ICP RS Series User Manual page 166

166
Format a Physical Disk
Caution: This function deletes ALL DATA on the selected Physical Drive !
The hard disk which you want to low level format, may not be member of a Logical Drive if
you want to start a low level format or a check surface. This function sends a format unit
command to the Physical Drive. Everything else is done by the drive itself. The ICP Con-
troller stands by to receive a good status back from the drive when it has successfully fin-
ished the low level format, thus no progress information can be shown. What the drive
exactly does during the low level format and how long it takes depends on the manufac-
turer's format unit command implementation in the firmware of the drive, the speed and
capacity of the drive. A low level format can take from seconds to hours or even days. Be-
fore you confirm to start the low level format, you are asked if you want to delete the grown
defect list of the drive. Deleting this list, does not mean that the grown defects (media de-
fects) vanish. It is very likely that the low level format will trace them again and map them
out. Usually, there is no need to low level format a drive. This should be only done with a
defective drive. If you want to check the surface of a hard disk, it is better to use the check
surface function.
Warning: It is strongly recommended not to interrupt a low level format of a drive. This may
cause an inoperable drive.
Deinitialize a Physical Disk
Deinitializing a Physical Drive removes the ICP initialization sectors.
The Physical Drive may not be member of a Logical Drive if you want to deinitialize it.
Lock / Unlock a Removable Disk
With this function you can lock or unlock a removable drive containing a removable me-
dium. If the Physical Drive is locked, the medium cannot be ejected with the eject button
while the system is running.