MSA 1040 - Overview of Bad Blocks per HDD

[JanKoster]

Good morning,
We still have a number of MSA 1040s running with 600 Gb and 1.2 Tb HDDs.
After a scrub job we regularly see in the System Events of the SMU, that a HDD has received one or more bad blocks and that they were corrected.
1. How and where can we find an overview of all bad sectors per HDD, so that we can predict how long such an HHD has to go?
2. At what percentage of bad sectors does an HDD receive the failed status?
Thanks for the comments!

[support_s]

System recommended content:

1. HPE MSA 1040 SAN Storage - Troubleshooting

2. HPE MSA 1040 User Guide

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[JanKoster]

Hi Support_S,
I'm awaire of those documents. On which pages can I find the answers to my questions?

[Sahana_S]

Hi @JanKoster ,

Monitor the error trend and whether the number of errors approaches the total number of bad-block replacements available.

Please refer to the below event description guide for the recommended actions to be taken when a particular event occurs.

Document link: https://support.hpe.com/hpesc/public/docDisplay?docLocale=en_US&docId=c03791995 

[JanKoster]

Hi, 
Actually, I'm looking for a simple way to read the (SMART) information directly, as for example with the HPE 3PAR systems and Synology DiskStation's. There I can see per HDD what the number of operating hours is, the temperature and also the number of bad sectors.

[Sahana_S]

Hi @JanKoster 

In the Configuration View panel, right-click an enclosure and select View, Overview. View information about the enclosure and its components in a front or rear graphical view, or in a front or rear tabular view.

• Front Graphical: Shows a graphical view of the front of each enclosure and its disks.

• Front Tabular: Shows a tabular view of each enclosure and its disks.

• Rear Graphical: Shows a graphical view of components at the rear of the enclosure.

• Rear Tabular: Shows a tabular view of components at the rear of the enclosure.

Tabular views are initially sorted by the Name property

In any of these views, select a component to see more information about it. Components vary by enclosure model. If any components are unhealthy, a table at the bottom of the panel identifies them. When a disk is selected, view properties or historical performance statistics.

[JanKoster]

@Sahana_S 

Dear Sahana,
Thanks for your comment. I am familiar with the Views you mentioned. When I look under "performance" I see under "Disk Error Counters"
there are some errors in the recent time (e.g. last month) but not the total number of bad sectors from the beginning (when the HDD was deployed)
So it's about reading the S.M.A.R.T. information from e.g. an HPE 1.2 Tb SAS. Regards, Jan

[Vinky_99]

@JanKoster 

Good day! 

In the HPE MSA 1040 storage system, you can monitor and manage bad blocks on your hard disk drives (HDDs) using the Storage Management Utility (SMU). To address your questions:

1. Overview of Bad Sectors per HDD:

To find an overview of all bad sectors per HDD, you can use the SMU interface. Here's how to access this information:

>> Log in to the SMU web interface using a web browser. Typically, you would access it via the IP address of your MSA 1040.
>> Navigate to the "Storage" or "Drives" section within the SMU.
>> Look for the list of HDDs installed in your MSA 1040.
>> Click on the specific HDD you want to inspect for bad sectors or blocks.
>> There should be a section or tab for drive health or drive status that will display information about bad blocks or sectors, along with any corrections made.
>> This will provide you with an overview of the bad sectors on a particular HDD. You can check this information periodically to monitor the health of your drives and predict their remaining lifespan.

2. Percentage of Bad Sectors for HDD Failure:

>> The specific threshold at which an HDD receives a "failed" status can vary depending on the manufacturer and model of the drive. Generally, hard drives come with built-in error correction mechanisms, and they can automatically remap or correct a certain number of bad sectors before they declare a drive as "failed."

>> Commonly, if a drive exceeds a manufacturer-defined threshold of uncorrectable bad sectors, it will be marked as "failed" or "offline" to prevent further data corruption. The exact threshold may differ between drive models and manufacturers, and it may not always be exposed directly to end-users in the SMU.

>> To determine the exact threshold for your specific HDD model, it's recommended to refer to the documentation or contact their support.

>> In your case, the SMU should provide information on corrected bad blocks, but the exact threshold for failure may not be readily visible in the interface. If you have concerns about a specific drive's health, it's advisable to monitor it closely and consider replacing it if you observe an increasing number of bad sectors or other signs of degradation.

Hope this helps!