HOWTO: Check a disk for bad blocks / disk errors in Linux

Asset ID:	1-71-1009431.1
Update Date:	2012-07-30
Keywords:

Solution Type Technical Instruction Sure

Solution 1009431.1 : HOWTO: Check a disk for bad blocks / disk errors in Linux

Related Items


Sun 3rd Party Software Product
 Sun Fire V60x Server
 Sun Fire V65x Server
 Oracle Secure Global Desktop
 Sun Fire V20z Server
 Sun Fire V40z Server
 Sun LX50 Server

Related Categories


PLA-Support>Sun Systems>Sun_Other>Sun 3rd Party>SN-OTH: 3PT
 .Old GCS Categories>Sun Microsystems>Servers>x64 Servers

PreviouslyPublishedAs
213032

Applies to:

Sun Fire V20z Server
Sun Fire V40z Server
Sun Fire V60x Server
Sun Fire V65x Server
Sun LX50 Server
All Platforms

Goal

This document describes how to use the command badblocks to check a Linux disk for bad blocks / disk errors.

Solution

In order to check for bad blocks on a disk device in Linux, use the command, "badblocks".

The example below is a verbose non-destructive write test:

# badblocks -v -n /dev/hda
3189988
3189989
3189990
3189991
3194176
3194177
3194178
3194179
3194664
3194665
3194666
3194667
Pass completed, 12 bad blocks found.

The "badblocks" command can be very useful in isolating problems with syncing LVM partitions within Linux. LVM operations will fail due to bad blocks on a disk.

Bad blocks on either the source or destination disk within a LVM mirror will cause a synchronization failure.

Badblocks can also be used in conjunction with the fsck and makefs to mark the blocks as bad.

Warning: The mis-use of these commands can cause data loss. Additional information on the command "badblocks" is available using the "man badblocks" command.

Previously Published As 81294

Attachments

This solution has no attachment