mediainit.1 (2010 09)

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mediainit(1) mediainit(1)

NAME

mediainit - initialize disk or partition DDS tape

SYNOPSIS

mediainit [-vr][-f fmt_optn ][

-i interleave ][-p size] pathname

mediainit -S [-V][-c scrub_character][

-t scrub_count ] special_ﬁle

DESCRIPTION

mediainit initializes mass storage media by formatting the media, writing and reading test patterns to

verify media integrity, then sparing any defective blocks found. This process prepares the disk or tape

for error-free operation. Initialization destroys all existing user data in the area being initialized.

mediainit can also be used for partitioning DDS tape media. See the

-p option below for further

details.

mediainit can also be used for disk scrubbing. Disk scrubbing is the process of overwriting the entire

disk with a single character. See the

-S option below for further details.

Options

The following command options are recognized. They can be speciﬁed in any order, but all must precede

the pathname or special_ﬁle.

Options without parameters can be listed individually or grouped together. Options with parameters

must be listed individually, but white space between the option and its parameter is discretionary.

-v Normally, mediainit provides only fatal error messages which are directed

to standard error. The -v (verbose) option sends device-speciﬁc information

related to low-level operation of mediainit to standard output (stdout).

This option is most useful to trained service personnel because it usually

requires detailed knowledge of device operation before the information can be

interpreted correctly.

-r (re-certify) This option forces a complete tape certiﬁcation whether or not the

tape has been certiﬁed previously. All record of any previously spared blocks

is discarded, so any bad blocks will have to be rediscovered. This option

should be used only if:

• It is suspected that numerous blocks on the tape have been spared which

should not have been, or

• It is necessary to destroy (overwrite) all previous data on the tape.

-f fmt_optn The format option is a device-speciﬁc number in the range 0 through

239.It

is intended solely for use with certain SS/80 devices that support multiple

media formats (independent from interleave factor). For example, certain

microﬂoppy drives support 256-, 512-, and 1024-byte sectors.

mediainit

passes any supplied format option directly through to the device. The device

then either accepts the format option if it is supported, or rejects it if it is not

supported. Refer to device operating manuals for additional information. The

default format option is

-i interleave The interleave factor, interleave , refers to the relationship between sequential

logical records and sequential physical records. It deﬁnes the number of phy-

sical records on the media that lie between the beginning points of two con-

secutively numbered logical records. The choice of interleave factor can have

a substantial impact on disk performance.

-p size Partition DDS cartridge media into two logical separate volumes: partition 0

and partition 1:

• size speciﬁes the minimum size of partition 1 (in megabytes). The max-

imum allowed value is 1200 megabytes.

• Partition 0 is the remainder of the tape (partition 0 physically follows par-

tition 1 on the tape).

The actual size of partition 1 is somewhat larger than the requested size to

allow for tape media errors during writing. Thus, a size of 400 megabytes for-

mats the DDS tape into two partitions where partition 1 holds at least 400

HP-UX 11i Version 3: September 2010 − 1 − Hewlett-Packard Company 1

Summary of content (4 pages)

PAGE 1
mediainit(1) mediainit(1) NAME mediainit - initialize disk or partition DDS tape SYNOPSIS mediainit [-vr] [-f fmt_optn ] [-i interleave ] [-p size ] pathname mediainit -S [-V] [-c scrub_character] [-t scrub_count ] special_file DESCRIPTION mediainit initializes mass storage media by formatting the media, writing and reading test patterns to verify media integrity, then sparing any defective blocks found. This process prepares the disk or tape for error-free operation.
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mediainit(1) mediainit(1) megabytes of data, and the remainder of the tape is used for partition 0 (for a 1300 megabytes DDS cartridge, this means that partition 0 has a size somewhat less than 900 megabytes). Note that it is unnecessary to format a DDS tape before use unless the tape is being partitioned. Unformatted DDS media does not require initialization when used as a single partition tape. Accessing partition 1 on a singlepartition tape produces an error.
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mediainit(1) mediainit(1) When a given device supports format options, the allowable range of interleave factors may be related to the specified format option. In such instances, mediainit cannot check the interleave factor if one is specified. Notes Most types of mass storage media must be initialized before they can be used. HP hard disks, flexible disks, and cartridge tapes require some form of initialization, but 9-track tapes do not.
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mediainit(1) mediainit(1) During the initialization process, open() rejects all other accesses to the device being initialized, producing the error [EACCES] (see open (2)). DEPENDENCIES Series 800 Partitioning of DDS tape media (-p option) is not supported. AUTHOR mediainit was developed by HP. SEE ALSO lifinit(1), mkfs(1M), newfs(1M), open(2).