IBM 866631Y - Netfinity 7100 - 8666 Hardware Maintenance Manual page 48

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Hardware Maintenance Manual: Netfinity 7100 – Type 8666
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.
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 the 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 the 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, replace the hard disk drive.