I have the following two drives (data from hdparm -i):
/dev/hda:
Model=WDC AC31600H, FwRev=23.16U23, SerialNo=WD-WT289
Config={ HardSect NotMFM HdSw>15uSec SpinMotCtl Fixed DTR>5Mbs FmtGapReq }
RawCHS=3148/16/63, TrkSize=57600, SectSize=600, ECCbytes=22
BuffType=3(DualPortCache), BuffSize=128kB, MaxMultSect=16, MultSect=4
DblWordIO=no, maxPIO=2(fast), DMA=yes, maxDMA=0(slow)
CurCHS=3148/16/63, CurSects=3173184, LBA=yes, LBAsects=3173184
tDMA={min:120,rec:120}, DMA modes: mword0 mword1 *mword2
IORDY=on/off, tPIO={min:160,w/IORDY:120}, PIO modes: mode3 mode4
/dev/hdb:
Model=WDC AC31000H, FwRev=19.19E22, SerialNo=WD-WT272
Config={ HardSect NotMFM HdSw>15uSec SpinMotCtl Fixed DTR>5Mbs FmtGapReq }
RawCHS=2100/16/63, TrkSize=57600, SectSize=600, ECCbytes=4
BuffType=3(DualPortCache), BuffSize=128kB, MaxMultSect=16, MultSect=4
DblWordIO=no, maxPIO=1(medium), DMA=yes, maxDMA=2(fast)
CurCHS=2100/16/63, CurSects=2116800, LBA=yes, LBAsects=2116800
tDMA={min:150,rec:150}, DMA modes: sword0 mword0 mword1
IORDY=on/off, tPIO={min:380,w/IORDY:180}, PIO modes: mode3
They are 1.6Gb and 1.0Gb respectively. They've both run *perfectly* for the
past five months in my Linux 2.0.28 box. (was 2.1.xx previously but then
the 2.1 kernels became too broken and I dropped back to stable 2.0) The box
is the server on my network and is switched on *constantly*, rebooted maybe
once every two weeks to a month.
Possibly the HDD controller on the motherboard in question is faultly, or
maybe the drives are overheating, or possibly you have poor IDE cables? I
imagine that the disk drives would ignore or signal errors for any commands
that could potentially damage them.
>[snip] One of our people have suggested that Linux is
>writing to sector 0 of the WD IDE drive.
Now *WHY* would Linux repeatedly write to sector 0?
_________________________________________________________________________
William R Sowerbutts (BtG) btg@thepentagon.com
Coder / Guru / Nrrrd http://www.users.dircon.co.uk/~guru/
main(){char*s=">#=0> ^#X@#@^7=";int c=0,m;for(;c<15;c++)for
(m=-1;m<7;putchar(m++/6&c%3/2?10:s[c]-31&1<<m?42:32));}