Chapter 10 - Using WD1003 Fixed Disks
This chapter provides background material and procedures for installing Banyan server software on servers that use WD1003 fixed disk technology (ST506, ESDI, and IDE disks). This chapter covers the following topics:
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Configuring WD1003 disks ![]()
Formatting server disks ![]()
Entering bad block information
Use your System Setup utility to configure ESDI, ST506, and IDE fixed disks. This utility accesses the system BIOS parameter tables that contain information about the number of cylinders, heads, and sectors per track on a disk. The system uses this information to communicate properly with disk drives and to maximize the use of storage space. You should use the System Setup utility to ensure that the information in the system BIOS parameter tables matches the physical drive parameters.
Bad blocks are defective areas on the disk. During the installation, you can have the Banyan server software perform a disk surface analysis. This process ensures that the disk is usable and maps out (excludes) bad blocks.
During disk formats or scans, bad blocks are found and are automatically mapped out. In addition, manufacturers usually ship a list of bad blocks, called a manufacturer's defect list, with any drive they sell. Since disk scans do not always locate all bad blocks, it is beneficial to enter additional bad blocks. If you do not enter the manufacturer's bad block information during a disk format, you should enter it during the Banyan software installation.
Under normal circumstances, you should not have to format the fixed disk before you install the Banyan software. Most disks have already been low-level formatted by the disk manufacturer. However, if the disk is not low-level formatted, you should format the disk before you continue with the installation.
You can usually format the server disk with utilities that came with your system. For the appropriate formatting method, refer to your system documentation or the Platform Certification Notice for your system.
Entering Bad Block Information
If you choose to do a surface scan of your server's fixed disk during the server software installation, the system scans the Banyan partition (/disk1) to find defective blocks, and identifies them by cylinder, head, and sector information. You can then manually enter additional bad blocks. Information on additional bad blocks can come either from the manufacturer's defect list or from error messages displayed by the Banyan server software.
You can enter bad blocks in one of two formats:
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Cylinder/head/byte offset format. This is the format that the manufacturer's defect list uses. The byte offset is the bad block's exact location in a block or sector. ![]()
Cylinder/head/block format. This is the format displayed by Banyan server software when errors are encountered during operation. This format includes the entire block and is less specific than cylinder/head/byte offset.
To Enter Bad Blocks by Byte Offset
1. The system scans the disk to find defective blocks and displays an informational screen. When prompted, press ENTER.
2. The system reports the number of bad blocks, and available entries. The following message appears:
Do you wish to enter any defect information by byte offset (y/n)?
- Enter Y to enter bad blocks by cylinder/head/byte offset. The system prompts for the interleaving factor used to format the disk. Go to step 3.
- Enter N to enter bad blocks by sector number. Go to step 3 in "To Enter Bad Blocks by Sector Number" later in this chapter.
3. Enter the interleaving factor. The system prompts you to enter the following information for each defect:
- Cylinder number
- Head number
- Byte offset from index
Enter the appropriate information for each defect.
4. When you are finished, the following message appears (nnn represents the information you just entered):
You have specified cylinder nnn, head nnn, byte offset nnn. Is this correct?
- Enter Y if the information is correct.
- Enter N if the information is incorrect. Repeat step 3.
5. To enter additional defects, repeat steps 3 and 4.
6. When you have finished entering all bad blocks, press ENTER at the prompt for a cylinder number. The following message appears:
Are you sure you've entered all defects?
- Enter N to enter more defects. Repeat steps 3 through 6.
- Enter Y to continue.
7. To continue with the installation, go to step 6 under "To Begin the Installation" in Chapter 4.
To Enter Bad Blocks by Sector Number
1. The system scans the disk to find defective blocks and displays an informational screen. When prompted, press ENTER.
2. The system reports the number of bad blocks, and available entries. The following message appears:
Do you wish to enter any defect information by byte offset (y/n)?
3. Enter N. The following message appears:
Do you wish to enter any defect information by sector number (y/n)?
- Enter N to skip entering bad blocks. To continue the installation, go to step 6 under "To Begin the Installation" in Chapter 4.
- Enter Y to enter bad blocks.
4. The system prompts you to enter the following information for each defect:
- Cylinder number
- Head number
- Sector number
Enter the appropriate information for each defect.
5. When you are finished, the following message appears (nnn represents the information you just entered):
You have specified cylinder nnn, head nnn, sector nnn. Is this correct?
- Enter Y if the information is correct.
- Enter N if the information is incorrect. Return to step 4.
6. To enter additional defects, repeat steps 4 and 5.
7. When you have finished entering all bad blocks, press ENTER at the prompt for a cylinder number. The following message appears:
Are you sure you've entered all defects?
- Enter N to enter more defects. Repeat steps 4 through 6.
- Enter Y to continue.
8. To continue the installation, go to step 6 under "To Begin the Installation" in Chapter 4.