Menu Advanced Setup: Configure Phys. Devs., Format Disk; Menu Advanced Setup: Configure Phys. Devs., Check Surface; Menu Advanced Setup: Configure Phys. Devs., View Status/Defects; Menu Advanced Setup: Configure Phys. Devs., Deinitialize Disk - ICP GDT RS Series User Manual

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If you leave this configuration form with <ESC> and you have made changes, ICPCON dis-
plays a security request. The warning of the destruction of all data implies different evalua-
tions, depending on the device's current state and the options you selected:
First Initialization of the Device. In this case, the warning must be taken seriously. If the drive
was previously connected to a different controller (e.g. NCR etc.) and still contains impor-
tant data, this data will be lost now.
The Device was already initialized. If only internal parameters such as Disconnect, Synchronous
Transfer, and Disk Read/Write caches, or tagged queues have been changed, the data on the
drive remains intact. Only the function state of the device changes.
J.4.4.2 Menu Advanced Setup: Configure Phys. Devs., Format Disk
This option destroys all data on the hard disk.
All manufacturers of hard disks deliver their products already formatted and surface-tested.
For new hard disks it is neither necessary, nor advisable to perform the Format Disk. This
procedure is only indicated if you have doubts on the hard disk's condition.
The time required for the Format Disk of a hard disk depends on the hard disk itself. It can
take quite a long time (up to days !). Often it seems that nothing happens and that the sys-
tem hangs (no LED indication). If you put your ear on the hard disk you can hear the actua-
tor stepping (with some drives one step per minute or longer). Never interrupt a Format
Disk procedure. This may lead with a very high probability to a non-functioning hard disk.
Before the actual formatting, ICPCON asks you whether the "Grown Defect" table of the
hard disk should be deleted. Some users believe that this makes a hard disk with a lot of
grown defects like new. This is wrong. As soon as the bad sectors are accessed again, a re-
assign will happen, generating a new grown defect.
J.4.4.3 Menu Advanced Setup: Configure Phys. Devs., Check Surface
This option destroys all data on the hard disk.
This option allows the checking of the surfaces of the hard disk media. The ICP Controller
writes and reads certain data patterns and checks them for correctness.
After confirming the security request, a progress information is displayed. You can interrupt
the Check Surface option by pressing <ESC>.
J.4.4.4 Menu Advanced Setup: Configure Phys. Devs., View Status/Defects
Grown defects. Number of media defects that have occurred
in addition to the media defects the hard disk already had
upon delivery.
Primary defects. Number of media defects that the hard disk
already had upon delivery.
Last status: The Last Status gives detailed information on the last failure of a hard disk.
The information is only present until the next hard reset of the system and may help for
deeper failure analysis or tracing.
J.4.4.5 Menu Advanced Setup: Configure Phys. Devs., Deinitialize Disk
This option destroys all data on the hard disk.
This menu option allows you to de-initialize a hard disk which has previously been initial-
ized for use with the ICP Controller. By doing so, the specific ICP information present on
the device is removed. Obviously, the de-initialization cannot restore data that was lost
during initialization.