1SDPARM(8) SDPARM SDPARM(8)
2
6 sdparm - access SCSI modes pages; read VPD pages; send simple SCSI com‐
7 mands.
8
10 sdparm [--all] [--dbd] [--flexible] [--get=STR] [--hex] [--long]
11 [--num-desc] [--page=PG[,SPG]] [--quiet] [--readonly] [--six] [--trans‐
12 port=TN] [--vendor=VN] [--verbose] DEVICE [DEVICE...]
13 sdparm [--clear=STR] [--defaults] [--dummy] [--flexible]
15 [--page=PG[,SPG]] [--quiet] [--readonly] [--save] [--set=STR] [--six]
16 [--transport=TN] [--vendor=VN] [--verbose] DEVICE [DEVICE...]
17 sdparm --command=CMD [--hex] [--readonly] [--verbose] DEVICE
19 [DEVICE...]
20 sdparm --inquiry [--all] [--flexible] [--hex] [--num-desc]
22 [--page=PG[,SPG]] [--quiet] [--readonly] [--transport=TN] [--vendor=VN]
23 [--verbose] DEVICE [DEVICE...]
24 sdparm --enumerate [--all] [--inquiry] [--long] [--page=PG[,SPG]]
26 [--transport=TN] [--vendor=VN]
27 sdparm --inhex=FN [--all] [--flexible] [--hex] [--inquiry] [--long]
29 [--pdt=DT] [--raw] [--six] [--transport=TN] [--vendor=VN]
30 sdparm --wscan [--verbose]
32 sdparm [--help] [--version]
34
36 This utility fetches and potentially changes SCSI device (e.g. disk)
37 mode pages. Inquiry data including Vital Product Data (VPD) pages can
38 also be displayed. Commands associated with starting and stopping the
39 medium; loading and unloading the medium; and other housekeeping func‐
40 tion may also be issued by this utility.
41 The first invocation shown in the synopsis is for accessing (reading)
43 mode page fields held on the DEVICE. The second form is for changing
44 mode page fields held on the DEVICE. The third form is for executing
45 some simple SCSI commands. The fourth form (i.e. the '--inquiry ...
46 DEVICE' form) is for fetching and decoding VPD pages from the given
47 DEVICE. The --enumerate form is for listing out mode or VPD field data
48 held by this utility (and if a DEVICE is given then it is ignored). The
49 --inhex=FN form decodes mode or VPD response data provided in the named
50 file (or from stdin if FN is '-'); that data may either be in hexadeci‐
51 mal or binary. The second last form is for Windows only and lists the
52 available storage device names; see the OPTIONS entry for --wscan. The
53 final form is to provide command line help or the version number (and
54 date).
55 If no options (other than DEVICE) are given then a selection of common
57 mode page fields for that device are listed. If the --long option is
58 also given then a description of the fields is placed on the right of
59 each line. If the --all option is given then all known mode page fields
60 for that device are listed. Individual fields can be displayed with the
61 --get=STR option (e.g. '--get=WCE' to fetch the state of the Writeback
62 Cache Enable field).
63 This utility completes with an exit status of 0 when successful. For
65 other values see the EXIT STATUS section below.
66 One or more DEVICE arguments can be given. The utility will essentially
68 apply the given options to each DEVICE in the list. If an error is
69 detected, it is noted and the utility continues. Error value 5 (file
70 open or close problem) is treated as lower priority when other errors
71 are detected. The exit status is the most recently detected error value
72 (excluding error value 5 if other errors have been detected). If all
73 actions succeed the exit status is zero.
74 By default this utility shows mode pages that are common to all trans‐
76 port protocols. These are termed as "generic" mode pages. If there is
77 no match on a generic mode page name or field then those pages specific
78 to the SAS transport are checked. Transport protocol specific mode
79 pages are selected with the --transport=TN option. See the TRANSPORT
80 section below. Vendor specific mode pages are selected with the --ven‐
81 dor=VN option. See the VENDORS section below.
82 Although originally for SCSI disks (or storage devices that appear to
84 the OS as SCSI disks) many of the mode pages are for other SCSI device
85 types. These include CD/DVD players that use the ATAPI (or any other)
86 transport, SCSI tapes drives and SCSI enclosures.
87 When the --inquiry option is given without a page number then the
89 Device Identification VPD page (page number 0x83) is requested and if
90 found it is decoded and output. If no page number is given and the
91 --all option is given then a list of VPD page names (but not their con‐
92 tents) supported by the DEVICE is output. When both the --inquiry and
93 --page=PG options are given then the VPD page can be specified as an
94 abbreviation (e.g. "sp" for the SCSI ports VPD page) or numerically
95 (e.g. "0x88"). If a VPD page is returned by the DEVICE but sdparm can‐
96 not decode it or the --hex option is given then it is output in hex.
97
99 Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options as
100 well. If an option takes a numeric argument then that argument is
101 assumed to be decimal unless otherwise indicated (e.g. with a leading
102 "0x" or a trailing "h"). The options are in alphabetical order, based
103 on the long option name.
104 -a, --all
106 output all recognized fields for the device type (e.g. disk) of
107 the DEVICE. Without this option (or the --page=PG[,SPG] option)
108 the default action is to output a relatively small number of
109 commonly used fields from different pages. When a specific
110 (mode) page number is given with the --page=PG[,SPG] option then
111 all the fields of that page are output (irrespective of the set‐
112 ting of this option). For this option's action when used with
113 the --enumerate option see the ENUMERATE section below.
114 By default --inhex=FN will only decode the first mode page found
115 in FN. With this option, more mode pages will be decoded if
116 present. When --transport=TN or --vendor=VN is also given then
117 if a given mode page is not defined for that transport or ven‐
118 dor, then it is decoded as a generic mode page.
119 -c, --clear=STR
121 In its simplest form STR contains a field acronym_name or a
122 field numerical descriptor. In the absence of an explicit value
123 argument (e.g. '--clear=WCE=1'), the field has its value cleared
124 to zero. See the PARAMETERS section below.
125 -C, --command=CMD
127 Perform given CMD. See section below on COMMANDS. To enumerate
128 supported commands use '-e -C x' (using any CMD name, valid or
129 otherwise).
130 -B, --dbd
132 disable block descriptors. This is a bit in MODE SENSE cdbs that
133 rarely needs to be set. One known case is a MODE SENSE 6 issued
134 to a Reduced Block Commands (RBC) device where the RBC standard
135 says it shall be set.
136 -D, --defaults
138 sets the given mode page to its default values. Requires the
139 --page=PG[,SPG] option to be given to specify the mode page. To
140 make the default mode page values also the saved mode page val‐
141 ues, use the --save option as well.
142 -d, --dummy
144 when set inhibits changes being placed in the DEVICE's mode
145 page. Instead the mode data that would have been sent to a MODE
146 SELECT command, is output in ASCII hex to the console. This
147 option is mainly for testing.
148 -e, --enumerate
150 lists out descriptive information about the pages and fields
151 known to this utility. Ignores the DEVICE argument and other
152 options apart from the --all, --inquiry, --long,
153 --page=PG[,SPG], --transport=TN and --vendor=VN. If --enumerate
154 is given without other options then the known (generic) mode
155 pages are listed. See the ENUMERATE section below.
156 -f, --flexible
158 Some devices, bridges and/or drivers attempt crude transforma‐
159 tions between mode sense 6 and 10 byte commands without cor‐
160 rectly rebuilding the response. This will cause the response to
161 be mis-interpreted (usually with an error saying the response is
162 malformed). With this option, the length of the response is
163 checked, and if it looks wrong, various corrections are
164 attempted. This option will also allow mode pages that don't
165 belong to the current device's peripheral type to be listed.
166 -g, --get=STR
168 In its simplest form STR contains a field acronym_name or a
169 field numerical descriptor. The field is fetched from mode page.
170 See the PARAMETERS section below. The --long and --hex options
171 effect the output format. Also if a value of "1" is given (e.g.
172 '--get=WCE=1') only the current value is output (i.e. not the
173 change mask, the default value and the saved value).
174 -h, --help
176 output the usage message then exit.
177 -H, --hex
179 rather than trying to decode mode (or VPD) pages, print them out
180 in hex. When used with the --get=STR option the corresponding
181 current, changeable, default and saved values are output in hex,
182 prefixed by "0x" and space separated. If a value of "1" is given
183 with the --get=STR option (e.g. '--get=WCE=1') then only the
184 current value is output in hex, prefixed by "0x". If a value of
185 "2" is given with the --get=STR option then only the current
186 value is output as a (signed) integer. This option can be used
187 multiple times (e.g. '-HH'). Useful with the ATA Information VPD
188 page which usually outputs its IDENTIFY (PACKET) DEVICE response
189 in 16 bit hex words; with '-HH' outputs that response in hex
190 bytes; with '-HHH' outputs the same response in a format suit‐
191 able for 'hdparm --Istdin' to decode.
192 -i, --inquiry
194 output a VPD page which is in the response of a SCSI INQUIRY
195 command sent to DEVICE. In the absence of this option the
196 default action is to output mode pages. If the --inquiry option
197 is given without the --page=PG[,SPG] option then the device
198 identification VPD page (0x83) is decoded and output. If this
199 option and the --all option are given then the supported VPD
200 pages page (0x0) is decoded and output.
201 -I, --inhex=FN
203 FN is expected to be a file name (or '-' for stdin) which con‐
204 tains ASCII hexadecimal (or binary) representing the response to
205 MODE SENSE(10). If --six is also given then the response from
206 MODE SENSE(6) is assumed. A MODE SENSE response contains one or
207 more mode pages. This utility will decode the first one unless
208 the --all option is given. In order to decode a mode page the
209 peripheral device type is often needed and can be supplied with
210 the --pdt=DT option. If the --pdt=DT is not given then a mode
211 page found in two device type standards (e.g. SBC and SSC) may
212 be decoded twice.
213 If --inquiry is given then FN is interpreted as the response
214 data of a single VPD page.
215 The hexadecimal in FN should be arranged as 1 or 2 digits repre‐
216 senting a byte each of which is whitespace or comma separated.
217 Anything from and including a hash mark to the end of line is
218 ignored. If the --raw option is given then FN is treated as
219 binary.
220 -l, --long
222 output extra information. In the case of mode page fields a
223 description (with units if applicable) is output to the right.
224 If used twice, then for some fields more information about its
225 values is given on one or more following lines, each prefixed by
226 a tab character. For usage with --enumerate see the ENUMERATE
227 section below.
228 -n, --num-desc
230 for a mode page that can have descriptors, the number of
231 descriptors for the given page on the DEVICE is output. Other‐
232 wise 0 is output.
233 -p, --page=PG[,SPG]
235 supply the page number (PG) and optionally the sub page number
236 (SPG) of the mode (or VPD) page to fetch. These numbers are
237 interpreted as decimal unless prefixed with "0x" or a trailing.
238 Sub page numbers are only valid for mode pages (not VPD pages).
239 Alternatively an abbreviation for a page can be given (see next
240 entry).
241 -p, --page=STR
243 a two or three letter abbreviation for a page can be given.
244 Known mode page abbreviations are checked first followed by
245 known VPD page abbreviations. For example '--page=ca' matches
246 the caching mode page. If no match is found then an error is
247 issued and a list of possibilities in the current context is
248 given (so '-p x' can be quite useful). If the STR matches a
249 known VPD page abbreviation then the --inquiry option is
250 assumed. For usage with --enumerate see the ENUMERATE section
251 below.
252 -P, --pdt=DT
254 This option is only active when the --inhex=FN option is given.
255 DT is the peripheral Device Type, a value between 0 and 31 and
256 can be found in the reponse to the INQUIRY command. The default
257 value is -1 (which may also be given for DT) and it is inter‐
258 preted as SPC (i.e. common mode pages) or as a wild card. If
259 available this option should be supplied with the --inhex=FN
260 option.
261 -q, --quiet
263 suppress output of device name followed by the vendor, product
264 and revision strings fetched from an INQUIRY response. Without
265 this option such a line is typically the first line output by
266 sdparm. Reduces output from the device identification VPD page,
267 typically to one line (or none) for each of di_lu, di_port,
268 di_target and di_asis.
269 If this option is used twice then additionally mode page output
270 suppresses the changeable, default and saved values that are
271 usually shown in braces, if available.
272 -r, --readonly
274 override other logic to open DEVICE in read-only mode. The
275 default setting of the open read-only/read-write mode depends on
276 the operation requested (e.g. a --set=STR operation by default
277 will try a read-write mode open on DEVICE). This option may be
278 useful if a command is being sent to an ATA disk via a SCSI com‐
279 mand set. For example in Linux '-C stop' may require this option
280 to stop an ATA disk being restarted immediately.
281 -R, --raw
283 this option is only active when used with the --inhex=FN option.
284 When this option is given then the file FN is interpreted as
285 binary; the default action (i.e. when this option is not given)
286 is to interpret FN as ASCII hexadecimal.
287 -S, --save
289 when a mode page is being modified (by using the --clear=STR
290 and/or --set=STR options) then the default action is to modify
291 only the current values mode page. When this option is given
292 then the corresponding value(s) in the saved values mode page is
293 also changed. The next time the device is power cycled (or
294 reset) the saved values mode page becomes (i.e. is copied to)
295 the current values mode page. This option sets the SP field in
296 the MODE SELECT command. See NOTES section below.
297 -s, --set=STR
299 in its simplest form STR contains a field acronym_name or a
300 field numerical descriptor. In the absence of an explicit value,
301 each acronym_name has its value set to (all) ones. This means a
302 16 bit field will be set to 0xffff which is 65535 in decimal.
303 Alternatively each acronym_name or numerical descriptor may be
304 followed by "=<n>" where <n> is the value to set that field to.
305 See the PARAMETERS section below.
306 -6, --six
308 The default action of this utility is to issue MODE SENSE and
309 MODE SELECT SCSI commands with 10 byte cdbs. When this option is
310 given the 6 byte cdb variants are used. RBC and old SCSI devices
311 may need this option. This utility outputs a suggestion to use
312 this option if the SCSI status indicates that the 10 byte cdb
313 variant is not supported.
314 -t, --transport=TN
316 Specifies the transport protocol where TN is either a number in
317 the range 0 to 15 (inclusive) or an abbreviation (e.g. "fcp" for
318 the Fibre Channel Protocol). One way to list available transport
319 protocols numbers and their associated abbreviations is to give
320 an invalid transport protocol number such as '-t x'; another way
321 is '-e -l'. N.B. The --all option may still be needed to show
322 all available fields.
323 -M, --vendor=VN
325 Specifies the vendor (i.e. manufacturer) where VN is either a
326 number (0 or more) or an abbreviation (e.g. "sea" for Seagate
327 disk vendor specific). One way to list available vendor numbers
328 and their associated abbreviations is to give an invalid vendor
329 number such as '-M x'; another way is '-e -l'.
330 -v, --verbose
332 increase the level of verbosity, (i.e. debug output). In some
333 cases more decoding is done (e.g. fields within a standard
334 INQUIRY response).
335 -V, --version
337 print the version string and then exit.
338 -w, --wscan
340 this option is available in Windows only. It lists storage
341 device names and the corresponding volumes, if any. When used
342 twice it adds the "bus type" of the closest transport (e.g. a
343 SATA disk in a USB connected enclosure has bus type Usb). When
344 used three times a SCSI adapter scan is added. When used four
345 times only a SCSI adapter scan is shown. See examples below and
346 the "Win32 port" section in the README file.
347
349 The reference document used for interpreting mode and VPD pages (and
350 the INQUIRY standard response) is T10/BSR INCITS 502 Revision 02
351 (SPC-5, 3 January 2015) found at http://www.t10.org . Obsolete and
352 reserved items in the standard INQUIRY response output are displayed in
353 brackets. Recent drafts of other T10 documents are also used: SBC-4
354 (disks), SSC-5 (tapes), SPL-4 (SAS transport) and SAT-4 (SCSI to ATA
355 Translation).
356 A mode page for which no abbreviation is known (e.g. a vendor specific
358 mode page) can be listed in hexadecimal by using the option combination
359 '--page=PG --hex'.
360 Numbers input to sdparm (e.g. in the command line arguments) are
362 assumed to be in decimal unless there is a hexadecimal indicator. A
363 hexadecimal indicator is either a leading '0x' or '0X' (i.e. the C lan‐
364 guage convention) or a trailing 'h' or 'H' (i.e. the convention used at
365 www.t10.org ). In the case of --page= either a string or number is
366 expected, so hex numbers like 'ch' (12) should be prefixed by a zero
367 (e.g. '0ch').
368 The SPC-4 draft (rev 2) says that devices that implement no distinction
370 between current and saved pages can return an error (ILLEGAL REQUEST,
371 invalid field in cdb) if the SP bit (which corresponds to the --save
372 option) is _not_ set. In such cases the --save option needs to be
373 given.
374 If the --save option is given but the existing mode page indicates (via
376 its PS bit) that the page is not savable, then this utility generates
377 an error message. That message suggests to try again without the --save
378 option.
379 Since the device identification VPD page (acronym_name "di") poten‐
381 tially contains a lot of diverse designators, several associated
382 acronyms are available. They are "di_lu" for designators associated
383 with the addressed logical unit, "di_port" for designators associated
384 with the target port (which the command arrived via) and "di_target"
385 for designators associated with the target device. When "di" is used
386 designators are grouped by lu, then port and then target device. To
387 see all designators decoded in the order that they appear in the VPD
388 page use "di_asis".
389 Only those VPD pages defined by t10.org are decoded by this utility.
391 SPC-4 sets aside VPD pages codes from 0xc0 to 0xff (inclusive) for ven‐
392 dor specific pages some of which are decoded in the sg_vpd utility.
393 To see all VPD pages supported by a DEVICE use 'sg_vpd --all'.
395 In the linux kernel 2.6 and 3 series any device node that understands a
397 SCSI command set (e.g. SCSI disks and CD/DVD drives) may be specified.
398 More precisely the driver that "owns" the device node must support the
399 SG_IO ioctl. In the lk 2.4 series only SCSI generic (sg) device nodes
400 support the SG_IO ioctl. However in the lk 2.4 series other SCSI device
401 nodes are mapped within this utility to their corresponding sg device
402 nodes. So if there is a SCSI disk at /dev/sda then 'sdparm /dev/sda'
403 will work in both the lk 2.4 series and later. However if there is an
404 ATAPI cd/dvd drive at /dev/hdc then 'sdparm /dev/hdc' will only work in
405 the lk 2.6 series and later.
406 In the Linux 2.6 and 3 series, especially with ATA disks, using sdparm
408 to stop (spin down) a disk may not be sufficient and other mechanisms
409 will start the disk again some time later. The user might additionally
410 mark the disk as "offline" with 'echo offline >
411 /sys/block/sda/device/state' where sda is the block name of the disk.
412 To restart the disk "offline" can be replaced with "running".
413
415 In their simplest form the --clear=, --get= and --set= options (or
416 their short forms) take an acronym_name such as "WCE". In the case of
417 '--get=WCE' the value of "Writeback Cache Enable" in the caching mode
418 page will be fetched. In the case of '--set=WCE' that bit will be set
419 (to one). In the case of '--clear=WCE' that bit will be cleared (to
420 zero). When an acronym_name is given then the mode page is imputed from
421 that acronym_name (e.g. WCE is in the caching mode page).
422 Instead of an acronym_name a field within a mode page can be described
424 numerically with a <start_byte>:<start_bit>:<num_bits> tuple. These are
425 the <start_byte> (origin 0) within the mode page, a <start_bit> (0 to 7
426 inclusive) and <num_bits> (1 to 64 inclusive). For example, the low
427 level representation of the RCD bit (the "Read Cache Disable bit in the
428 caching mode page) is "2:0:1". The <start_byte> can optionally be given
429 in hex (e.g. '--set=0x2:0:1' or '--set=2h:0:1'). With this form the
430 --page= option is required to establish which mode page is to be used.
431 Either form can optionally be followed by "=<val>". By default <val> is
433 decimal but can be given in hex in the normal fashion. Here are some
434 examples: '--set=2h:0:1=1h' and '-s MRIE=0x3'. When the acronym_name or
435 numeric form following --clear= is not given an explicit '=<val>' then
436 the value defaults to zero. When the acronym_name or numeric form fol‐
437 lowing --set= is not given an explicit '=<val>' then the value defaults
438 to "all ones" (i.e. as many as <num_bits> permits). For example
439 '--clear=WCE' and '--clear=WCE=0' have the same meaning: clear Write‐
440 back Cache Enable or, put more simply: turn off the writeback cache.
441 Multiple fields within the same mode page can be changed by giving a
443 comma separated list of acronym_names and/or the numerical form. For
444 example: '--set=TEST,MRIE=6'.
445 Some mode page have multiple descriptors. They typically have a fixed
447 header section at the start of the mode page that includes a field con‐
448 taining the number of descriptors that follow. Following the header is
449 a variable number of descriptors. An example is the SAS Phy Control and
450 Discover mode page. An acronym_name may include a trailing '.<num>'
451 where "<num>" is a descriptor number (origin 0). For example '-t sas -g
452 PHID.0' and '-t sas -g PHID' will yield the phy identifier of the first
453 descriptor of the above mode page; '-t sas -g PHID.1' will yield the
454 phy identifier of the second descriptor.
455
457 The --enumerate option essentially dumps out static information held by
458 this utility. A list of --enumerate variants and their actions follows.
459 For brevity subsequent examples of options are shown in their shorter
460 form.
461 --enumerate list generic mode page information
463 -e --all list generic mode page contents
464 (i.e. parameters)
465 -e --page=rw list contents of read write error
466 recovery mode page
467 -e --inquiry list VPD pages this utility can decode
468 -e --long list generic mode pages, transport
469 protocols, mode pages for each
470 supported transport protocol and
471 supported commands
472 -e -l --all additionally list the contents of
473 each mode page
474 -e --transport=fcp list mode pages for the fcp
475 transport protocol
476 -e -t fcp --all additionally list the contents of
477 each mode page
478 -e --vendor=sea list vendor specific mode pages for
479 "sea" (Seagate)
480 -e -M sea --all additionally list the contents of vendor
481 specific mode pages for "sea" (Seagate)
482 -e -p pcd -l list contents of SAS phy control and
483 discovery mode page plus (due to "-l")
484 some descfriptor format information
485 When known mode pages are listed (via the --enumerate option) each
487 line starts with a two or three letter abbreviation. This is followed
488 by the page number (in hex prefixed by "0x") optionally followed by a
489 comma and the subpage number. Finally the descriptive name of the mode
490 page (e.g. as found in SPC-4) is output.
491 When known parameters (fields) of a mode page are listed, each line
493 starts with an acronym (indented a few spaces). This will match (or be
494 an acronym for) the description for that field found in the (draft)
495 standards. Next are three numbers, separated by colons, surrounded by
496 brackets. These are the start byte (in hex, prefixed by "0x") of the
497 beginning of the field within the mode page; the starting bit (0
498 through 7 inclusive) and then the number of bits. The descriptive name
499 of the parameter (field) is then given. If appropriate the descriptive
500 name includes units (e.g. "(ms)" means the units are milliseconds).
501 Adding the '-ll' option will list information about possible field val‐
502 ues for selected mode page parameters.
503 Mode parameters for which the num_bits is greater than 1 can be viewed
505 as unsigned integers. Often 16 and 32 bit fields are set to 0xffff and
506 0xffffffff respectively (all ones) which usually has a special meaning
507 (see drafts). This utility outputs such values as "-1" to save space
508 (rather than their unsigned integer equivalents). "-1" can also be
509 given as the value to a mode page field acronym (e.g. '--set=INTT=-1'
510 sets the interval timer field in the Informational Exceptions control
511 mode page to 0xffffffff).
512
514 SCSI transport protocols are a relatively specialized area that can be
515 safely ignored by the majority of users.
516 Some transport protocols have protocol specific mode pages. These are
518 usually the disconnect-reconnect (0x2), the protocol specific logical
519 unit (0x18) and the protocol specific port (0x19) mode pages. In some
520 cases the latter mode page has several subpages. The most common trans‐
521 port protocol abbreviations likely to be used are "fcp", "spi" and
522 "sas".
523 Many of the field names are re-used in the same position so the acro‐
525 nym_name namespaces have been divided between generic mode pages (i.e.
526 when the --transport= option is _not_ given) and a namespace for each
527 transport protocol. A LUPID field from the protocol specific logical
528 unit (0x18) mode page and the PPID field from protocol specific port
529 (0x19) mode page are included in the generic modes pages; this is so
530 the respective (transport) protocol identifiers can be seen. In most
531 cases the user will know what the "port" transport is (i.e. the same
532 transport as the HBA in the computer) but the logical unit's transport
533 could be different.
534
536 SCSI leaves a lot of space for vendor specific information. Often this
537 is described in product manuals. The --vendor=VN (or -M=VN) option
538 allows known vendor specific mode pages to be examined and/or modified
539 by acronym.
540 In this utility the syntax and semantics of vendor specific mode pages
542 is very similar to those of transport protocol specific mode pages.
543 Both cannot be specified together. Vendor specific modes pages can
544 still be accessed numerically (as shown at the end of the EXAMPLES sec‐
545 tion).
546
548 The command option sends a SCSI command to the DEVICE. If the command
549 fails then this is reflected in the non-zero exit status. To obtain
550 more information about the error use the -v option.
551 capacity
553 sends a READ CAPACITY command (valid for disks and cd/dvd
554 media). If successful yields "blocks: " [the number of blocks],
555 "block_length: " [typically either 512 or 2048] and "capac‐
556 ity_mib: " [capacity in MibiBytes (1048576 byte units)].
557 eject stops the medium and ejects it from the device. Note that ejec‐
559 tion (by command or button) may be prevented in which case the
560 'unlock' command may be useful in extreme cases. Typically only
561 appropriate for cd/dvd drives and disk drives with removable
562 media. Objects if sent to another peripheral device type (but
563 objection can be overridden with '-f' option).
564 load loads the medium and and starts it (i.e. spins it up). See
566 'eject' command for supported device types.
567 profile
569 lists the various formats that a CD/DVD/HD-DVD/BD drive sup‐
570 ports. These are called "profiles" in the MMC standard. The pro‐
571 files are listed one per line. If media is in the drive then
572 the profile that matches the media (if any) has an "*" to the
573 right of the line.
574 ready sends the "Test Unit Ready" SCSI command to the DEVICE. No error
576 is reported if the device will respond to data requests (e.g.
577 READ) in a reasonable timescale. For example, if a disk is
578 stopped then it will report "not ready". All devices should
579 respond to this command.
580 sense sends a REQUEST SENSE command. It reports a hardware threshold
582 exceeded, warning or low power condition if flagged. If a
583 progress indication is present (e.g. during a format) then it
584 will be output as a percentage. Yields a process status of 0 if
585 the command succeeds and the sense key is 0; else yields 1. The
586 --quiet option can be used to lessen output, and --hex to output
587 sense data in hex.
588 speed=SPEED
590 permits the speed of a CD, DVD, HD_DVD or BD disc in a drive to
591 be set (or at least influenced). It has this format: --com‐
592 mand=speed=SPEED where SPEED is in kilobytes per second. In this
593 case a kilobyte is 1000 bytes. The "times one" speed for a CD is
594 176.4 kB/s, for a DVD is 1350 kB/s and for both HD-DVD and BD it
595 is 4500 kB/s. If SPEED is zero then the drive is set to the
596 speed that it considers gives optimal performance. This command
597 sends a SET STREAMING multi-media command (MMC) to the drive.
598 The EXACT bit is clear so the drive will round the given SPEED
599 as necessary. The command is designed to control read speed;
600 setting write speed should be left to "burning" programs.
601 start starts the medium (i.e. spins it up). Harmless if medium has
603 already been started. See 'eject' command for supported device
604 types. If the DEVICE is an ATA disk in Linux the '--readonly'
605 option may be required.
606 stop stops the medium (i.e. spins it down). Harmless if medium has
608 already been stopped. See 'eject' command for supported device
609 types. If the DEVICE is an ATA disk in Linux the '--readonly'
610 option may be required. See the NOTES section above.
611 sync sends a SYNCHRONIZE CACHE command. The device should flush any
613 data held in its (volatile) buffers to the media.
614 unlock tells a device to allow medium removal. It uses the SCSI "pre‐
616 vent allow medium removal" command. This is desperation stuff,
617 possibly overriding a prevention applied by the OS on a mounted
618 file system. The "eject" utility (from the "eject" package) is
619 more graceful and should be tried first. This command is only
620 appropriate for devices with removable media.
621 For loading and ejecting tapes the mt utility should be used (i.e. not
623 these commands). The 'ready' command is valid for tape devices.
624
626 To list the common (generic) mode parameters of a disk:
627 sdparm /dev/sda
629 To list the designators within the device identification VPD page of a
631 disk:
632 sdparm --inquiry /dev/sda
634 To see all parameters for the caching mode page:
636 sdparm --page=ca /dev/sda
638 To see all parameters for the caching mode page with parameter descrip‐
640 tions to the right:
641 sdparm --page=ca --long /dev/sda
643 To get the WCE values (current changeable default and saved) in hex:
645 sdparm -g WCE -H /dev/sda
647 0x01 0x00 0x01 0x01
648 To get the WCE current value in hex:
650 sdparm -g WCE=1 -H /dev/sda
652 0x01
653 To set the "Writeback Cache Enable" bit in the current values page:
655 sdparm --set=WCE /dev/sda
657 To set the "Writeback Cache Enable" bit in the current and saved values
659 page:
660 sdparm --set=WCE --save /dev/sda
662 To set the "Writeback Cache Enable" and clear "Read Cache Disable":
664 sdparm --set=WCE --clear=RCD --save /dev/sda
666 The previous example can also by written as:
668 sdparm -s WCE=1,RCD=0 -S /dev/sda
670 To re-establish the manufacturer's defaults in the current and saved
672 values of the caching mode page:
673 sdparm --page=ca --defaults --save /dev/sda
675 If an ATAPI cd/dvd drive is at /dev/hdc then its common (mode) parame‐
677 ters could be listed in the lk 2.6 and 3 series with:
678 sdparm /dev/hdc
680 If there is a DVD in the drive at /dev/hdc then it could be ejected in
682 the lk 2.6 and 3 series with:
683 sdparm --command=eject /dev/hdc
685 If the ejection is being prevented by software then that can be over‐
687 ridden with:
688 sdparm --command=unlock /dev/hdc
690 One disk vendor has a "Performance Mode" bit (PM) in the vendor spe‐
692 cific unit attention mode page [0x0,0x0]. PM=0 is server mode (the
693 default) while PM=1 is desktop mode. Desktop mode can be set (both cur‐
694 rent and saved values) with:
695 sdparm --page=0 --set=2:7:1=1 --save /dev/sda
697 The resultant change can be viewed in hex with the --hex option as
699 there are no acronyms for vendor extensions yet. The PM bit is now cov‐
700 ered by vendor specific mode pages and the above can also be accom‐
701 plished with:
702 sdparm --vendor=sea --set=PM --save /dev/sda
704 What follows are some examples from Windows using the '--wscan' option.
706 The idea is to list the storage device names on the system that might
707 be invoked by other uses of sdparm.
708 # sdparm --wscan
710 PD0 [C] FUJITSU MHY2160BH 0000
711 PD1 [DF] WD 2500BEV External 1.05 WD-WXE90
712 CDROM0 [E] MATSHITA DVD/CDRW UJDA775 CB03
713 So 'sdparm -a CDROM0' and 'sdparm -a E' will show all the (known) mode
715 page fields for the Matshita DVD/CD drive. By using the '--wsacan'
716 option twice, the bus type (as seen by the OS) is added to the output:
717 # sdparm -ww
719 PD0 [C] <Ata > FUJITSU MHY2160BH 0000
720 PD1 [DF] <Usb > WD 2500BEV External 1.05 WD-WXE90
721 CDROM0 [E] <Atapi> MATSHITA DVD/CDRW UJDA775 CB03
722 And the pattern continues to add a SCSI adapter scan. This may be use‐
724 ful if there are specialized storage related devices (e.g. a SES device
725 in an enclosure) but does add much extra information in this case.
726 # sdparm -www
728 PD0 [C] <Ata > FUJITSU MHY2160BH 0000
729 PD1 [DF] <Usb > WD 2500BEV External 1.05 WD-WXE90
730 CDROM0 [E] <Atapi> MATSHITA DVD/CDRW UJDA775 CB03
731 SCSI0:0,0,0 claimed=1 pdt=0h FUJITSU MHY2160BH 0000
733 SCSI1:0,0,0 claimed=1 pdt=5h MATSHITA DVD/CDRW UJDA775 CB03
734
736 To aid scripts that call sdparm, the exit status is set to indicate
737 success (0) or failure (1 or more). Note that some of the lower values
738 correspond to the SCSI sense key values. The exit status values are:
739 0 success
741 1 syntax error. Either illegal command line options, options with
743 bad arguments or a combination of options that is not permitted.
744 2 the DEVICE reports that it is not ready for the operation
746 requested. The device may be in the process of becoming ready
747 (e.g. spinning up but not at speed) so the utility may work
748 after a wait.
749 3 the DEVICE reports a medium or hardware error (or a blank
751 check). For example an attempt to read a corrupted block on a
752 disk will yield this value.
753 5 the DEVICE reports an "illegal request" with an additional sense
755 code other than "invalid operation code". This is often a sup‐
756 ported command with a field set requesting an unsupported capa‐
757 bility. For commands that require a "service action" field this
758 value can indicate that the command is not supported.
759 6 the DEVICE reports a "unit attention" condition. This usually
761 indicates that something unrelated to the requested command has
762 occurred (e.g. a device reset) potentially before the current
763 SCSI command was sent. The requested command has not been exe‐
764 cuted by the device. Note that unit attention conditions are
765 usually only reported once by a device.
766 9 the DEVICE reports an illegal request with an additional sense
768 code of "invalid operation code" which means that it doesn't
769 support the requested command.
770 11 the DEVICE reports an aborted command. In some cases aborted
772 commands can be retried immediately (e.g. if the transport
773 aborted the command due to congestion).
774 15 the utility is unable to open, close or use the given DEVICE.
776 The given file name could be incorrect or there may be permis‐
777 sion problems. Adding the -v option may give more information.
778 20 the DEVICE reports it has a check condition but "no sense".
780 Some polling commands (e.g. REQUEST SENSE) can react this way.
781 It is unlikely that this value will occur as an exit status.
782 21 the DEVICE reports a "recovered error". The requested command
784 was successful. Most likely a utility will report a recovered
785 error to stderr and continue, probably leaving the utility with
786 an exit status of 0 .
787 24 the DEVICE reports a SCSI status of "reservation conflict". This
789 means access to the DEVICE with the current command has been
790 blocked because another machine (HBA or SCSI "initiator") holds
791 a reservation on this DEVICE. On modern SCSI systems this is
792 related to the use of the PERSISTENT RESERVATION family of com‐
793 mands.
794 25 the DEVICE reports a SCSI status of "condition met". Currently
796 only the PRE-FETCH command (see SBC-4) yields this status.
797 26 the DEVICE reports a SCSI status of "busy". SAM-5 defines this
799 status as the logical unit is temporarily unable to process a
800 command. It is recommended to re-issue the command.
801 27 the DEVICE reports a SCSI status of "task set full".
803 28 the DEVICE reports a SCSI status of "ACA active". ACA is "auto
805 contingent allegiance" and is seldom used.
806 29 the DEVICE reports a SCSI status of "task aborted". SAM-5 says:
808 "This status shall be returned if a command is aborted by a com‐
809 mand or task management function on another I_T nexus and the
810 Control mode page TAS bit is set to one".
811 33 the command sent to DEVICE has timed out. This occurs in Linux
813 only; in other ports a command timeout will appear as a trans‐
814 port (or OS) error.
815 97 the response to a SCSI command failed sanity checks.
817 98 the DEVICE reports it has a check condition but the error
819 doesn't fit into any of the above categories.
820 99 any errors that can't be categorized into values 1 to 98 may
822 yield this value. This includes transport and operating system
823 errors after the command has been sent to the device.
824 Most of the error conditions reported above will be repeatable (an
826 example of one that is not is "unit attention") so the utility can be
827 run again with the -v option (or several) to obtain more information.
828
830 Written by Douglas Gilbert.
831
833 Report bugs to <dgilbert at interlog dot com>.
834
836 Copyright © 2005-2016 Douglas Gilbert
837 This software is distributed under a FreeBSD license. There is NO war‐
838 ranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PUR‐
839 POSE.
840
842 There is a web page discussing this package at
843 http://sg.danny.cz/sg/sdparm.html .
844
846 hdparm(hdparm), sg_modes, sg_wr_mode, sginfo, sg_inq, sg_vpd(all in
847 sg3_utils), smartmontools(smartmontools.sourceforge.net), mt,
848 eject(eject),
849sdparm-1.10 February 2016 SDPARM(8)