The following steps should be followed if the data on the drive is to be
overwritten:
1. Use the "Erase Disk" selection to overwrite the data on the drive.
2. Do a format without certify.
3. Run a second pass of the erase disk selection.
For a newly installed drive, you can insure that all blocks on the drive are
overwritten with your pattern if you use the following procedure:
1. Format the drive.
2. Check the defect MAP by running the Erase Disk selection.
Note: If you use the "Format and Certify" option, there may be some blocks
which get placed into the grown defect MAP.
3. If there are bad blocks in the defect MAP, record the information presented
and ensure that this information is kept with the drive. This data is used later
when the drive is to be overwritten.
4. Use the drive as you would normally.
5. When the drive is no longer needed and is to be erased, run the same
version of the Erase Disk selection which was used in step 2.
Note: Using the same version of the service aid is only critical if there were
any bad blocks found in step 3.
6. Compare the bad blocks which were recorded with the drive in step 3 with
those which now appear in the grown defect MAP.
Note: If there are differences between the saved data and the newly
obtained data, then all sectors on this drive cannot be overwritten.
The new bad blocks are not overwritten.
7. If the bad block list is the same, continue running the service aid to overwrite
the disk with the chosen pattern(s).
This task may be run directly from the AIX command line. The following usage
statement describes the syntax of the command:
Usage:
diag -c -d <deviceName> -T "format [-s\ fmtcert | erase -a {read | write}]
[-F]"
Flag Description
fmtcert Formats and certifies the disk.
*Available in no-console mode only.
-F Force flag. Forces disk erasure even if all blocks cannot be erased due to
errors accessing grown defect map.
Chapter 9. Introducing Tasks and Service Aids 9-23