HP-UX Reference (11i v3 07/02) - 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 discretion-
ary.
-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
.Itis
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 0.
-i interleave The interleave factor, interleave, refers to the relationship between sequential logical
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 perfor-
mance.
-p size Partition DDS cartridge media into two logical separate volumes: partition 0 and par-
tition 1:
• size specifies the minimum size of partition 1 (in MB). The maximum allowed
value is 1200.
• Partition 0 is the remainder of the tape (partition 0 physically follows partition 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 MB DDS cartridge, this means that parti-
tion 0 has a size somewhat less than 900 MB).
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.
HP-UX 11i Version 3: February 2007 − 1 − Hewlett-Packard Company 651