Specifications

CoreModule/PC Technical Manual
A-6
SCSIFMT
DESCRIPTION
SCSIFMT is the Ampro SCSI hard disk formatter utility. It is used to perform the low-level format
for SCSI hard disk drives, prior to final preparation of the drive using the standard drive
preparation utilities offered by your operating system.
SCSIFMT supports the SCSI Common Command Set (CCS) direct access devices (typically hard
disk drives). Consult the specific SCSI hard disk controller manual for information about its
compatibility with the SCSI CCS.
SCSIFMT can be used to completely reformat the target drive, and to map out bad blocks. The list
of bad blocks is appended to the on-disk bad block table, which is furnished by the disk
manufacturer.
OPERATION
Warning!
All data on the drive you format will be destroyed!
The SCSIFMT command line provides for a number of switches to control its operation. The
command syntax is:
SCSIFMT Ii [Ll] [Zz] [F] [M[m]] [Y]
i The SCSI ID number, 0 through 7, of the SCSI device that is to be accessed. This parameter is
required.
l The Logical Unit Number (LUN) of the SCSI device that is to be accessed. If not supplied, the
default value is 0.
z The disk interleave factor, which only has meaning when used with the F (format) option. If
not specified (or set to 0), the interleave factor is left unchanged from the drive's current setting.
A typical value is 2; most fast drives when used with Ampro's SCSI/BIOS can support an
interleave factor of 1.
F The "format" option. It must be specified if you wish to format the drive (and optionally change
the interleave factor).
M The "map out" option. When selected, any bad blocks (blocks with read errors, write errors, or
both) are mapped out of the drive's block allocation table. If data exists in the bad block, an
attempt is made to safely copy the data to another block.