SMART tests indicate HD Failure... or not?

GBillR

Contributor
Joined
Jun 12, 2016
Messages
189
So this is behavior that I haven't seen before, and I am wondering if anyone else has.

A remote server alerted via email to failed SMART test for a particular drive. Relatively young drive (still within warranty period), but I've had drives fail before, so not completly unheard of obviously. I increased the SMART test interval to daily short and weekly long, and also increased the scrub periodicity to daily until I could get to the server to replace the drive. I pulled the drive last week and figured I would benchtest prior to RMA on my ubuntu 16.04 system via esata dock. Now, the SMART tests pass (short and long), and a -ws badblocks completed without error.

Has anyone ever seen a drive suddenly pass SMART tests after failing so many at the exact same spot on the drive? I would be suspicious of the sata cable, but the error occured at the exact same location each test (as I interpret the data anyway). FreeNAS never complained about the volume, only the SMART test failure count. The replacement drive (same cable) has had no issues. Maybe I don't understand what I am reading in the results. I don't see how I could trust the drive in production again... although it has been so long since I've had to RMA a drive, I'm not even sure this would meet their criteria. Any other testing I could do to try to stress the drive? Thoughts on the SMART data? The only abnormal info (beyond the failed tests) that I see in the SMART data is the line below. Based on my limited search, I'm not sure this is related, or if this is just a Ubuntu 16.04 bug.
Code:
Read SMART Thresholds failed: scsi error badly formed scsi parameters


Full readout here:
Code:
=== START OF INFORMATION SECTION ===
Model Family:     Western Digital Red
Device Model:     WDC WD20EFRX-68EUZN0
Serial Number:    WD-
LU WWN Device Id: 5 0014ee 20f4712a4
Firmware Version: 82.00A82
User Capacity:    2,000,398,934,016 bytes [2.00 TB]
Sector Sizes:     512 bytes logical, 4096 bytes physical
Rotation Rate:    5400 rpm
Device is:        In smartctl database [for details use: -P show]
ATA Version is:   ACS-2 (minor revision not indicated)
SATA Version is:  SATA 3.0, 3.0 Gb/s (current: 3.0 Gb/s)
Local Time is:    Mon May 20 23:10:49 2019 EDT
SMART support is: Available - device has SMART capability.
SMART support is: Enabled

Read SMART Thresholds failed: scsi error badly formed scsi parameters

=== START OF READ SMART DATA SECTION ===
SMART overall-health self-assessment test result: PASSED

General SMART Values:
Offline data collection status:  (0x00)    Offline data collection activity
                    was never started.
                    Auto Offline Data Collection: Disabled.
Self-test execution status:      (   0)    The previous self-test routine completed
                    without error or no self-test has ever
                    been run.
Total time to complete Offline
data collection:         (25800) seconds.
Offline data collection
capabilities:              (0x7b) SMART execute Offline immediate.
                    Auto Offline data collection on/off support.
                    Suspend Offline collection upon new
                    command.
                    Offline surface scan supported.
                    Self-test supported.
                    Conveyance Self-test supported.
                    Selective Self-test supported.
SMART capabilities:            (0x0003)    Saves SMART data before entering
                    power-saving mode.
                    Supports SMART auto save timer.
Error logging capability:        (0x01)    Error logging supported.
                    General Purpose Logging supported.
Short self-test routine
recommended polling time:      (   2) minutes.
Extended self-test routine
recommended polling time:      ( 261) minutes.
Conveyance self-test routine
recommended polling time:      (   5) minutes.
SCT capabilities:            (0x703d)    SCT Status supported.
                    SCT Error Recovery Control supported.
                    SCT Feature Control supported.
                    SCT Data Table supported.

SMART Attributes Data Structure revision number: 16
Vendor Specific SMART Attributes with Thresholds:
ID# ATTRIBUTE_NAME          FLAG     VALUE WORST THRESH TYPE      UPDATED  WHEN_FAILED RAW_VALUE
  1 Raw_Read_Error_Rate     0x002f   200   200   ---    Pre-fail  Always       -       0
  3 Spin_Up_Time            0x0027   174   173   ---    Pre-fail  Always       -       4275
  4 Start_Stop_Count        0x0032   100   100   ---    Old_age   Always       -       18
  5 Reallocated_Sector_Ct   0x0033   200   200   ---    Pre-fail  Always       -       0
  7 Seek_Error_Rate         0x002e   200   200   ---    Old_age   Always       -       0
  9 Power_On_Hours          0x0032   084   084   ---    Old_age   Always       -       12347
 10 Spin_Retry_Count        0x0032   100   253   ---    Old_age   Always       -       0
 11 Calibration_Retry_Count 0x0032   100   253   ---    Old_age   Always       -       0
 12 Power_Cycle_Count       0x0032   100   100   ---    Old_age   Always       -       18
192 Power-Off_Retract_Count 0x0032   200   200   ---    Old_age   Always       -       1
193 Load_Cycle_Count        0x0032   200   200   ---    Old_age   Always       -       174
194 Temperature_Celsius     0x0022   106   106   ---    Old_age   Always       -       41
196 Reallocated_Event_Count 0x0032   200   200   ---    Old_age   Always       -       0
197 Current_Pending_Sector  0x0032   200   200   ---    Old_age   Always       -       0
198 Offline_Uncorrectable   0x0030   100   253   ---    Old_age   Offline      -       0
199 UDMA_CRC_Error_Count    0x0032   200   200   ---    Old_age   Always       -       0
200 Multi_Zone_Error_Rate   0x0008   200   200   ---    Old_age   Offline      -       0

SMART Error Log Version: 1
No Errors Logged

SMART Self-test log structure revision number 1
Num  Test_Description    Status                  Remaining  LifeTime(hours)  LBA_of_first_error
# 1  Extended offline    Completed without error       00%     12347         -
# 2  Short offline       Completed without error       00%     12314         -
# 3  Short offline       Completed: read failure       10%     12301         3907025624
# 4  Short offline       Completed: read failure       20%     12277         3907025624
# 5  Short offline       Completed: read failure       20%     12253         3907025624
# 6  Short offline       Completed: read failure       60%     12229         3907025624
# 7  Short offline       Completed: read failure       10%     12205         3907025624
# 8  Extended offline    Completed: read failure       10%     12188         3907025624
# 9  Short offline       Completed: read failure       10%     12181         3907025624
#10  Short offline       Completed: read failure       10%     12157         3907025624
#11  Short offline       Completed: read failure       20%     12133         3907025624
#12  Short offline       Completed: read failure       40%     12109         3907025624
#13  Short offline       Completed: read failure       10%     12085         3907025624
#14  Short offline       Completed: read failure       60%     12061         3907025624
#15  Short offline       Completed: read failure       60%     12037         3907025624
#16  Extended offline    Completed: read failure       10%     12019         3907025624
#17  Short offline       Completed: read failure       60%     12013         3907025624
#18  Short offline       Completed: read failure       60%     11990         3907025624
#19  Short offline       Completed: read failure       60%     11966         3907025624
#20  Short offline       Completed: read failure       10%     11942         3907025624
#21  Short offline       Completed: read failure       20%     11918         3907025624
19 of 19 failed self-tests are outdated by newer successful extended offline self-test # 1

SMART Selective self-test log data structure revision number 1
 SPAN  MIN_LBA  MAX_LBA  CURRENT_TEST_STATUS
    1        0        0  Not_testing
    2        0        0  Not_testing
    3        0        0  Not_testing
    4        0        0  Not_testing
    5        0        0  Not_testing
Selective self-test flags (0x0):
  After scanning selected spans, do NOT read-scan remainder of disk.
If Selective self-test is pending on power-up, resume after 0 minute delay.


Thanks, -Bill
 

Chris Moore

Hall of Famer
Joined
May 2, 2015
Messages
10,080
Thoughts on the SMART data?
I have often thought that the SMART data reported by WD drives was not telling me the truth about the drive.
Any other testing I could do to try to stress the drive?
The thing I would do is run a DBAN DOD short (3 passes) against it with a verify pass between wipe passes. This will give the amount of stress on the drive equivalent to almost a year of use, both read and write, and if it is going to fail, this should find the problem. I have used it myself to test drives that I thought were suspect.
although it has been so long since I've had to RMA a drive, I'm not even sure this would meet their criteria.
With WD, all you need to do is tell them your drive failed a diagnostic test and send it to them. They will send you a replacement drive. For my work I had to deal with four faulted drives last month where they were still in warranty. They don't make it difficult for you.
 

GBillR

Contributor
Joined
Jun 12, 2016
Messages
189
Thanks Chris. Running DBAN now. All looks okay, but I expect it to take another 36 hours to finish. I'll post results once complete.
 

GBillR

Contributor
Joined
Jun 12, 2016
Messages
189
DBAN passed with no errors. I am running another extended SMART test, but expect that will also pass. Guess this drive goes on the shelf as another spare. Thanks for the tip @Chris Moore.
 
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