Hdparm Goes 8.1

Feb 18, 2008

Moving from version 7.7 to 8.1 gives users of the hard disk tool new options and new information displays.

Hdparm first moved to 8.0 and then to 8.1 on the same day. In contrast to 8.0 the identification function -I displays more information on ATA8 identification and outputs the device’s World Wide Name (WWN). Improvements in comparison to version 7.7 include support for the Libata driver for ATAPI drives on kernels before 2.6.24. SAT specification compliance for SCSI ATA Translation (SAT) was improved in version 6.9. In addition, the -A, -W and -M parameters have been modified to allow users to call them without arguments and thus display the current status. The --make-bad-sector, --repair-sector and --read-sector actions are new. The full extent of the differences between the versions becomes apparent when you read the Changelog for the download package; the website only seems to display the changes since the last release.

The Release announcement skips various versions. The last version available on Freashmeat was 6.9: the Hdparm project, which only has one main developer, does not seem to announce changes in good time, or at all, on Freashmeat. The version tree on the Sourceforge project page dates version 6.9 to October 2006, although nine version changes have occurred since. Opensuse and the RPM search portal Rpmseek offer version 7.7 and Debian.org shows 6.9 for the Etch release

Hdparm is available on the unmodified BSD license. The new 8.1 version is available from the Sourceforge page here as a zipped tar archive.

Related content

  • hdparm Drive Utility

    Hdparm is the tool to use when it comes to tuning your hard disk or DVD drive, but it can also measure read speed, deliver valuable information about the device, change important drive settings, and even erase SSDs securely.

    more »
  • hdparm and DMA

    A simple command helps you switch on the afterburner for your hard disks and drives. hdparm improves the performance of your storage devices.

    more »
  • Ask Klaus!

    Klaus Knopper answers your Linux questions.

    more »
  • TKperf

    TKperf combines several SSD tools under one roof. You can use TKperf to investigate SSDs before deployment and even to measure performance.

    more »
  • Login Vulnerability in KDE 3.3.0 through 3.5.7

    The KDE Display Manager (KDM) can be exploited to allow users to log in without a password. This would give users the ability to log in as other users or even root.

    more »
comments powered by Disqus
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters

Support Our Work

Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

Learn More

News

Tag Cloud

Administration Community Desktop Events Hardware Linux Mobile Programming Security Software Ubuntu Web Development Windows free software open source