsius     0x0022   116   113   000    Old_age   Always       
-       34
196 Reallocated_Event_Count 0x0032   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       
-       0
197 Current_Pending_Sector  0x0032   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       
-       0
198 Offline_Uncorrectable   0x0030   100   253   000    Old_age   Offline      
-       0
199 UDMA_CRC_Error_Count    0x0032   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       
-       0
200 Multi_Zone_Error_Rate   0x0008   200   200   000    Old_age   Offline      
-       0




 9 Power_On_Hours          0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       
-       34
 12 Power_Cycle_Count       0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       
-       5
193 Load_Cycle_Count        0x0032   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       
-       655




Since I used wdidle3 and switched to no spindown (62 min) it looks like this:


  9 Power_On_Hours          0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       
-       383
 10 Spin_Retry_Count        0x0032   100   253   000    Old_age   Always       
-       0
 11 Calibration_Retry_Count 0x0032   100   253   000    Old_age   Always       
-       0
 12 Power_Cycle_Count       0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       
-       26
192 Power-Off_Retract_Count 0x0032   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       
-       4
193 Load_Cycle_Count        0x0032   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       
-       819

Al

Re: WDC WD15EARS-00Z5B1: harddrive which does crazy unloading

[Mark Lord]

On 03/09/10 03:05, Tejun Heo wrote:
> Hello,
>
> Sorry about very late reply.
>
> On 02/09/2010 03:33 AM, Al Bogner wrote:
>> I append info of an 1.5 TB WD Caviar green drive with a lot of start/stop
>> cycles. I would like to mention, that I have 4 1 TB Caviar green (WD10EADS)
>> which work fine!
>>
>> The e-SATA drive is used with this machine:
>> http://www.smolts.org/client/show/pub_b214fce2-b5b5-4a32-ba7e-cf9de6d55757
>> but has problems with other machines too.
>>
>> I use Openesuse 11.1
>> Kernel 2.6.27.42-0.1-default
>> FANTEC Fanbox FB-35US2 (probably JMicron 20360/20363 AHCI Controller)
>> storage-fixup-0.2-25.3 is installed, but not especially configured
>>
>> If you need more info let me know.
>
> How fast does it increase?  ie. counts / hour.
..

The default on these drives is to unload heads
after a mere eight (8) seconds of inactivity.

Ugh.

The wdidle3-1.03 DOS tool can fix that.  Google it.

I have disassembled that tool here, and found a few
vendor-unique commands inside it.  But thus far have
not managed to get them working natively in Linux.

I really need a SATA tracer/analyser..

-ml

Re: WDC WD15EARS-00Z5B1: harddrive which does crazy unloading

[Tejun Heo]

Hello,

On 03/09/2010 11:40 PM, Mark Lord wrote:
> The default on these drives is to unload heads
> after a mere eight (8) seconds of inactivity.
> 
> Ugh.

Heh, yeah, that's pretty low.  I hope they eventually learn to adjust
that dynamically considering running avg of intervals between writes.
It shouldn't be too hard.

> The wdidle3-1.03 DOS tool can fix that.  Google it.
> 
> I have disassembled that tool here, and found a few
> vendor-unique commands inside it.  But thus far have
> not managed to get them working natively in Linux.
> 
> I really need a SATA tracer/analyser..

Hmmm... so they don't respond to ATA APM command?

Thanks.

-- 
tejun

Re: WDC WD15EARS-00Z5B1: harddrive which does crazy unloading

[Tejun Heo]

On 03/11/2010 02:38 PM, Tejun Heo wrote:
> Heh, yeah, that's pretty low.  I hope they eventually learn to adjust
> that dynamically considering running avg of intervals between writes.
> It shouldn't be too hard.

or just bump load cycle limit by x10 or x100.  :-P

storage-fixup can't be the permanent solution.  The only reason I
created it was because I thought it was a passing phase and the
blacklist wouldn't keep growing.

In both reports here, the avg load cycle frequency seems to be about 1
per 2 minutes.  With 300k cycle rating (drives often happily go over
it), it means 1.14 year of continuous operation, which depending on
usage pattern might be considered acceptable.  Maybe the right thing
to do is to simply let it be and if it expires before within the
warranty period, get it RMA'd.

Hmmm... or, we can make a utility which monitors smart output, detects
unload cycle and periodically poll load status and issue a bogus read
whenever the disk unloads its heads so that we can storm the vendors
with RMAs.  :-)

Coming back to the reality, I'll ask vendors about it and see whether
we need to keep worrying about it or we can just let it be.

Thanks.

-- 
tejun

Re: WDC WD15EARS-00Z5B1: harddrive which does crazy unloading

[Justin Maggard]

On Wed, Mar 10, 2010 at 9:38 PM, Tejun Heo <tj@kernel.org> wrote:
> On 03/09/2010 11:40 PM, Mark Lord wrote:
>> The wdidle3-1.03 DOS tool can fix that.  Google it.
>>
>> I have disassembled that tool here, and found a few
>> vendor-unique commands inside it.  But thus far have
>> not managed to get them working natively in Linux.
>>
>> I really need a SATA tracer/analyser..
>
> Hmmm... so they don't respond to ATA APM command?

I believe only the enterprise-class models do.  The desktop class
drives, from what I've seen, don't.

-Justin

Re: WDC WD15EARS-00Z5B1: harddrive which does crazy unloading

[Mark Lord]

On 03/11/10 00:38, Tejun Heo wrote:
>
>> The wdidle3-1.03 DOS tool can fix that.  Google it.
>>
>> I have disassembled that tool here, and found a few
>> vendor-unique commands inside it.  But thus far have
>> not managed to get them working natively in Linux.
>>
>> I really need a SATA tracer/analyser..
>
> Hmmm... so they don't respond to ATA APM command?
..

No.  The vendor-unique commands appear to download a small firmware
packet to the drive, which reprograms it for a longer "IDLE-3" timeout.

"IDLE-3" is what WD call this vendor-specific "powersaving" mode,
and it is not intended to be adjustable.  Except via that little
DOS utility hack, and even WD no longer make that available.

But I found it by googling for it, and it can change the timeout
up to 30 seconds from the default of 8.  So I set my WD 1.5TB drive
to use 30, and things are now acceptable.

Ugh (again)!

Re: WDC WD15EARS-00Z5B1: harddrive which does crazy unloading

[Tejun Heo]

Hello,

On 03/15/2010 12:57 AM, Mark Lord wrote:
> No.  The vendor-unique commands appear to download a small firmware
> packet to the drive, which reprograms it for a longer "IDLE-3" timeout.
> 
> "IDLE-3" is what WD call this vendor-specific "powersaving" mode,
> and it is not intended to be adjustable.  Except via that little
> DOS utility hack, and even WD no longer make that available.
> 
> But I found it by googling for it, and it can change the timeout
> up to 30 seconds from the default of 8.  So I set my WD 1.5TB drive
> to use 30, and things are now acceptable.
> 
> Ugh (again)!

I'm currently talking with WD but in general I'm leaning toward simply
leaving it alone.  The manufacturer is actively preventing those
timesouts from being adjusted and they probably have a pretty good
rationale for that.  If those drives expire before their warrnty, it's
a matter between the customer and the vendor.  I really don't see much
point in trying to circumvent it.  Anyways, I'll let you guys know
where the conversation w/ WDC leads to.

Thanks.

-- 
tejun

Re: WDC WD15EARS-00Z5B1: harddrive which does crazy unloading

[Al Bogner]

Am Montag 15 März 2010 01:02:44 schrieb Tejun Heo:
> Hello,
> 
> On 03/15/2010 12:57 AM, Mark Lord wrote:
> > No.  The vendor-unique commands appear to download a small firmware
> > packet to the drive, which reprograms it for a longer "IDLE-3" timeout.
> >
> > "IDLE-3" is what WD call this vendor-specific "powersaving" mode,
> > and it is not intended to be adjustable.  Except via that little
> > DOS utility hack, and even WD no longer make that available.
> >
> > But I found it by googling for it, and it can change the timeout
> > up to 30 seconds from the default of 8.  So I set my WD 1.5TB drive
> > to use 30, and things are now acceptable.
> >
> > Ugh (again)!
> 
> I'm currently talking with WD but in general I'm leaning toward simply
> leaving it alone.  The manufacturer is actively preventing those
> timesouts from being adjusted and they probably have a pretty good
> rationale for that.  If those drives expire before their warrnty, it's
> a matter between the customer and the vendor.  I really don't see much
> point in trying to circumvent it.  Anyways, I'll let you guys know
> where the conversation w/ WDC leads to.

WD said to me I can send them the disk, but didn't accept, that this is a 
firmware bug.

Today I got a brandnew WD20EARS (2TB) and it is the same. After about an 1/2 
hr. I had 12 cycles with an _un_formatted disk.

I cannot accept, that it should be a warranty issue, because this reduces the 
lifetime _after_ the warranty and increases the possibility to loose data, at 
least for those who don't use a raid.

I would be happy to have a native linux utility to change this.


Device Model:     WDC WD20EARS-00S8B1
Firmware Version: 80.00A80
User Capacity:    2.000.398.934.016 bytes

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
  1 Raw_Read_Error_Rate     0x002f   100   253   051    Pre-fail  Always       
-       0
  3 Spin_Up_Time            0x0027   100   253   021    Pre-fail  Always       
-       0
  4 Start_Stop_Count        0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       
-       4
  5 Reallocated_Sector_Ct   0x0033   200   200   140    Pre-fail  Always       
-       0
  7 Seek_Error_Rate         0x002e   100   253   000    Old_age   Always       
-       0
  9 Power_On_Hours          0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       
-       0
 10 Spin_Retry_Count        0x0032   100   253   000    Old_age   Always       
-       0
 11 Calibration_Retry_Count 0x0032   100   253   000    Old_age   Always       
-       0
 12 Power_Cycle_Count       0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       
-       3
192 Power-Off_Retract_Count 0x0032   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       
-       2
193 Load_Cycle_Count        0x0032   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       
-       12
194 Temperature_Celsius     0x0022   116   116   000    Old_age   Always       
-       36
196 Reallocated_Event_Count 0x0032   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       
-       0
197 Current_Pending_Sector  0x0032   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       
-       0
198 Offline_Uncorrectable   0x0030   100   253   000    Old_age   Offline      -       
0
199 UDMA_CRC_Error_Count    0x0032   200   253   000    Old_age   Always       
-       0
200 Multi_Zone_Error_Rate   0x0008   100   253   000    Old_age   Offline      -       
0



Al

Re: WDC WD15EARS-00Z5B1: harddrive which does crazy unloading

[Justin Maggard]

On Thu, Mar 18, 2010 at 9:15 AM, Al Bogner
<suse-linux@ml082.pinguin.uni.cc> wrote:
> Am Montag 15 März 2010 01:02:44 schrieb Tejun Heo:
>> Hello,
>>
>> On 03/15/2010 12:57 AM, Mark Lord wrote:
>> > No.  The vendor-unique commands appear to download a small firmware
>> > packet to the drive, which reprograms it for a longer "IDLE-3" timeout.
>> >
>> > "IDLE-3" is what WD call this vendor-specific "powersaving" mode,
>> > and it is not intended to be adjustable.  Except via that little
>> > DOS utility hack, and even WD no longer make that available.
>> >
>> > But I found it by googling for it, and it can change the timeout
>> > up to 30 seconds from the default of 8.  So I set my WD 1.5TB drive
>> > to use 30, and things are now acceptable.
>> >
>> > Ugh (again)!
>>
>> I'm currently talking with WD but in general I'm leaning toward simply
>> leaving it alone.  The manufacturer is actively preventing those
>> timesouts from being adjusted and they probably have a pretty good
>> rationale for that.  If those drives expire before their warrnty, it's
>> a matter between the customer and the vendor.  I really don't see much
>> point in trying to circumvent it.  Anyways, I'll let you guys know
>> where the conversation w/ WDC leads to.
>
> WD said to me I can send them the disk, but didn't accept, that this is a
> firmware bug.
>
> Today I got a brandnew WD20EARS (2TB) and it is the same. After about an 1/2
> hr. I had 12 cycles with an _un_formatted disk.
>
> I cannot accept, that it should be a warranty issue, because this reduces the
> lifetime _after_ the warranty and increases the possibility to loose data, at
> least for those who don't use a raid.
>
> I would be happy to have a native linux utility to change this.
>

I'm not sure if that model supports the advanced power management
command or not, but hdparm -B254 should fix it.  Sadly, many WD models
affected by this don't implement the APM command.

-Justin

Re: WDC WD15EARS-00Z5B1: harddrive which does crazy unloading

[Tejun Heo]

(cc'ing Daniel, Hi)

Hello,

On 03/19/2010 01:15 AM, Al Bogner wrote:
> WD said to me I can send them the disk, but didn't accept, that this is a 
> firmware bug.
> 
> Today I got a brandnew WD20EARS (2TB) and it is the same. After about an 1/2 
> hr. I had 12 cycles with an _un_formatted disk.

That would reach 1.43 years of operation hour w/ 300k limit.  Maybe
that's the number they are aiming for?  I don't know.  I haven't heard
from WDC yet.

> I cannot accept, that it should be a warranty issue, because this
> reduces the lifetime _after_ the warranty and increases the
> possibility to loose data, at least for those who don't use a raid.
>
> I would be happy to have a native linux utility to change this.

Yeah, that will be nice but it's of very limited use.  How many would
look that up, install it and use it to adjust the parameter?  For it
to have meaningful effect, it should be applied automatically, and at
that point, I'm not sure it's a good idea because I don't want to
unconditionally disable power saving feature without a very good
rationale.

If WDC thinks < 1.5 years of uptime is good enough for those products
in exchange of lowered power consumption, which I think might be
acceptable for certain products considering that most people don't use
their computers 24/7 and the load/unload cycle limit isn't exactly an
accurate timebomb like limit.  Well, then, that's the trade off WDC
made and the consumers can choose accordingly.

And, if that's the case, I think we can and probably should try to let
people know about the particular tradeoff of those drives and if
possible provide a utility to adjust that but I'm still kind of
against automatically disabling it because it doesn't help solving the
situation in the long run while forcing us to apply a sub-optimal
workaround without knowing whether it's really necessary.

Daniel, I think we really need some clarification from WDC at this
point.  I'm sure WDC wouldn't want Linux distros to go ahead and
disable powersaving feature unconditionally, so please let us know.

Thanks.

-- 
tejun

Re: WDC WD15EARS-00Z5B1: harddrive which does crazy unloading

[Tejun Heo]

(sorry, forgot to actually cc Daniel.  cc'ing and quoting whole body)

On 03/19/2010 11:26 AM, Tejun Heo wrote:
> (cc'ing Daniel, Hi)
> 
> Hello,
> 
> On 03/19/2010 01:15 AM, Al Bogner wrote:
>> WD said to me I can send them the disk, but didn't accept, that this is a 
>> firmware bug.
>>
>> Today I got a brandnew WD20EARS (2TB) and it is the same. After about an 1/2 
>> hr. I had 12 cycles with an _un_formatted disk.
> 
> That would reach 1.43 years of operation hour w/ 300k limit.  Maybe
> that's the number they are aiming for?  I don't know.  I haven't heard
> from WDC yet.
> 
>> I cannot accept, that it should be a warranty issue, because this
>> reduces the lifetime _after_ the warranty and increases the
>> possibility to loose data, at least for those who don't use a raid.
>>
>> I would be happy to have a native linux utility to change this.
> 
> Yeah, that will be nice but it's of very limited use.  How many would
> look that up, install it and use it to adjust the parameter?  For it
> to have meaningful effect, it should be applied automatically, and at
> that point, I'm not sure it's a good idea because I don't want to
> unconditionally disable power saving feature without a very good
> rationale.
> 
> If WDC thinks < 1.5 years of uptime is good enough for those products
> in exchange of lowered power consumption, which I think might be
> acceptable for certain products considering that most people don't use
> their computers 24/7 and the load/unload cycle limit isn't exactly an
> accurate timebomb like limit.  Well, then, that's the trade off WDC
> made and the consumers can choose accordingly.
> 
> And, if that's the case, I think we can and probably should try to let
> people know about the particular tradeoff of those drives and if
> possible provide a utility to adjust that but I'm still kind of
> against automatically disabling it because it doesn't help solving the
> situation in the long run while forcing us to apply a sub-optimal
> workaround without knowing whether it's really necessary.
> 
> Daniel, I think we really need some clarification from WDC at this
> point.  I'm sure WDC wouldn't want Linux distros to go ahead and
> disable powersaving feature unconditionally, so please let us know.
> 
> Thanks.
> 


-- 
tejun

Re: WDC WD15EARS-00Z5B1: harddrive which does crazy unloading

[Mark Lord]

On 18/03/10 10:26 PM, Tejun Heo wrote:
,I think we really need some clarification from WDC at this
> point.  I'm sure WDC wouldn't want Linux distros to go ahead and
> disable powersaving feature unconditionally, so please let us know.
..

WD is already *VERY CLEAR* on their own web site:  they don't support,
and are not in the slightest bit interested in, Linux.

Mac OS, yes.  Windows, yes.
Linux, NO.

So.. do your part, and don't buy them.
And don't recommend them for any of your customers,
enterprise or otherwise.

Otherwise they have no incentive to come to their senses.

Cheers

Re: WDC WD15EARS-00Z5B1: harddrive which does crazy unloading

[Stan Hoeppner]

I meant this to go to the list instead of just Mark but my T-Bird
reply-to-list function apparently didn't cooperate.

Stan Hoeppner put forth on 3/22/2010 9:40 PM:
> Mark Lord put forth on 3/22/2010 8:34 PM:
>> On 18/03/10 10:26 PM, Tejun Heo wrote:
>> ,I think we really need some clarification from WDC at this
>>> point.  I'm sure WDC wouldn't want Linux distros to go ahead and
>>> disable powersaving feature unconditionally, so please let us know.
>> ..
>>
>> WD is already *VERY CLEAR* on their own web site:  they don't support,
>> and are not in the slightest bit interested in, Linux.
>>
>> Mac OS, yes.  Windows, yes.
>> Linux, NO.
>>
>> So.. do your part, and don't buy them.
>> And don't recommend them for any of your customers,
>> enterprise or otherwise.
>>
>> Otherwise they have no incentive to come to their senses.
> 
> Their support for OSX is spotty in places as well, so it's not just Linux
> getting the proverbial shaft.
> 
> Unfortunately I think your logic here is backwards.  WD's current end user
> support policy is based on the fact that they receive so few Linux support
> requests.  Thus they deem it not worth their time to expend resources ($$)
> supporting Linux.  To get them to support Linux they need to see much more
> Linux support demand.  Increased demand is the only thing that will reverse
> their current Linux end user support policy.
> 
> That being said, is their direct support to Linux _developers_ just as poor
> as with end users?  If so, that's cause for alarm.
> 
> However, again, giving them the bird and not buying their products won't
> phase them at all due to the overall shipment numbers.  They ship a few
> hundred million drives a year world wide, and I'd make a somewhat educated
> guess that far less than 1% are used in Linux systems.
> 
> Mechanical storage is a very cut throat business.  WD has no penetration in
> the enterprise market, and thus no enterprise profits to offset losses in
> its consumer segment.  Seagate, Hitachi, and Fujitsu all do.  They can
> afford to support Linux in the desktop space because they have to support it
> in their enterprise space.  WD has to use their support $$ where it best
> affects the bottom line.  They're simply making a business decision.  I'm
> sure it's not a philosophical issue.  I'm sure they have many Linux servers
> and probably many Linux workstations within their own company.
> 
> I'm not necessarily defending WD here, just stating the likely reality of
> the situation.  The only way to change this situation is for more Linux
> users to buy more WD drives.  That may seem counter intuitive to you, but
> that's reality.
> 

Re: WDC WD15EARS-00Z5B1: harddrive which does crazy unloading

[Bjørn Mork]

Mark Lord <kernel@teksavvy.com> writes:

> No.  The vendor-unique commands appear to download a small firmware
> packet to the drive, which reprograms it for a longer "IDLE-3" timeout.
>
> "IDLE-3" is what WD call this vendor-specific "powersaving" mode,
> and it is not intended to be adjustable.  Except via that little
> DOS utility hack, and even WD no longer make that available.

Just for storing a reference to this in Google:

WD still makes this utility available, but only for RE2-GP drives
AFAICS.  Don't know whether it still applies to other drives or if that
feature has been disabled.  I have not tried it myself on any drive...

Anyway, wdidle3_1_05.zip (presumably a newer version than
wdidle3_1_03.zip) can be downloaded from
http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?groupid=609&sid=113

Or if you want to click your way there: http://support.wdc.com/ 
-> Support -> Downloads -> SATA & SAS -> WD RE2-GP -> RE2GP Idle Mode Update Utility



Bjørn