IBM x 340 Series Hardware Maintenance Manual page 45

Note: If you press Ctrl+A before the selected drives are ready, an Unexpected
SCSI Command Failure screen might appear. Restart the server and watch
the SCSISelect messages as each drive spins up. After the drive that you
want to view or format spins up, press Ctrl+A.
• Format Disk
Attention: The Low-Level Format program erases all data and programs.
Select this choice to perform a low-level format on a hard disk drive. Depending
on the hard disk drive capacity, the Low-Level Format program could take up to
two hours.
Use the Low-Level Format program:
— When you are installing software that requires a low-level format
— When you get recurring messages from the diagnostic tests directing you to
run the Low-Level Format program on the hard disk drive
— As a last resort before replacing a failing hard disk drive
Note: If your server has a PCI RAID adapter installed, refer to the RAID adapter
documentation for instructions for performing low-level formats on hard
disk drives attached to the adapter.
To start the Low-Level Format program:
1. If the hard disk is working, make a backup copy of all the files and programs
on the hard disk drive. (See your operating system information for
instructions.)
2. Select Format Disk; then, follow the instructions on the screen.
Note: Hard disks normally contain more tracks than their stated capacity (to
allow for defective tracks). A message appears on the screen if the
defect limit is reached. If this happens, have the system serviced.
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Configuring the server