SCSI Toolbox :: Newsletter - October 2003

IN THIS EDITION

SCSItoolbox Version 4.2 coming soon!
Ask Dr. SCSI - I need to test how my system responds to both correctable and uncorrectable disk errors - how can I do this?
Did you know? - ... that you can see the cumulative results of device testing by ...
New - Corporate Licensing options for STB Products
Take our October SCSI Toolbox Survey for a chance to Win!

SCSItoolbox Version 4.2 coming soon!
Version 4.2 is due to ship to current Performa customers at the end of November. Here's a quick preview of some of the new features:

Disk Manufacturing/Screening additions - Stop or continue on error, user-definable errors, definable transfer lengths (including random length transfers), Quick Reports (a text report created for each drive under test), Seek tests, and Start/Stop Tests.

Tape Manufacturing/Screening - new feature! Multi-threaded tape drive testing, tests multiple drives across multiple host bus adapters. Uses the same easy-to-use point and click test definition scheme as the Disk Manufacturing module. Unlimited number of tests in each test sequence, Access database test results logging, plus Quick Reports for simple text reports of test results.

Q. I need to test how my system responds to both correctable and uncorrectable disk errors - how can I do this?

A. Just use the Disk->Commands->Data Functions->Corrupt Data command - you can easily make both correctable and uncorrectable errors on your disk. The factor that will determine if the errors you create can be corrected is the Disk ECC Correction Span length that is shown at the top of the dialog box. When you create your errors you will specify the error length in the dialog field "Corruption Span Length". If you enter a number less than the drives ECC Correction Span Length you will create a correctable error, and if you enter a length greater than the drives ECC Correction Span Length you will create a non-correctable error.

Enter the first block you want to corrupt in the "From Block #" field, enter how many bad blocks to create in the "Number of blocks to corrupt" field. You can space the bad blocks over the surface of the drive using the "Corrupt every blocks" field, and of course you specify the corruption length based on whether you want recoverable errors or not.

To verify that you have corrupted the blocks you wish, just run a Sequential Read test over the block range that you corrupted. If you created non-recoverable errors then you should get Sense Key 0x03 errors. If you made correctable errors, you can be see them during read operations by setting the PER bit in the Error Correction Mode Page to 1, then your reads should report a Sense Key 0x01 error.

To "undo" the bad blocks you created simply run the Sequential Write test over the block range you corrupted.

Did you know?
...that you can see the cumulative results of device testing by double-clicking on the drive? The amount of data transferred, and all read and write errors encountered during testing will be displayed.

Corporate Licensing for STB Products
Could your company use more than a combined 25 licenses of the SCSItoolbox and/or Developer Toolbox? Are you tired of using the hardware keys that are required for the Toolbox Products? You might want to take a closer look at our Corporate licensing options that include features like:

• Unlimited Corporate usage of SCSI Toolbox Products
• Special OEM build of STB products eliminates hardware keys
• Surprisingly affordable pricing structure
• Onsite Training

Contact Sales to find out if a Corporate Site License for SCSI Toolbox Products is right for you.

Take our October Survey for a chance to Win!
As an active subscriber to our Newsletter you are eligible to win one of these cool USB Drives that doubles as a Pen by taking our quick survey to help better the SCSItoolbox and Developer Toolbox!

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