man > scsiinfo(8)

scsiinfo(8)                             Scsiinfo User's Guide                            scsiinfo(8)

NAME
       scsiinfo - query information from a scsi device

SYNOPSIS
       scsiinfo [-options...] [device]

DESCRIPTION
       scsiinfo queries information from an scsi target. This means generally using the INQUIRY scsi
       command  or  reading  out  SCSI-II mode pages (the number of the mode pages and corresponding
       sections of the SCSI-II sections is given below). It allows also to modify some of these set‐
       tings on the scsi device (if it supports it).

       Except for the -v and -l options you must specify exactly one scsi device to work on. You may
       specify any linux scsi device disk, tape, cdrom, generic scsi.

       Some scsi devices (typically non removable disks) will allow to store your  modifications  in
       some  non  volatile memory. Some of these settings (for example those dealing with the layout
       of logical blocks and sectors set aside as replacements for erroneous  blocks)  might  render
       the disk unusable until a low level format.


OPTIONS
   Information available from most SCSI devices (includes SCSI-I)
       -i     display all information from the INQUIRY scsi command.

       -s     displays the unit serial number using the INQUIRY scsi command.

       -d     display factory and grown defect lists (typically for disks only).

              It  is  currently  only possible to return defect information up to 4096 bytes. Longer
              defect lists are truncated. See the BUGS section.

       -f arg specify the format in which to return the defect information. The target may decide to
              fail reporting defect information in unsupported formats or decide to return data in a
              different format.  scsiinfo supports all SCSI-II specified defect formats:

              -Flogical
                     logical blocks. Use of this format is discouraged as the assignment of  logical
                     blocks  varies  according  to  format parameters and status of the defect list,
                     hence is no unique specification of defects.

              -Fphysical
                     physical blocks. Return defect as cylinder, head, physical sector triples.

              -Findex
                     defect bytes from index.  Return defect as cylinder, head, byte offset from in‐
                     dex. The SCSI-II standard is not very clear on this to me. It is unclear to  me
                     if there is a single bad byte, this offset away from the index hole on the disk
                     (this  is  only  figuratively,  there  won't  be a hole as used to be on 5 1/4"
                     floppy disks), or if all bytes from the index to this position  are  considered
                     to be bad.


   SCSI-II mode pages
       -C     displays information from Control Mode Page.  (Page 0Ah, section 7.3.3.1)

       -D     displays information from Disconnect-Reconnect Page.  (Page 02h, section 7.3.3.2)

       -p     displays information from Peripheral Device Page.  (Page 09h, section 7.3.3.3)

       -c     displays information from Caching Page.  (Page 08h, section 8.3.3.1)

       -f     displays information from Format Device Page.  (Page 03h, section 8.3.3.3)

       -n     displays information from Notch and Partition Page.  (Page 0Ch, section 8.3.3.5)

              A  huge  scsi disk might be divided into several notches. These are regions of logical
              blocks or cylinders on the disk. Each such notch might have different values  for  the
              other mode pages.

              Typically  a  modern disk will have several notches and have more sectors per track on
              the inner tracks/notches on the disk and more sectors per track on the outer  (longer)
              tracks  for optimal capacity. Also different amounts of reserved backup sectors may be
              available in the notches depending on their capacity.

       -e     displays information from Error Recovery page.  (Page 01h, section 8.3.3.6)

       -g     displays information from Rigid Disk Drive Geometry Page.  (Page 04h, section 8.3.3.7)

       -V     displays information from Verify Error Recovery Page.  (Page 07h, section 8.3.3.8)


   Select mode page set
       By default the current settings are queried from the devices. You can however specify one  of
       these:


       -M     displays manufacturer defaults instead of current values.

       -S     displays defaults saved in NVRAM instead of current values.

       -m     displays  modifiable  fields  instead  of  current  values (All bits set in modifiable
              fields).


   Miscellaneous
       -v     Show scsiinfo version.

       -vv    Dump sense buffer in case of error.

       -a     All of the above (expect listing defects).

       -l     List scsi devices known to the system.

       -L     List mode pages pages supported by this scsiinfo version and target (notched pages and
              active notch are also returned).

       -X     displays output suitable for the X-based interface. Instead of nice explanations, just
              the bare values are written to stdout.

       -R     Replace parameters. Use with -X and specify the values to set on the command  line  in
              the  order  and format as -X uses to report them. (Expert use only, definitely use the
              Tcl/Tk interface scsi-config(8)tomodifysettings.)

              Use this in conjunction with -S to modify the NVRAM settings.


       -X and -R can be used only with one of the display page options.

       -m and -M cannot be used with -R.

       You may use -M, -S with -L though it will make no difference. As a special goodie when  using
       -LXR then a /bin/sh script is written to stdout that will restore the current settings of the
       target when executed. You can use one of -M, -S with -LXR to save the corresponding values.

BUGS
       Restrictions  of  the SCSI_IOCTL_SEND_COMMAND ioctl(2) call make it impossible to send or re‐
       ceive more than 4096 bytes of arguments. This could be avoided by using  the  proper  generic
       scsi  device  /dev/sg*  instead, at least where the kernel is compiled to support it. Most of
       the time this is not needed though and thus I'm myself to lazy to do it.  It  will  basically
       just truncate the vendor specified primary defect lists. Thus I'm too lazy to fix it.


FILES
       /dev/sd*
       /dev/sg*
       /dev/scd*
       /dev/st*
       /dev/nst*
       /dev/rmt*
       /dev/nrmt*


SEE ALSO
       scsi-config(8), scsiformat(8), tk_scsiformat(8), fdisk(8), sd(4),

       Draft proposed
       American National Standard
       for information systems

       SMALL COMPUTER SYSTEM INTERFACE - 2
       (SCSI-2)

       MARCH 9, 1990


AUTHORS
       Eric Youngdale.
       Michael Weller <eowmob AT exp-math.de>, Versions 1.5 & 1.7

scsiinfo 1.7                               23 August 1997                                scsiinfo(8)