On Sat, 1 Nov 2003, Mihalis I. Tsoukalos wrote: .. > I have an old hard disk that I want to check. > What can I do? > > Which log files should I check for error messages? > (I only have ssh access to the machine, no console). > I look at /var/log/messages and /var/log/syslog. Is it enough?
what are oyu checking for ??? if you want to know if the disk is dying, by the time you notice its dying ... its too late .. - backup your data daily elsewhere - you should turn on S.M.A.R.T ( in the bios ) and in the kernel so it can help watch your disk status for you - if the bios doesnt support SMART .. oh well... if you want to know fi the disk is gonna work in your new system - unplug the disk and try it in the new system ... ( simplest 2 minute test ) if you want to know if there are any new badblocks because the disk/system is flaky - run badblocks if you want to run faster w/ the drive .. - turn on dma mode, and fiddle with the various parameters " hdparm -d1 -c3 -u1 -m16 -X69" and combinations there of ( know what each does and that any of those options ( could erase your data on the disk if you want to check your inodes.. - jsut run e2fsck or its equivalent for your fs if you want to know what your disk performance is like, you'd need something to compare against - run infinite kernel compiles on both disks ( one a time ) or infinite "ls -laR /usr | md5sum" > /tmp/ls.md5.lst lots of ways to "test the disk" ... including sticking a scope on the wires to the disk and looking at its waveforms :-) or get a disk diagnostics apps c ya alvin -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]