HDTune 2.52 unable to get the SMART info from USB drive?

[Aloke Prasad]

I just bought a 300 GB INOi external drive (USB2.0). It uses a WDC
WD3000JB-22KFA0 ATA drive inside the enclosure.

HDTune is unable to get any information on the health, temperature etc for
this USB drive. It does that fine for my SATA internal drives.

Is that normal/expected? I'm running XP Pro (all patched up).

 

[Arno Wagner]

I just bought a 300 GB INOi external drive (USB2.0). It uses a WDC
WD3000JB-22KFA0 ATA drive inside the enclosure.

HDTune is unable to get any information on the health, temperature etc for
this USB drive. It does that fine for my SATA internal drives.

Is that normal/expected? I'm running XP Pro (all patched up).

USB cannot transport ATA SMART commands. You have to remove
rthe disk from the enclosure and connect it to an ATA interface
to read the SMART status.

Arno

 

[Aloke Prasad]

USB cannot transport ATA SMART commands. You have to remove
rthe disk from the enclosure and connect it to an ATA interface
to read the SMART status.

Thanks for the info.

 

[Rod Speed]

I just bought a 300 GB INOi external drive (USB2.0). It uses a WDC WD3000JB-22KFA0 ATA
drive inside the enclosure.

HDTune is unable to get any information on the health, temperature
etc for this USB drive. It does that fine for my SATA internal drives.

Is that normal/expected?

Yes, its the main downside with USB and firewire drives.

You'll find that eSATA external drives are fine too.

I'm running XP Pro (all patched up).

Why did you damage it so much it needed to be patched up ?

 

[Aloke Prasad]

Yes, its the main downside with USB and firewire drives.

You'll find that eSATA external drives are fine too.


Why did you damage it so much it needed to be patched up ?

It came damaged
I meant "all updated with the latest MS updates."

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

USB cannot transport ATA SMART commands.

Nothing to do with USB.
Obviously USB supports ATA and ATAPI commands (in some way or other).
Everything to do with the firmware (mostly) in the individual USB to ATA/ATAPI
conversion devices and the drivers of USB Hostadapters to allow a S.M.A.R.T. plug-in.

 

[David Lesher]

USB cannot transport ATA SMART commands. You have to remove
rthe disk from the enclosure and connect it to an ATA interface
to read the SMART status.

Is that really true? It was my understanding it's an issue of OS support
for SMART via USA & SMART via Firewire....

 

[Rod Speed]

Is that really true?
Yes.

It was my understanding it's an issue of OS support
for SMART via USA & SMART via Firewire....

Nope, the problem is that that stuff doesnt
get thru the bridge in the external enclosure.

 

[Aloke Prasad]

Nope, the problem is that that stuff doesnt
get thru the bridge in the external enclosure.

So, is it the enclosure's fault? Will a properly designed USB 2 enclosure
allow the SMART info from ATA drives to get passed on to the OS?

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

Nope.

In practice, for most if not all.

Usually.


So, is it the enclosure's fault?

Usually. You also need a S.M.A.R.T. plugin for the USB driver.

Will a properly designed USB 2 enclosure allow the SMART info
from ATA drives to get passed on to the OS?

And the necessary commands to reach the drive in the first place.

 

[Rod Speed]

So, is it the enclosure's fault?

More a real downside of all USB and firewire enclosures.

Will a properly designed USB 2 enclosure allow the SMART info from ATA drives to get
passed on to the OS?

Nope.

Best to use eSATA for external enclosures, those do SMART fine.

 

[orea]

[quote:d00a1d78a8]Will a properly designed USB 2 enclosure allow the
SMART info from ATA drives to get

passed on to the OS?

Nope.

Best to use eSATA for external enclosures, those do SMART
fine.[/quote:d00a1d78a8][/quote]

Just for the record this is completely incorrect. Plenty, indeed most,
good usb ATA/PATA enclosures allow SMART information transfer
perfectly well.

We have eight ATA USB 2.0 enclosures and six report all SMART
information, including enclosures that are three years old.

 

[Arno Wagner]

[quote:d00a1d78a8]Will a properly designed USB 2 enclosure allow the

SMART info from ATA drives to get

passed on to the OS?
Nope.

Best to use eSATA for external enclosures, those do SMART
fine.[/quote:d00a1d78a8]

[/QUOTE]

One of the reasons I have moved to eSATA enclosures. And they
are faster, actually as fast as an internal
drive. While USB is often limited to 15...25MB/s.

Just for the record this is completely incorrect. Plenty, indeed most,
good usb ATA/PATA enclosures allow SMART information transfer
perfectly well.

Define "good"....

We have eight ATA USB 2.0 enclosures and six report all SMART
information, including enclosures that are three years old.

And what interface (software side) is used to transfer that
information? USB does not have provisions for that. Some
vendor-specific extension and a vendor specific tool on the
computer side?

Arno

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

One of the reasons I have moved to eSATA enclosures. And they
are faster, actually as fast as an internal
drive. While USB is often limited to 15...25MB/s.

Define "good"....

As in not severely limited?

And what interface (software side) is used to transfer that
information?

And how will that matter, babblebot if

"USB does not have provisions for that".

Either it has or it hasn't. Make up your mind.

Some vendor-specific extension

No point if "USB does not have provisions for that".

and a vendor specific tool on the computer side?

Just a driver, Babblebot, that provides the standard interface
to the SMART apps.

 

[Mike Redrobe]

Plenty, indeed most, good usb ATA/PATA enclosures
allow SMART information transfer perfectly well.

Is this some new software you're using?

 

[Folkert Rienstra]

Is this some new software you're using?

Does it matter to the statement as it stands?
If he is, does it make his statement less true?
Does it make babblebot's statement
"USB does not have provisions for that"
less false?