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
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
-
Red Hat Releases RHEL 10 Early
Red Hat quietly rolled out the official release of RHEL 10.0 a bit early.
-
openSUSE Joins End of 10
openSUSE has decided to not only join the End of 10 movement but it also will no longer support the Deepin Desktop Environment.
-
New Version of Flatpak Released
Flatpak 1.16.1 is now available as the latest, stable version with various improvements.
-
IBM Announces Powerhouse Linux Server
IBM has unleashed a seriously powerful Linux server with the LinuxONE Emperor 5.
-
Plasma Ends LTS Releases
The KDE Plasma development team is doing away with the LTS releases for a good reason.
-
Arch Linux Available for Windows Subsystem for Linux
If you've ever wanted to use a rolling release distribution with WSL, now's your chance.
-
System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 7
With scores of bug fixes and a really cool workspaces feature, COSMIC is looking to soon migrate from alpha to beta.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation
The latest release of OpenMandriva has arrived with a new kernel, an updated Plasma desktop, and a server edition.
-
TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes
One of the most popular Linux-based NAS solutions has rolled out the latest edition, based on Ubuntu 25.04.
-
Fedora 42 Available with Two New Spins
The latest release from the Fedora Project includes the usual updates, a new kernel, an official KDE Plasma spin, and a new System76 spin.