Seagate "smartdrive" Technology says Hard Drive is About to go Kaput

[fordpie]

Well that is paraphrasing (Kaput). The hard drive is 1TB in size. The prompt is given when I boot up (Hard drive will probably fail soon, better back up data) (or similar message) into Fedora which is on that Seagate drive. I am not running windows with it, only Fedora 27. When scrolling through the standard S.M.A.R.T statistics, one field is in red with the warning message. As I toggle over this message it says "an update might resolve the issue (or similar statement)." Does not say update the firmware strangely, but a search online reveals other forums wherein, people are hearing this screaching noise or have been similarly prompted to "update" the drive.

I go to seagate, thinking they will walk through the fix in Linux and I am dismayed they want to do the fix on windows. Any way to work around this and stay inside the linux-fedora platform?

Other concern: It seems like there are a certain group of model numbers that can be improved by the upgrade, and I am not able to search which model numbers are good for the fix, they are offering. Any help with this, much appreciated.


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Tags considered (but too long):
Seagate S.M.A.R.T Upgrade in Linux,
Upgrade Seagate Hard Drive with Linux,
Upgrade Seagate Hard Drive firmware in Linux.
Hard drive about to crash (message),
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[antikythera]

Isn't there a bootable media option for applying the firmware update? It's been a long time since I updated my own ST1000DM003. admittedly that was with the windows utility as I still had W7 installed at the time. Now I too just run Linux. Another option if you have access to a PC with windows would be to connect the drive to that and update it that way.

regarding tag formatting, each word needs to be separated by a comma, not a whole phrase.

[fordpie]

Isn't there a bootable media option for applying the firmware update? ...

Yes there is a bootable media option. How dare you, suggest for me to use a CD, or an entire DVD, to create a tiny iso. *momentarily flabbergasted* Or I guess I could use one of the dozen or so USB drives I have around here (half of which are missing in action or AWOL (absent without leave to do so).

I am trying to find a linux-Fedora platform solution or a command based, direct-method to deal with these silly (but S.M.A.R.T) Seagate hard drive issues. Although, if it requires me to burn an iso image, instead of using windows ... ah-hum ... I am down with that!

Referring ISO (Barracuda 7200.12 Firmware Update) but it looks like another windows boot to run the ISO (please correct me if I am wrong); (you are contemplating the ISO will be available to my motherboard bios at bootup)(cd, dvd, or USB)?

[fordpie]

...a bootable media option for applying the firmware update...

Elected to go with bootable media, burned the 6mb update to CD. Booted it and guess what ...
the boot application, designed by Seagate(!), did not recognize the Seagate Harddrive.

(Yes I unhooked the other drives and read the readme-instructions on the bootable media to make certain Seagate provided accurate informaiton about the installation of their firmware-update, before starting the installation of the firmware itself.)

Now it looks like I will have to drag out windows (the dastardly OS), and try that option.

Again I am hoping to do firmware-updates on hardward from the Linux-Fedora 27 platform or linux/unix command prompt. Any help much appreciated.

[leigh123linux]

Well that is paraphrasing (Kaput). The hard drive is 1TB in size. The prompt is given when I boot up (Hard drive will probably fail soon, better back up data) (or similar message) into Fedora which is on that Seagate drive. I am not running windows with it, only Fedora 27. When scrolling through the standard S.M.A.R.T statistics, one field is in red with the warning message. As I toggle over this message it says "an update might resolve the issue (or similar statement)." Does not say update the firmware strangely, but a search online reveals other forums wherein, people are hearing this screaching noise or have been similarly prompted to "update" the drive.

I go to seagate, thinking they will walk through the fix in Linux and I am dismayed they want to do the fix on windows. Any way to work around this and stay inside the linux-fedora platform?

Other concern: It seems like there are a certain group of model numbers that can be improved by the upgrade, and I am not able to search which model numbers are good for the fix, they are offering. Any help with this, much appreciated.


.
.
.
Tags considered (but too long):
Seagate S.M.A.R.T Upgrade in Linux,
Upgrade Seagate Hard Drive with Linux,
Upgrade Seagate Hard Drive firmware in Linux.
Hard drive about to crash (message),
.
.
.

Which field? some are critical and mean the drive needs replacing.

[fordpie]

Which field? some are critical and mean the drive needs replacing.

Ah-hah. An eye for more information. I see.
(Using smartctl to re-create the field indicated above):


# smartctl -H /dev/sdb

SMART overall-health self-assessment test result: FAILED! (This message will self destruct in 5 seconds)
(Maxwell Smart) Drive failure expected in less than 24 hours. SAVE ALL DATA. *shocking*
Failed Attributes:
ID# ATTRIBUTE_NAME FLAG VALUE WORST THRESH TYPE UPDATED WHEN_FAILED RAW_VALUE
5 Reallocated_Sector_Ct 0x0033 003 003 036 Pre-fail Always FAILING_NOW 4012

Sidenote:
Thresh = threshhold, which has (according to S.M.A.R.T) exceeded the worst value (3), some 33 times, above the max-value (3) allowed. 3+33=36

Sidenote 2:
The prompt did not show up, until after I had moved about 180 GBs of data to the Seagate disk (sdb), to clear off data from the sda drive. There was approximately 780+GB on the disk before moving data to the Seagate hard drive.


Commencing 24hour countdown momentarily ...
We are a go. 24hour countdown has commenced.

[fordpie]

Ah-hah. ...Using smartctl to re-create the field indicated ...

Posting steps for reference, and to aid others in comparing or testing other drives on the same motherboard:

Step 1
# smartctl --scan
/dev/sda -d scsi # /dev/sda, SCSI device
/dev/sdb -d scsi # /dev/sdb, SCSI device
/dev/sdc -d scsi # /dev/sdc, SCSI device

Step 2
# smartctl -i /dev/sdb
smartctl v 6.3 2014-07-26 r3976 ...
Copyright (C) 2002-14, Bruce Allen, Christian Franke, www. smartmontools. org

=== START OF INFORMATION SECTION ===
Model Family: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12
Device Model: ST31000528AS
Serial Number: bunnyeatingmycabbagehereonthisdrive
LU WWN Device Id: bunnyisnibblingaway
Firmware Version: CC38
User Capacity: 1,000,204,886,016 bytes [1.00 TB]
Sector Size: 512 bytes logical/physical
Rotation Rate: 7200 rpm
Device is: In smartctl database [for details use: -P show]
ATA Version is: ATA8-ACS T13/1699-D revision 4
SATA Version is: SATA 2.6, 3.0 Gb/s
Local Time is: Fri Jan 12 ... 2018 CST

==> WARNING: A firmware update for this drive may be available,
see the following Seagate web pages: http://knowledge.seagate.com/article...S/FAQ/207931en
http://knowledge.seagate.com/article...S/FAQ/213891en

SMART support is: Available - device has SMART capability.
SMART support is: Enabled


Step 3
# smartctl -H /dev/sdb

output of step 3 in post above (number five of this thread)

[leigh123linux]

Ah-hah. A nose for more information. I see.
(Using smartctl to re-create the field indicated above):


# smartctl -H /dev/sdb

SMART overall-health self-assessment test result: FAILED! (This message will self destruct in 5 seconds)
(Maxwell Smart) Drive failure expected in less than 24 hours. SAVE ALL DATA. *shocking*
Failed Attributes:
ID# ATTRIBUTE_NAME FLAG VALUE WORST THRESH TYPE UPDATED WHEN_FAILED RAW_VALUE
5 Reallocated_Sector_Ct 0x0033 003 003 036 Pre-fail Always FAILING_NOW 4012

Sidenote:
Thresh = threshhold, which has (according to S.M.A.R.T) exceeded the worst value (3), some 33 times, above the max-value (3) allowed. 3+33=36

Sidenote 2:
The prompt did not show up, until after I had moved about 180 GBs of data to the Seagate disk (sdb), to clear off data from the sda drive. There was approximately 780+GB on the disk before moving data to the Seagate hard drive.


Commencing 24hour countdown momentarily ...
We are a go. 24hour countdown has commenced.

Perhaps the firmware update fixes the ridiculously low threshold value for 'Reallocated Sector Count', I would normally expect this value to be in the region of 100 - 200 for worst value.
Is the 'Uncorrectable Sector Count' high, if not I would say the drive is OK

[fordpie]

Perhaps the firmware update fixes the ridiculously low threshold value for 'Reallocated Sector Count', I would normally expect this value to be in the region of 100 - 200 for worst value.
Is the 'Uncorrectable Sector Count' high, if not I would say the drive is OK

How are you able to access the Uncorrectable Sector Count value?

Originally there was that one field that was listed as bad (Reallocated Sector Count of 36). It showed up in a prompt, displayed in part, as a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that had red and green coloration values. It was red. The other values were green. I am guessing that the cut and paste performed in moving approximately 180GBs from sda to sdb, included an error fixing feature, that executed several times during the data-move. Thus when bad sectors were encountered that activated the auto-correct feature, and the 'Reallocated Sector Count' went up.

Afterword, with the terminal, I was able to "re-create" the disk-is-about-to-fail field and failure-message with the # 'smartctl -H /dev/sdb" entry as above. But the health report (under smartctl) reported a failure, due to that one field of values (Relocated Sector Count), and did not report in the number of other fields (with unique values) that passed. In the terminal, smartctl is not presented as a GUI; the command used, displayed merely the bad news in text form, without the other fields, which had acceptable or good values.

So I am asking how did you get the 'Uncorrectable Sector Count' field to display? Was it in a GUI or via the terminal? How can we re-create this display on our version of Fedora? Any help much appreciated leigh123linux and others.

[leigh123linux]

gnome-disk-utility has a neat smart gui

[lsatenstein]

So perhaps, I mistakenly assumed that my two barracuda drives were giving false positives. I still have one of them. Should I ignore the SMART error messages?
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[fordpie]

So perhaps, I mistakenly assumed that my two barracuda drives were giving false positives. I still have one of them. Should I ignore the SMART error messages?
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I would not ignore SMART error messages, but the "reallocation" max-value on my drive is/was set at three (3), and I have had other Seagate drives that were constantly trying to re-allocate space due to (bad or missing sector or block) errors, in windows. These drives lasted for years beyond the first, 3 "reallocations." Long after disk failures in windows, I can still access the data on them when hooking the drive up to a Linux based OS. Many of these disk failures, occurred in windows, such as a messed up Main Boot Sector or boot malfuction (I was not able to resolve at that time).

[fordpie]

So perhaps, I mistakenly assumed that my two barracuda drives were giving false positives. I still have one of them. Should I ignore the SMART error messages?
.

lsatenstein, are you able to re-create the display of SMART error messages, on demand or do you merely see them when you reboot?

[lsatenstein]

Hi Fordpie

I was getting the errors during reboot, I looked at Smartctl -a and saw a very large number of ECC error recoveries and something about dma not working. I was lucky to find a replacement deal. I am in Canada and I was able to buy a replacement drive for $50.00. I kept the barracuda around for future testing. If I recall, Canadian prices are typially 1.5x USA prices.

I put the barracuda into an external backup case, errors messages disappeared. But I don't trust the drive as a backup unit.

[hmmsjan]

Dear Fordpie,

I've the same disk with the same error. There are so many bad sectors that the replacement table is exhausted.
I copied /dev/zero to the drive, and at the end it started rattling, probably it had to jump 4000 times to the spare sectors...
I would not trust the drive anymore... Is the problem the firmware update fixes anyhow related to this smart problem?

Kind regards,