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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!news.mel.connect.com.au!munnari.OZ.AU!news.ecn.uoknor.edu!news.eng.convex.com!newsrelay.netins.net!imci5!imci4!newsfeed.internetmci.com!in2.uu.net!psinntp!psinntp!psinntp!psinntp!sdrc.com!thor!scjones From: larry.jones@sdrc.com (Larry Jones) Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.bsdi.misc Subject: Re: SCSI drive settings question Date: 14 Mar 1996 15:19:30 GMT Organization: SDRC Engineering Services Lines: 24 Distribution: world Message-ID: <4i9de2$gq9@info1.sdrc.com> References: <4hna0a$19q@stout.entertain.com> <pjm-1303960232070001@pjm.interlog.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: thor.sdrc.com Originator: scjones@thor In article <pjm-1303960232070001@pjm.interlog.com>, pjm@cdromshop.com (Peter-John Maxwell) writes: > In article <4hna0a$19q@stout.entertain.com>, dwatson@stout.entertain.com > (Darryl Watson) wrote: > > What effect does enabling the 'parity check' function on SCSI drives? > > Can the drive or disk subsystem automagically map out bad sectors if > > parity is enabled? Or is it a situation where if there is a write error, > > enabling parity checks will cause the system to panic more often? > > Personally I would never contemplate turning parity checking off. > When a parity error occurs, that track/sector is mapped out at the > drive level without the controller even being aware of it. No, that's completely wrong. The ``parity check'' function on SCSI drives means to generate or check the parity of the commands and data being sent or received across the SCSI bus, it has nothing whatsoever to do with the data on the disk. If a parity error is detected, the bad data is ignored and the operation is retried. You should always have parity enabled unless you have a SCSI device so old and decrepit that it doesn't support parity. In that case you should replace said device immediately and then enable parity anyway. ---- Larry Jones, SDRC, 2000 Eastman Dr., Milford, OH 45150-2789 513-576-2070 larry.jones@sdrc.com That gives me a FABULOUS idea. -- Calvin