Possible Hard Drive Failure Soon

[jameshsi]

Hi!
Recently I received a few emails from one of my servers, message below:
S.M.A.R.T Errors on /dev/hda
From Command: /usr/sbin/smartctl -q errorsonly -H -l selftest -l error /dev/hda
Please note the following marginal Attributes:
ID# ATTRIBUTE_NAME FLAG VALUE WORST THRESH TYPE UPDATED WHEN_FAILED RAW_VALUE
190 Unknown_Attribute 0x0022 060 040 045 Old_age Always In_the_past 43958272040
----END /dev/hda--

S.M.A.R.T Errors on /dev/hdc
From Command: /usr/sbin/smartctl -q errorsonly -H -l selftest -l error /dev/hdc
Please note the following marginal Attributes:
ID# ATTRIBUTE_NAME FLAG VALUE WORST THRESH TYPE UPDATED WHEN_FAILED RAW_VALUE
190 Unknown_Attribute 0x0022 060 038 045 Old_age Always In_the_past 1036129271848
----END /dev/hdc--

Anyone can explain this ? Do u think I should care about it ? What should I do ?

[BPmedia-David]

Im not a server tech, so i'm not really sure of what those errors mean exactly, but you should probably present that information to your DC. We got an email like that a while ago, and they had to replace our hard drive.

[nyjimbo]

Sounds like a possible heat problem, but not sure if its just some quirk.

Read up on the S.M.A.R.T stuff here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?...ldid=109907538

Might get you an idea what to do next.

ps- full backups are what I would do next.....

[jameshsi]

Hi!
I am surprised for this prompt reply from you, thanks.
These two drives are used for only a few months, and the box holds about 100 virtual hosts, most of them are company web sites, means not busy, not much traffics, but if I need to remove these HDD, I will have to rebuild Linux, Cpanel, call all the backups .....

nyjimbo, if it is a heat problem, how to fix it ? put the box on top of the rack ?

I co-locate this box in IDC, and they only responce for the connection, power, not responce for the Hardware.

[mtindor]

Check what your temperature is:

smartctl -a /dev/hda
smartctl -a /dev/hdc

My drives usually show in the 29-30 C - I've seen some as high as 40C when there isn't good airflow. Of course, I have seen much higher when one was dying.

Mike

[jameshsi]

Hi!
Thanks for your reply.
Below are my 2 servers's information, both are sitting in the same rack:

The one got problem:

194 Temperature_Celsius 0x0022 038 062 000 Old_age Always - 38 (Lifetime Min/Max 0/26)

Other server that no problem:
194 Temperature_Celsius 0x0022 028 056 000 Old_age - 28

It looks like the problem server got higher in temperature.
So, If I move this box to the top of the rack , will that make the temp goes down ? or any suggestion ?

Also, I got another server's HDD using SATA, and I use command :
smartctl -a /dev/sdb
smartctl version 5.33 [i686-redhat-linux-gnu] Copyright (C) 2002-4 Bruce Allen
Home page is http://smartmontools.sourceforge.net/

Device: ATA WDC WD1600JS-00N Version: 10.0

SATA devices are not supported via the SCSI device type.
Please try '-d ata'.

What should I do ?

[jandafields]

If you are getting smart errors, you need to replace the drive NOW!!!

Why would you have to rebuild linux, cpanel, and backups???
Just COPY the drive to a new one WHILE YOU STILL CAN!

If you wait until it completely dies, THEN you will be rebuilding everything, and have 100 customers without access. That's what SMART is for... to tell you ahead of time before it is too late.

Why mess around moving your servers around when your drive could fail at any moment. Your datacenter will most likely copy and replace the drive for you if you ask them to, although they will probably charge you, but what is your uptime, customers, and data worth to you? Waiting for it to die, then rebuilding and losing clients to downtime will take much longer and be more costly that copying to a new drive now.

[katmai]

i second that. i had 3 failed drives for ignoring that error. i will not let it pass one more time. it is a bitch to restore from a corrupted or screwed drive. just replace the drive now as it still works. really.

[jameshsi]

Hi!
I want to thank you guys for these suggestion/reply, however, as I said, I only colocate my box in the DC, they don't response for the hardware failure, so, I need to ask my staff to do the disk copy thing, I wonder if anyone of you had done this before and can share me how to do the copy in detail steps ? Apparently we don't have this experience, especially in Linux.

[jameshsi]

Also, I would like to show you the messages when I type smartctl -a /dev/hda ,it shows below:


smartctl -a /dev/hda
smartctl version 5.33 [i686-redhat-linux-gnu] Copyright (C) 2002-4 Bruce Allen
Home page is http://smartmontools.sourceforge.net/

=== START OF INFORMATION SECTION ===
Device Model: ST3250620A
Serial Number: 9QE09A4B
Firmware Version: 3.AAC
User Capacity: 250,059,350,016 bytes
Device is: Not in smartctl database [for details use: -P showall]
ATA Version is: 7
ATA Standard is: Exact ATA specification draft version not indicated
Local Time is: Wed Aug 1 17:31:16 2007 CST
SMART support is: Available - device has SMART capability.
SMART support is: Enabled

=== START OF READ SMART DATA SECTION ===
SMART overall-health self-assessment test result: PASSED
See vendor-specific Attribute list for marginal Attributes.

General SMART Values:
Offline data collection status: (0x82) Offline data collection activity
was completed without error.
Auto Offline Data Collection: Enabled.
Self-test execution status: ( 0) The previous self-test routine completed
without error or no self-test has ever
been run.
Total time to complete Offline
data collection: ( 430) seconds.
Offline data collection
capabilities: (0x5b) SMART execute Offline immediate.
Auto Offline data collection on/off support.
Suspend Offline collection upon new
command.
Offline surface scan supported.
Self-test supported.
No Conveyance Self-test supported.
Selective Self-test supported.
SMART capabilities: (0x0003) Saves SMART data before entering
power-saving mode.
Supports SMART auto save timer.
Error logging capability: (0x01) Error logging supported.
General Purpose Logging supported.
Short self-test routine
recommended polling time: ( 1) minutes.
Extended self-test routine
recommended polling time: ( 74) minutes.

SMART Attributes Data Structure revision number: 10
Vendor Specific SMART Attributes with Thresholds:
ID# ATTRIBUTE_NAME FLAG VALUE WORST THRESH TYPE UPDATED WHEN_FAILED RAW_VALUE
1 Raw_Read_Error_Rate 0x000f 118 097 006 Pre-fail Always - 180432809
3 Spin_Up_Time 0x0003 098 098 000 Pre-fail Always - 0
4 Start_Stop_Count 0x0032 100 100 020 Old_age Always - 3
5 Reallocated_Sector_Ct 0x0033 100 100 036 Pre-fail Always - 0
7 Seek_Error_Rate 0x000f 087 060 030 Pre-fail Always - 528960664
9 Power_On_Hours 0x0032 094 094 000 Old_age Always - 5376
10 Spin_Retry_Count 0x0013 100 100 097 Pre-fail Always - 0
12 Power_Cycle_Count 0x0032 100 100 020 Old_age Always - 5
187 Unknown_Attribute 0x0032 100 100 000 Old_age Always - 0
189 Unknown_Attribute 0x003a 100 100 000 Old_age Always - 0
190 Unknown_Attribute 0x0022 062 040 045 Old_age Always In_the_past 43958272038
194 Temperature_Celsius 0x0022 038 060 000 Old_age Always - 38 (Lifetime Min/Max 0/26)
195 Hardware_ECC_Recovered 0x001a 059 054 000 Old_age Always - 21275132
197 Current_Pending_Sector 0x0012 100 100 000 Old_age Always - 0
198 Offline_Uncorrectable 0x0010 100 100 000 Old_age Offline - 0
199 UDMA_CRC_Error_Count 0x003e 200 200 000 Old_age Always - 0
200 Multi_Zone_Error_Rate 0x0000 100 253 000 Old_age Offline - 0
202 TA_Increase_Count 0x0032 100 253 000 Old_age Always - 0

SMART Error Log Version: 1
No Errors Logged

SMART Self-test log structure revision number 1

SMART Selective self-test log data structure revision number 1
SPAN MIN_LBA MAX_LBA CURRENT_TEST_STATUS
1 0 0 Not_testing
2 0 0 Not_testing
3 0 0 Not_testing
4 0 0 Not_testing
5 0 0 Not_testing
Selective self-test flags (0x0):
After scanning selected spans, do NOT read-scan remainder of disk.
If Selective self-test is pending on power-up, resume after 0 minute delay.

[jameshsi]

It looks like everthing is fine, except the temp , according you said, is too high, but my other friend said HDD temp. for under 50 is OK, I don't sure who is right.

[jandafields]

Why are you co-locating, hosting 100 customers, if you do not even have the technical ability or staff to replace a drive? That seems pretty risky to me.

[nyjimbo]

It looks like everthing is fine, except the temp , according you said, is too high, but my other friend said HDD temp. for under 50 is OK, I don't sure who is right.

So I guess you will just wait and see ...........

[jandafields]

Yes, just wait and see, because a $60 hard drive is worth so much more than 100 customers.....

[jameshsi]

Yes, just wait and see, because a $60 hard drive is worth so much more than 100 customers.....

If I pay $60 and the problem will go away instantly, I will do it, not only that, even it is $600, I will do it.
I rather to spend money instead of to do the dirty work and shut the server down for copying the disc.

But now, I am not so sure I should shut the server down for a while, copying all the data to the new drive and ...., there is no other way to do ?
These two HDD was bought just a few months ago, and both of them failed at the same time, is that possibile ?