User manual

SANtools® S.M.A.R.T. Disk Monitor (SMARTMon-UX)48
SANTOOLS® is registered in US Patent and Trademark Office No 3,107,854 All rights reserved.
Please allow sufficient time for drive to reset.
Terminating program.
(Note: LINUX users will also see the text below:)
"LINUX typically requires you to rmmod and insmod the device driver, so
if you are booted to the same controller you are flashing disks on, then
you'll probably have to reboot the computer once all disks have spun up.)"
Frequently Asked Questions
How does SMARTMon-UX identify firmware?
The program determines if you have a supported device by examining the vendor and product ID fields. If the vendor
ID is "SEAGATE", we obviously have a Seagate disk, so no further checking is required. As some vendors change
the vendor-ID to their own company name, but use stock firmware and stock models of disks, the program also
assumes that any disk drive where the model starts with "ST" is also a Seagate drive, and the software will allow you
to flash the disk. If the model number does not begin with "ST", chances are high that you have custom firmware
which probably will not be compatible with this software.
If the disk drive manufacturer begins with "FUJ" (Fuji), and the model is a MAN or MAP family device, or the Vendor
name is HITACHI, the program will be allowed to flash the firmware.
Can I convert a Seagate disk into an EMC or NetApp disk?
Don't waste your time. It won't work. You may *think* you have the right firmware image, but you don't. Vendors will
not release firmware that turns a off-the-shelf disk into a branded EMC, NetApp, or other disk. The firmware images
that these vendors supply are designed to check for the appropriate Vendor/Product IDs before the process begins. If
the disk doesn't already report itself as a EMC disk, for example, then the update will fail.
How do I Obtain Firmware?
Contact your hardware vendor. Firmware (particularly Seagate firmware) is not in the public domain and is not
normally posted online. We are not allowed, due to contractual limitations, to send firmware to anybody.
What are the Risks?
Worst case, you turn your disk drive into a paper weight. This can happen if power is interrupted between the time the
firmware is downloaded into the disk, and while the disk is running the upgrade, which typically takes 1 - 5 minutes.
Some firmware images are so large, that the disk cannot keep both copies resident. If the upgrade aborts, your disk
has no firmware left to run. This is why you should always make sure your data is backed up. As many Seagate disk
drives only have enough room for one firmware image, a failure means your disk will lose the firmware it currently has.
If you flash the wrong firmware image (and there can be dozens of images that will work for your disk), unpredictable
things will happen. Your operating system may not communicate with the disk, the number of usable blocks could
change, application software or your O/S could break because it is expecting certain identity strings that were
changed, etc ...
If the drive's saved mode pages are different from the factory pages, this could cause problems for application
software, RAID controllers, and so on. Always save mode page information before changing firmware, and make sure
the mode page settings after the flash are appropriate. Sometimes Seagate makes changes to default and factory
mode pages between firmware revisions.
You can decrease the risk by flashing the image in a temporary mode (see example). This places the new firmware in
a volatile buffer, and after the disk does a warm reboot, it will be running the new firmware. Not all disks support this
feature, but you will not harm disks in any way by attempting to see if the temporary flash is accepted. The temporary
flashed disk will revert to the original firmware release after a power cycle.
With all of the Risk, Why Bother Upgrading Firmware in the First Place?
Skilled system administrators, disk subsystem manufacturers, resellers, OEMs, and VARs use this software, and are
typically privy to disk firmware images and release notes that cover specifics of a new firmware image. They typically
understand the risk/reward scenario, can assess whether or not a firmware upgrade (or downgrade) is appropriate
and correct and know about mode pages. If you do not possess such knowledge and