Hdparm Goes 8.1
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.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Digital Autonomy
• The Answer Was Already on the Shelf
• Changing the Chip Industry: How Public Investment Has Grown Open Silicon
• United Nations Open Source Portal Goes Live
• EU Open Source Strategy Plays Key Role in Tech Sovereignty Package
• France Says “Au Revoir” to Microsoft
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.
News
-
Advanced Video Coding Still Under Patent
Brazilian patent BRPI0109962B1 has expired, which means that DivX and Xvid are no longer problematic for Linux, but it doesn’t mean that video is all of a sudden fully unleashed.
-
2,000 Vulnerabilities per Linux Release
Thanks to AI bug hunters, the Linux kernel is seeing record numbers of vulnerabilities, and it's overwhelming developers.
-
Linux Exempt from California’s Age Verification Law
So long as Linux is distributed under the GPL, MIT, BSD, and Apache licenses, the OS is exempt from being required to verify the age of its users in California.
-
Roll Out the Cake: Linux Turns 35
35 years ago, a Finnish student began a humble project that would forever change the course of technology.
-
China Switching from Windows to Linux
China has ordered several government agencies to drop a Chinese-developed version of Windows 10 in favor of either KylinOS or UOS.
-
Pine64 Halts Production of Linux Devices
With continued DRAM and eMMC shortages, Pine64 has decided to discontinue production of Linux devices.
-
The Bullet-Proof KDE Software Initiative Is Coming
KDE, Techpaladin, and Kubuntu Focus have announced a new initiative that will provide at least three years of support for KDE Plasma 6.6 LTS and related software.
-
Linux Mint Shares a Possible Kernel Cleanup Solution
For those on Linux Mint who like to keep multiple kernels around but don't want them to take up too much space, you might be getting a new automated tool.
-
CachyOS Gets an Update
CachyOS August 2026 release is now available with the latest version of KDE, some new features, and plenty of improvements.
-
The Linux Kernel Dev Staging Area Now Rejects AI-Generated Patches
Unless a kernel patch is a valid security fix, it will be rejected if it was created using AI.