rzdisk(8) System Manager's Manual rzdisk(8)
Name
rzdisk - SCSI disk maintenance utility
Syntax
/bin/rzdisk
/bin/rzdisk -c [ ask ] special
/bin/rzdisk -d [ bfi | sector | block ] special
/bin/rzdisk -f [ vendor | known ] special
/bin/rzdisk -g [ current | saved | default | changeable ] special
/bin/rzdisk -h
/bin/rzdisk -i special
/bin/rzdisk -r LBN special
/bin/rzdisk -s LBN length special
Description
The utility, a SCSI disk maintenance program, formats a SCSI disk, scans a SCSI disk for bad blocks, and reassigns bad blocks on a SCSI
disk.
The special file argument is a raw device pathname. You must specify an unmounted c partition of a character device special file (for
example, ).
Options
-c Changes disk parameters.
If the ask argument isn't specified, the disk parameters are set to the default values. When the ask argument is specified, you are
interactively asked about each field marked as changeable in each page having changeable parameters. In both cases, you are asked
whether to save the parameters on disk. If you answer 'yes', the parameters are saved on the disk which also updates the current
parameters. Otherwise, only the current parameters are updated. You must save the parameters if you want them to be preserved when
the system is power cycled. Also note, the direct-access device format parameters (Page 3) and the rigid disk drive geometry param-
eters (Page 4) only get saved after formatting the drive, regardless of whether you said 'yes' to saving the parameters.
-d Reads defect lists from the disk.
This option allows you to get defect lists from the disk in either bfi (bytes from index), sector, or block, formats.
-g Gets parameters from the disk.
This option allows you to get either current, saved, default, or changeable parameters from the disk. The program displays the
parameters of all pages supported by the drive.
The changeable parameters are those fields which can be changed. Any field displayed with a '1' value in it can be changed.
The default parameters are those parameters supplied by the vendor.
The current parameters are those parameters which you are currently running with. These parameters are setup from the saved parame-
ters when the drive is powered on.
The saved parameters are those parameters which have been saved on the disk. These parameters get used each time the drive is pow-
ered on.
-f Formats a SCSI hard disk (see Restrictions).
Since Digital ships the SCSI disk already formatted, only use this option if you have encountered a serious problem and must refor-
mat the disk. You can format a disk with the vendor (manufacturer) defect list or with the known (vendor and grown) defect list.
The grown defect list contains any blocks that may have been reassigned during the life of the SCSI disk drive. When formatting a
disk, you must specify the raw device pathname.
The following example reformats the disk on drive 3 using the known defect list:
/bin/rzdisk -f known /dev/rrz3c
The -f option with no additional arguments formats a SCSI floppy diskette (see Restrictions). New floppy diskettes are usually not
formatted. You need to format each diskette before you can store data on it.
The following example shows how to format a floppy diskette in RX23 drive one:
/bin/rzdisk -f /dev/rrzlc
The floppy format operation is interactive. The program will guide you through formatting the diskette.
-i Requests inquiry data from the disk.
This option causes the program to dump all inquiry data returned from the disk. The information dumped includes the peripheral
device type, the device type qualifier, the removable medium field, the version number, vendor identification, product information,
and the firmware revision level.
-h Calls the HELP menu to the screen.
-r Reassigns a bad block on the disk (see Restrictions).
When reassigning a bad block, you must specify the LBN, which is a unique number (decimal notation) that represents the disk block
as reported in the errorlog file, and the raw device pathname.
The following example reassigns block 222658 on the c partition of drive 3:
/bin/rzdisk -r 222658 /dev/rrz3c
The program reads the specified LBN prior to reassigning the block. If reads valid data from the block, then the block is not actu-
ally bad or the SCSI driver already reassigned the block. In this case, asks if the reassignment should be canceled. Answer yes to
cancel the reassignment. This prevents double reassignment and replacement of good blocks.
-s Scans for bad blocks on a specified area of the disk.
When scanning a disk, you must specify the LBN, which is a unique number (decimal notation) that represents the disk block relative
to the start of the partition, the length, and the raw device pathname of the partition to scan.
To start scanning from the first block of the specified partition, use the number 0 to represent the LBN. When the number 0 is
specified, the scan starts at the first block of the specified partition.
The length is a decimal number that indicates how many 512-byte blocks to scan. To scan up to and including the last block of the
specified partition, use the number -1 to represent the length. By specifying the length, you define the scope of the scan within
the identified partition.
The following example scans the first ten blocks of the entire disk (c partition) on drive 3:
/bin/rzdisk 0 10 -s /dev/rrz3c
The following example scans the entire disk (c partion) on drive 3:
/bin/rzdisk 0 -1 -s /dev/rrz3c
Diagnostics
The program generates messages when the user is not privileged, when the LBN is not in the specified partition, and when the length exceeds
the size of the partition.
Restrictions
You must have super-user privileges to run the program.
You should not have to format your system disk.
The system should be in single-user mode and the file systems on the disk should be unmounted when running the program, except when format-
ting floppy diskettes.
Use the -f option with caution and only if the SCSI hard disk drive seems corrupted. Be aware that when you format a disk, all resident
data is destroyed.
Digital supports formatting, writing, and reading of High Density (HD) 3.5 inch diskettes in the RX23 and RX26 disk drives, or 5.25 inch
diskettes in the RX33 disk drive.
Digital supports reading, but not formatting or writing, of Double Density (DD) 3.5 inch diskettes in the RX23 and RX26 disk drives or 5.25
inch diskettes in the RX33 disk drive. Reliable reading of DD diskettes requires they be written only on a double density drive and have
not been overwritten by an RX23, RX26, RX33, or other high density drive. This restriction occurs because of differences in the write
heads between DD and HD drives. Data written by a DD drive cannot be completely overwritten by a HD drive.
This same restriction applies to the RX33 5.25 inch diskettes when using low density (48 TPI - Tracks Per Inch) diskettes. Diskettes over-
written on different machines may suffer read failures from reduced signal-to-noise ratios. So long as a diskette is formatted and written
on a single machine, there should be no problem.
The -r option is supported only with those SCSI disks that support the reassign block command.
See Also
dkio(4), rz(4), chpt(8), mount(8), restore(8), uerf(8)
Guide to the Error Logger
rzdisk(8)