| SG_FORMAT(8) | SG3_UTILS | SG_FORMAT(8) |
sg_format - format, format with preset, resize SCSI disk; format tape
sg_format [--cmplst={0|1}] [--count=COUNT] [--dcrt] [--dry-run] [--early] [--ffmt=FFMT] [--fmtmaxlba [--format] [--help] [--ip-def] [--long] [--mode=MP] [--pfu=PFU] [--pie=PIE] [--pinfo] [--poll=PT] [--preset=ID] [--quick] [--resize] [--rto_req] [--security] [--six] [--size=LB_SZ] [--tape=FM] [--timeout=SECS] [--verbose] [--verify] [--version] [--wait] DEVICE
Not all SCSI direct access devices need to be formatted and some have vendor specific formatting procedures. SCSI disks with rotating media are probably the largest group that do support a 'standard' format operation. They are typically factory formatted to a block size of 512 bytes with the largest number of blocks that the manufacturer recommends. The manufacturer's recommendation typically leaves aside a certain number of tracks, spread across the media, for reassignment of blocks to logical block addresses during the life of the disk.
This utility issues one of three SCSI format commands: FORMAT UNIT, FORMAT MEDIUM or FORMAT WITH PRESET. In the following description, unqualified sections will usually be referring to the SCSI FORMAT UNIT command. Both FORMAT UNIT and FORMAT WITH PRESET apply to disks (or disk-like devices). The FORMAT MEDIUM command is for tapes.
This utility can format modern SCSI disks and potentially change their block size (if permitted) and the block count (i.e. number of accessible blocks on the media also known as "resizing"). Resizing a disk to less than the manufacturer's recommended block count is sometimes called "short stroking" (see NOTES section). Resizing the block count while not changing the block size may not require a format operation. The SBC-2 standard (see www.t10.org) has obsoleted the "format device" mode page. Many of the low level details found in that mode page are now left up to the discretion of the manufacturer. There is a Format Status log page which reports on the previous successful format operation(s).
When this utility is used without options (i.e. it is only given a DEVICE argument) it prints out the existing block size and block count derived from two sources. These two sources are a block descriptor in the response to a MODE SENSE command and the response to a READ CAPACITY command. The reason for this double check is to detect a "format corrupt" state (see the NOTES section). This usage will not modify the disk.
When this utility is used with either --format, --preset=ID or --tape=FM, it will attempt to format the given DEVICE. In the absence of the --quick option there is a 15 second pause during which time the user is invited thrice (5 seconds apart) to abort sg_format. This occurs just prior the SCSI FORMAT UNIT, FORMAT WITH PRESET or FORMAT MEDIUM command being issued. See the NOTES section for more information.
Protection information (PI) is optional and is made up of one or more protection intervals, each made up of 8 bytes associated with a logical block. When PI is active each logical block will have 1, 2, 4, 8, etc protection intervals (i.e. a power of two), interleaved with (and following) the user data to which they refer. Four protection types are defined with protection type 0 being no protection intervals. See the PROTECTION INFORMATION section below for more information.
When the --tape=FM option is given then the SCSI FORMAT MEDIUM command is sent to the DEVICE. FORMAT MEDIUM is defined in the SSC documents at T10 and prepares a volume for use. That may include partitioning the medium. See the section below on TAPE for more information.
The FORMAT WITH PRESET was added in draft SBC-4 revision 18. A preset pattern, selected by the PRESET IDENTIFIER field (--id=FWPID), is written to the disk. See the FORMAT PRESETS VPD page (0xb8) for a list of available Format preset identifiers and their associated data.
Arguments to long options are mandatory for short options as well. The options are arranged in alphabetical order based on the long option name.
The SBC-3 draft (revision 20) defines PLIST, CLIST, DLIST and GLIST in section 4.10 on "Medium defects". Briefly, the PLIST is the "primary" list of manufacturer detected defects, the CLIST ("certification" list) contains those detected during the format operation, the DLIST is a list of defects that can be given to the format operation. The GLIST is the grown list which starts in the format process as CLIST+DLIST and can "grow" later due to automatic reallocation (see the ARRE and AWRE bits in the Read-Write Error Recovery mode page (see sdparm(8))) and use of the SCSI REASSIGN BLOCKS command (see sg_reassign(8)).
By the SBC-3 standard (following draft revision 36) the CLIST and DLIST had been removed, leaving PLIST and GLIST. Only PLIST and GLIST are found in the SBC-4 drafts.
The CMPLST bit (controlled by the --cmplst=0|1 option) determines whether the existing GLIST, when the format operation is invoked, is taken into account. The sg_format utility sets the FOV bit to zero which causes DPRY=0, so the PLIST is taken into account, and DCRT=0, so the CLIST is generated and used during the format process.
The sg_format utility does not permit a user to provide a defect list (i.e. DLIST).
Protection Information (PI) is additional information held with logical blocks so that an application and/or host bus adapter can check the correctness of those logical blocks. PI is placed in one or more protection intervals interleaved in each logical block. Each protection interval follows the user data to which it refers. A protection interval contains 8 bytes made up of a 2 byte "logical block guard" (CRC), a 2 byte "logical block application guard", and a 4 byte "logical block reference tag". Devices with 512 byte logical block size typically have one protection interval appended, making its logical block data 520 bytes long. Devices with 4096 byte logical block size often have 8 protection intervals spread across its logical block data for a total size of 4160 bytes. Note that for all other purposes the logical block size is considered to be 512 and 4096 bytes respectively.
The SBC-3 standard have added several "protection types" to the PI introduced in the SBC-2 standard. SBC-3 defines 4 protection types (types 0 to 3) with protection type 0 meaning no PI is maintained. While a device may support one or more protection types, it can only be formatted with 1 of the 4. To change a device's protection type, it must be re-formatted. For more information see the Protection Information in section 4.21 of draft SBC-4 revision 16.
A device that supports PI information (i.e. supports one or more protection types 1, 2 and 3) sets the "PROTECT" bit in its standard INQUIRY response. It also sets the SPT field in the EXTENDED INQUIRY VPD page response to indicate which protection types it supports. Given PROTECT=1 then SPT=0 implies the device supports PI type 1 only, SPT=1 implies the device supports PI types 1 and 2, and various other non-obvious mappings up to SPT=7 which implies protection types 1, 2 and 3 are supported. The current protection type of a disk can be found in the "P_TYPE" and "PROT_EN" fields in the response of a READ CAPACITY (16) command (e.g. with the 'sg_readcap --long' utility).
Given that a device supports a particular protection type, a user
can then choose to format that disk with that protection type by setting the
"FMTPINFO" and "Protection Field Usage" fields in the
FORMAT UNIT command. Those fields correspond to the --fmtpinfo=FPI
and the --pfu=PFU options in this utility. The list below shows the
four protection types followed by the options of this utility needed to
select them:
0 : --fmtpinfo=0 --pfu=0
1 : --fmtpinfo=2 --pfu=0
2 : --fmtpinfo=3 --pfu=0
3 : --fmtpinfo=3 --pfu=1
The default value of FPI (in --fmtpinfo=FPI) is 0 and the
default value of PFU (in --pfu=PFU) is 0. So if neither
--fmtpinfo=FPI nor --pfu=PFU are given then protection type 0
(i.e. no protection information) is chosen.
After a format that changes the logical block size or the number
of logical blocks on a disk, the operating system may need to be told to
re-initialize its setting for that disk. In Linux that can be done with:
echo 1 > /sys/block/sd{letter(s)}/device/rescan
where "letter(s)" will be between 'a' and 'zzz'. The lsscsi utility
in Linux can be used to check the various namings of a disk.
The SBC-2 standard states that the REQUEST SENSE command should be used for obtaining progress indication when the format command is underway. However, tests on a selection of disks shows that TEST UNIT READY commands yield progress indications (but not REQUEST SENSE commands). So the current version of this utility defaults to using TEST UNIT READY commands to poll the disk to find out the progress of the format. The --poll=PT option has been added to control this.
When the --format, --preset=ID or --tape=FM option is given without the --wait option then the corresponding SCSI command is issued with the IMMED bit set which causes the SCSI command to return after it has started the format operation. The --early option will cause sg_format to exit at that point. Otherwise the DEVICE is polled every 60 seconds or every 10 seconds if FFMT is non-zero. The poll is with TEST UNIT READY or REQUEST SENSE commands until one reports an "all clear" (i.e. the format operation has completed). Normally these polling commands will result in a progress indicator (expressed as a percentage) being output to the screen. If the user gets bored watching the progress report then sg_format process can be terminated (e.g. with control-C) without affecting the format operation which continues. However a target or device reset (or a power cycle) will probably cause the format to cease and the DEVICE to become "format corrupt".
When the --format (--preset=ID or --tape) and --wait options are both given then this utility may take a long time to return. In this case care should be taken not to send any other SCSI commands to the disk as it may not respond leaving those commands queued behind the active format command. This may cause a timeout in the OS driver (in a lot shorter period than 20 hours applicable to some format operations). This may result in the OS resetting the disk leaving the format operation incomplete. This may leave the disk in a "format corrupt" state requiring another format to remedy the situation. Modern SCSI devices should yield a "not ready" sense key with an additional sense indicating a format is in progress. With older devices the user should take precautions that nothing attempts to access a device while it is being formatted. Unmounting in mounted file systems on a DEVICE prior to calling this utility is strongly advised.
When the block size (i.e. the number of bytes in each block) is changed on a disk two SCSI commands must be sent: a MODE SELECT to change the block size followed by a FORMAT command. If the MODE SELECT command succeeds and the FORMAT fails then the disk may be in a state that the standard calls "format corrupt". A block descriptor in a subsequent MODE SENSE will report the requested new block size while a READ CAPACITY command will report the existing (i.e. previous) block size. Alternatively the READ CAPACITY command may fail, reporting the device is not ready, potentially requiring a format. The solution to this situation is to do a format again (and this time the new block size does not have to be given) or change the block size back to the original size.
The SBC-2 standard states that the block count can be set back to the manufacturer's maximum recommended value in a format or resize operation. This can be done by placing an address of 0xffffffff (or the 64 bit equivalent) in the appropriate block descriptor field to a MODE SELECT command. In signed (two's complement) arithmetic that value corresponds to '-1'. So a --count=-1 causes the block count to be set back to the manufacturer's maximum recommended value. To see exactly which SCSI commands are being executed and parameters passed add the "-vvv" option to the sg_format command line.
The FMTDATA field shown in the FORMAT UNIT cdb does not have a corresponding option in this utility. When set in the cdb it indicates an additional parameter list will be sent to the DEVICE along with the cdb. It is set as required, basically when any field in the parameter list header is set.
Short stroking is a technique to trade off capacity for performance on hard disks. "Hard" disk is often used to mean a storage device with spinning platters which contain the user data. Solid State Disk (SSD) is the newer form of storage device that contains no moving parts. Hard disk performance is usually highest on the outer tracks (usually the lower logical block addresses) so by resizing or reformatting a disk to a smaller capacity, average performance will usually be increased.
Other utilities may be useful in finding information associated with formatting. These include sg_inq(8) to fetch standard INQUIRY information (e.g. the PROTECT bit) and to fetch the EXTENDED INQUIRY VPD page (e.g. RTO and GRD_CHK bits). The sdparm(8) utility can be used to access and potentially change the now obsolete format mode page.
scsiformat is another utility available for formatting SCSI disks with Linux. It dates from 1997 (most recent update) and may be useful for disks whose firmware is of that vintage.
The COUNT numeric argument may include a multiplicative suffix or be given in hexadecimal. See the "NUMERIC ARGUMENTS" section in the sg3_utils(8) man page.
The SCSI SANITIZE command was introduced in SBC-3 revision 27. It is closely related to the ATA sanitize disk feature set and can be used to remove all existing data from a disk. Sanitize is more likely to be implemented on modern disks (including SSDs) than FORMAT UNIT's security initialization feature (see the --security option) and in some cases much faster.
SSDs that support thin provisioning will typically unmap all logical blocks during a format. The reason is to improve the SSD's endurance. Also thin provisioned formats typically complete faster than fully provisioned ones on the same disk (see the --ip_def option). In either case format operations on SSDs tend to be a lot faster than they are on hard disks with spinning media.
Tape system use a variant of the FORMAT UNIT command used on disks. Tape systems use the FORMAT MEDIUM command which is simpler with only three fields in the cdb typically used. Apart from sharing the same opcode the cdbs of FORMAT UNIT and FORMAT MEDIUM are quite different. FORMAT MEDIUM's fields are VERIFY, IMMED and FORMAT (with TRANSFER LENGTH always set to 0). The VERIFY bit field is set with the --verify option. The IMMED bit is manipulated by the --wait option in the same way it is for disks; one difference is that if the --poll=PT option is not given then it defaults to PT of 1 which means the poll is done with REQUEST SENSE commands.
The argument given to the --tape=FM option is used to set the FORMAT field. FM can take values from "-1" to "15" where "-1" (the default) means don't do a tape format; value "8" to "15" are for vendor specific formats. The --early option may also be used to set the IMMED bit and then exit this utility (rather than poll periodically until it is finished). In this case the tape drive will still be busy doing the format for some time but, according to T10, should still respond in full to the INQUIRY and REPORT LUNS commands. Other commands (including REQUEST SENSE) should yield a "not ready" sense key with an additional sense code of "Logical unit not ready, format in progress". Additionally REQUEST SENSE should contain a progress indication in its sense data.
When FM is 1 or 2 then the settings in the Medium partition mode page control the partitioning. That mode page can be viewed and modified with the sdparm utility.
Prior to invoking this utility the tape may need to be positioned to the beginning of partition 0. In Linux that can typically be done with the mt utility (e.g. 'mt -f /dev/st0 rewind').
These examples use Linux device names. For suitable device names in other supported Operating Systems see the sg3_utils(8) man page.
In the first example below simply find out the existing block count and size derived from two sources: a block descriptor in a MODE SELECT command response and from the response of a READ CAPACITY commands. No changes are made:
# sg_format /dev/sdm
Now a simple format, leaving the block count and size as they were previously. The FORMAT UNIT command is executed in IMMED mode and the device is polled every 60 seconds to print out a progress indication:
# sg_format --format /dev/sdm
Now the same format, but waiting (passively) until the format operation is complete:
# sg_format --format --wait /dev/sdm
Next is a format in which the block size is changed to 520 bytes and the block count is set to the manufacturer's maximum value (for that block size). Note, not all disks support changing the block size:
# sg_format --format --size=520 /dev/sdm
Now a resize operation so that only the first 0x10000 (65536) blocks on a disk are accessible. The remaining blocks remain unaltered.
# sg_format --resize --count=0x10000 /dev/sdm
Now resize the disk back to its normal (maximum) block count:
# sg_format --resize --count=-1 /dev/sdm
One reason to format a SCSI disk is to add protection information. First check which protection types are supported by a disk (by checking the SPT field in the Extended inquiry VPD page together with the Protect bit in the standard inquiry response):
# sg_vpd -p ei -l /dev/sdb
extended INQUIRY data VPD page:
ACTIVATE_MICROCODE=0
SPT=1 [protection types 1 and 2 supported]
....
Format with type 1 protection:
# sg_format --format --fmtpinfo=2 /dev/sdm
After a successful format with type 1 protection, READ CAPACITY(16) should show something like this:
# sg_readcap -l /dev/sdm
Read Capacity results:
Protection: prot_en=1, p_type=0, p_i_exponent=0 [type 1 protection]
Logical block provisioning: lbpme=0, lbprz=0
....
To format with type 3 protection:
# sg_format --format --fmtpinfo=3 --pfu=1 /dev/sdm
For the disk shown above this will probably fail because the Extended inquiry VPD page showed only types 1 and 2 protection are supported.
Here are examples of using fast format (FFMT field in FORMAT UNIT cdb) to quickly switch between 512 and 4096 byte logical block size. Assume disk starts with 4096 byte logical block size and all important data has been backed up.
# sg_format --format --ffmt=1 --size=512 /dev/sdd
Now /dev/sdd should have 512 byte logical block size. And to switch it back:
# sg_format --format --ffmt=1 --size=4096 /dev/sdd
Since fast formats can be very quick (a matter of seconds) using the --wait option may be appropriate.
And tu use Format with preset this invocation might be used:
# sg_format --preset=1 --fmtmaxlba /dev/sdd
The FORMAT PRESETS VPD page (0xb8) should be consulted to check that Preset identifier 0x1 is there and has the expected format (i.e. "default host aware zoned block device model with 512 bytes of user data in each logical block").
The exit status of sg_format is 0 when it is successful. Otherwise see the sg3_utils(8) man page. Unless the --wait option is given, the exit status may not reflect the success of otherwise of the format. Using sg_turs(8) and sg_readcap(8) after the format operation may be wise.
Written by Grant Grundler, James Bottomley and Douglas Gilbert.
Report bugs to <dgilbert at interlog dot com>.
Copyright © 2005-2020 Grant Grundler, James Bottomley and
Douglas Gilbert
This software is distributed under the GPL version 2. There is NO warranty;
not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
sg_turs(8), sg_requests(8), sg_inq(8), sg_modes(8), sg_vpd(8), sg_reassign(8), sg_readcap(8), sg3_utils(8), sg_sanitize(8) [all in sg3_utils], lsscsi(8), mt(mt-st), sdparm(8), scsiformat (old), hdparm(8)
| January 2020 | sg3_utils-1.45 |