Is it possible to read the s.m.a.r.t. data (specifically the temperature) from
a sleeping HDD without waking it up? I've got a backup drive that I'd just as
soon leave in sleep mode but I'd like to know its temperature without waking
it up (in sleep mode it makes a good "ambient temp" device if i can read it
without waking it up.)
Thanks
Eric

Eric wrote:
> Is it possible to read the s.m.a.r.t. data (specifically the temperature) from
> a sleeping HDD without waking it up? I've got a backup drive that I'd just as
> soon leave in sleep mode but I'd like to know its temperature without waking
> it up (in sleep mode it makes a good "ambient temp" device if i can read it
> without waking it up.)

I'm completely sure, but I think the only way is to use an external
temperature meter for the hard drive. Keeping the hard drive sleeping and
waking it up will shorten it's life more than keeping it on all the time.

--

//Aho

J.O. Aho wrote:

> Eric wrote:
>> Is it possible to read the s.m.a.r.t. data (specifically the temperature)
>> from a sleeping HDD without waking it up? I've got a backup drive that I'd
>> just as soon leave in sleep mode but I'd like to know its temperature
>> without waking it up (in sleep mode it makes a good "ambient temp" device
>> if i can read it without waking it up.)
>
> I'm completely sure, but I think the only way is to use an external
> temperature meter for the hard drive. Keeping the hard drive sleeping and
> waking it up will shorten it's life more than keeping it on all the time.
>
Not my question. You cant read s.m.a.r.t data from a hard disk drive with an
external temperature sensor.

On Jul 15, 12:41*pm, Eric <Scor...@gordinator.org> wrote:
> Is it possible to read the s.m.a.r.t. data (specifically the temperature)from
> a sleeping HDD without waking it up? I've got a backup drive that I'd just as
> soon leave in sleep mode but I'd like to know its temperature without waking
> it up (in sleep mode it makes a good "ambient temp" device if i can read it
> without waking it up.)
> Thanks
> Eric

I do not know but if I were the drive manufactures I would save the
smart
data on the drive plater (not on a chip). It is cheaper this way. If
that is the case then I image you would have to wake it up.

shortT

shortT <dev.gnull@gmail.com> writes:

>On Jul 15, 12:41=A0pm, Eric <Scor...@gordinator.org> wrote:
>> Is it possible to read the s.m.a.r.t. data (specifically the temperature)=
> from
>> a sleeping HDD without waking it up? I've got a backup drive that I'd jus=
>t as
>> soon leave in sleep mode but I'd like to know its temperature without wak=
>ing
>> it up (in sleep mode it makes a good "ambient temp" device if i can read =
>it
>> without waking it up.)
>> Thanks
>> Eric

>I do not know but if I were the drive manufactures I would save the
>smart
>data on the drive plater (not on a chip). It is cheaper this way. If
>that is the case then I image you would have to wake it up.

If I were the drive manufacturer I would not save it anywhere but read it
when needed. In which case you would not have to wake it. Unfortunately
neither of us is a manufacturer, so it does not help.

I would say-- try it and see.



>shortT

On Jul 15, 7:01*pm, Unruh <unruh-s...@physics.ubc.ca> wrote:
> shortT <dev.gn...@gmail.com> writes:
> >On Jul 15, 12:41=A0pm, Eric <Scor...@gordinator.org> wrote:
> >> Is it possible to read the s.m.a.r.t. data (specifically the temperature)=
> > from
> >> a sleeping HDD without waking it up? I've got a backup drive that I'd jus=
> >t as
> >> soon leave in sleep mode but I'd like to know its temperature without wak=
> >ing
> >> it up (in sleep mode it makes a good "ambient temp" device if i can read =
> >it
> >> without waking it up.)
> >> Thanks
> >> Eric
> >I do not know but if I were the drive manufactures I would save the
> >smart
> >data on the drive plater (not on a chip). It is cheaper this way. If
> >that is the case then I image you would have to wake it up.
>
> If I were the drive manufacturer I would not save it anywhere but read it
> when needed. In which case you would not have to wake it. Unfortunately
> neither of us is a manufacturer, so it does not help.
>
> I would say-- try it and see.
>
> >shortT

Where would you read it from? Smart keeps a log. Where would you keep
that log? In RAM?

shortT

Eric wrote:
> Is it possible to read the s.m.a.r.t. data (specifically the temperature) from
> a sleeping HDD without waking it up? I've got a backup drive that I'd just as
> soon leave in sleep mode but I'd like to know its temperature without waking
> it up (in sleep mode it makes a good "ambient temp" device if i can read it
> without waking it up.)
> Thanks
> Eric

<http://smartmontools.sourceforge.net/index.html>

You might be able to get smartmontools to retrieve the temperature without
spinning the drive up. Please let us know what you find.

--
1PW

@?6A62?FEH9:DE=6o2@=]4@> [r4o7t]

Eric wrote:
> J.O. Aho wrote:
>
>> Eric wrote:
>>> Is it possible to read the s.m.a.r.t. data (specifically the temperature)
>>> from a sleeping HDD without waking it up? I've got a backup drive that I'd
>>> just as soon leave in sleep mode but I'd like to know its temperature
>>> without waking it up (in sleep mode it makes a good "ambient temp" device
>>> if i can read it without waking it up.)
>> I'm completely sure, but I think the only way is to use an external
>> temperature meter for the hard drive. Keeping the hard drive sleeping and
>> waking it up will shorten it's life more than keeping it on all the time.
>>
> Not my question. You cant read s.m.a.r.t data from a hard disk drive with an
> external temperature sensor.

You did specify temperature as the main reason and you got an alternative way
to get the temperature.

To be sure that my No from the previous post ain't false, check the
documentation at http://www.t13.org/ and see what they say about stand by.


--

//Aho

On Tue, 15 Jul 2008 09:41:59 -0700, Eric wrote:

> Is it possible to read the s.m.a.r.t. data (specifically the temperature)
> from a sleeping HDD without waking it up? I've got a backup drive that I'd
> just as soon leave in sleep mode but I'd like to know its temperature
> without waking it up (in sleep mode it makes a good "ambient temp" device
> if i can read it without waking it up.)
> Thanks
> Eric

If the drive will report such data, yes. The drives firmware doesn't
sleep and unless you send it a wake command it will stay in the current
state. SMART technology is for error reporting and not necessarily to
provide extended information about temperature and other things as certain
drives had that functionality before SMART was implemented.

Eric wrote:

> Is it possible to read the s.m.a.r.t. data (specifically the temperature)
> from a sleeping HDD without waking it up? I've got a backup drive that I'd
> just as soon leave in sleep mode but I'd like to know its temperature
> without waking it up (in sleep mode it makes a good "ambient temp" device if
> i can read it without waking it up.)
> Thanks
> Eric

I was using hddtemp and each time it wakes the drive
I'll see what i can do with smartmontools
Eric