Re: SATA problem

[Bill Hacker <wbh@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Matthew Dillon wrote:

> :On Thu, 31 Mar 2005, Bill Hacker wrote:
> :> Look at the slices and note that there is 'unused' 
> :> (and unusable) space showing.  Drives will reserve
> :> space for a pool of replacements for bad blocks.
> :>  An OS will reserve a bit more.
> :
> :Aren't these ununsed areas due to simple alignment
> :issues? I was under the impression that the bad block 
> :management is completely seamless, being one layer
> :down, so to speak. Right or wrong?
> :
> :/Jonas Sundström.             www.kirilla.com
>
>     Right.  Spare blocks are invisible to the operating system.
>
> 					-Matt
> 					Matthew Dillon 
> 					<dillon@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>

. .'nowadays'.  ..and 'even to its utilities'.  'T'weren't always thus.

Even SCSI drives once shipped with the known-bad blocks engraved
on the housing. Low-level utilities were used to edit and update the
bad block tables.  Frequently!  Novell kept a 'hot patch' reserve.

Started to disappear sometime after Schreech*GRATE* bought the
Imprimus/CDC Wren line ..  1991/2 or so?

Modern platter coating materials don't even have
the same nature or failure modes as the older stuff.

Todays' plating technology provides media
that usually outlasts the bearings, motors, and
control electronics.

Bill