Menu Monitor: Save Information - ICP RS Series User Manual

the SCSI channel
the SCSI-ID
the vendor and type
Retries/Reassigns, Grown Defects and the Last Status
(1) The Retries counter is incremented by one unit whenever the ICP Controller retries to
access a hard disk. If this counter continues to increase (possibly on other hard disks, too)
it is very likely that the cable is not good enough for the selected data transfer rate (cable
too long, poor quality of cable and connectors), or that the SCSI bus is not properly termi-
nated (too many terminators on the cable, or missing terminator). In very few cases is the
hard disk concerned defective. The retry counter also increases when the SCSI parameters
of a hard disk are changed (see further ahead). Obviously, retries due to this do not imply
bad cabling.
(2) The Reassign counter reflects the number of media defects which occur on the hard disk
drive. Defective blocks of the hard disk are assigned substitute blocks (spare blocks) which
are either on the same track, or on alternate ones if all spare blocks on the same track are
already in use. The administration of the reassignments is carried out by the hard disk
through according reassignment tables. Note: If a hard disk works with alternate tracks, it
is generally no longer suitable for applications with high performance expectations. When-
ever a defective block is being accessed, the read/write actuator has to move to an alternate
position and this requires extra time.
If you observe that the number of reassigns is constantly increasing, you may suspect that
something is wrong with this drive.
(3) The Grown Defects counter shows the number of media defects which have occurred
since the first time the device was operated with an ICP Controller. A specific hard disk is in
a good condition when it has 0 grown defects. When this counter increases, there is defi-
nitely something wrong with the device.
(4) The Last Status information should always be 0x00000000. After a device failure or other
significant events, a different value may be displayed here. This value is volatile and is reset
to 0x00000000 after each power up and/or reset.
If you press ENTER on a Drive,
ICPCON display further informa-
tion on the SCSI parameter set-
tings.
J.3.4 Menu Monitor: Save Information
The Save Information option gives you the possibility to save the configuration information
regarding the selected ICP Controller and its devices in an ASCII-file. This may help if you
require support and is also good for your system documentation.
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