# phpman > man > tk_scsiformat(8)

[tk_scsiformat(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/tkscsiformat/8/markdown)                        Scsiinfo User's Guide                       [tk_scsiformat(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/tkscsiformat/8/markdown)



## NAME
       tk_scsiformat - low level format an scsi disk device with a nice user interface

## SYNOPSIS
       **tk**___**scsiformat** **[**_device_**]**

## DESCRIPTION
       Low level formats the SCSI device identified by the scsi disk or generic scsi device node _de__‐
       _vice_.  You must be root to perform this operation. When you do not specify a _device_, **tk**___**scsi**‐‐
       **format** gives you a list to select a disk device from.

       **tk**___**scsiformat** is a Tcl/Tk user interface to [**scsiformat**(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/scsiformat/8/markdown).

       You should read that manual page for the general operation of **scsiformat**.  All common X11 and
       Tcl/Tk options apply.

       By the nature of graphical user interfaces, there should not be much to explain here. All en‐
       try fields refer directly to [**scsiformat**(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/scsiformat/8/markdown) options.

       In  addition  to  those, you are able to save your selections to be used as defaults for this
       device next time in a file _/usr/lib/scsi/scsiformat.defs.*_  by pressing the  **<Save**  **Defaults>**
       button.  This  is  intended and very handy for formatting of removable medias. Note, however,
       that **tk**___**scsiformat** is not as clever as [**scsiformat**(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/scsiformat/8/markdown) (or even tries to be) to find if  multi‐
       ple ways to refer to the same scsi device (disk device, generic device).

       Furthermore,  you  can select (or enter freely) a command to automatically make a file system
       on the newly formatted disk.

       While formatting a nice completion bar is drawn. Alas, I could not really implement  querying
       progress from a target device yet.

       The  _/usr/lib/scsi/tworands_ binary is used to calculate two random integers which is not sup‐
       ported by plain Tcl/Tk.


## BUGS
       When not specifying a device to format, **tk**___**scsiformat** will prepare a list of disk devices  to
       choose  from.  Alas,  if a blocking format operation is running on one of them, **tk**___**scsiformat**
       will block in a non interruptible disk wait sleep.

       Old status files in _/tmp_ will confuse **tk**___**scsiformat.**  However,  they  are  removed  after  48
       hours.

       Restrictions of the **SCSI**___**IOCTL**___**SEND**___**COMMAND** [**ioctl**(2)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/ioctl/2/markdown) call for the [**sd**(4)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/sd/4/markdown) device make it impos‐
       sible to issue a **FORMAT**___**UNIT** command with 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.

## FILES
       _/usr/lib/scsi/tworands_
       _/usr/lib/scsi/scsiformat.defs.*_
       _/tmp/scsiformat.xx:xx:xx:xx:xxxxxxxx_
       _/dev/sd*_
       _/dev/sg*_


## SEE ALSO
       [**scsiformat**(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/scsiformat/8/markdown), [**scsiinfo**(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/scsiinfo/8/markdown), [**scsi-config**(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/scsi-config/8/markdown), [**fdisk**(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/fdisk/8/markdown), [**sd**(4)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/sd/4/markdown).


## AUTHOR
       Michael Weller <<eowmob@exp-math.uni-essen.de>>



scsiinfo 1.7                               23 August 1997                           [tk_scsiformat(8)](https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/tkscsiformat/8/markdown)