HP-UX Reference (11i v2 03/08) - 1 User Commands A-M (vol 1)

m
mediainit(1) mediainit(1)
NAME
mediainit - initialize disk or partition DDS
tape
SYNOPSIS
mediainit [-vr][-f fmt_optn ][
-i interleave ][-p size ] pathname
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 used for partitioning DDS
tape media. See the -p 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 . 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 discre-
tionary.
-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 dis-
carded, 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
.Itis
intended solely for use with certain
SS/80 devices that support multiple media for-
mats (independent from interleave factor). For example, certain microfloppy drives
support 256-, 512-, and 1024-byte sectors. mediainit passes any supplied for-
mat 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 0.
-i interleave The interleave factor, interleave , refers to the relationship between sequential logi-
cal records and sequential physical records. It defines the number of physical
records on the media that lie between the beginning points of two consecutively
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 Mbytes). The maximum
allowed value is 1200.
• 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 formats the
DDS tape into two
partitions where partition 1 holds at least 400 Megabytes of data, and the
remainder of the tape is used for partition 0 (for a 1300 Mbyte DDS cartridge, this
means that partition 0 has a size somewhat less than 900 Mbytes).
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 single-partition tape produces an
error. To change a two-partition tape to single-partition, use mediainit with 0
specified as the size.
Section 1−−534 Hewlett-Packard Company − 1 − HP-UX 11i Version 2: August 2003