[comp.periphs.scsi] HELP: Seagate ST157N-1 error code...

wilko@idca.tds.PHILIPS.nl (W.C. Bulte) (04/22/91)

The Seagate St157N-1 (48Mb, 3.5", SCSI) harddrive of a friend of mine has
chosen to display blinking error codes (using the activity LED). We would
like to know what they mean. Normally this drive performs a couple of [seeks 
on startup, but now it either displays 3 or 6 blinks on the LED. The drive
keeps spinning.

Any info on this error code is most welcome
_     __________________________________________________________________________
 |   / o / /  _   Wilko Bulte   Domain: wilko@idca.tds.philips.nl
 |/|/ / / /( (_)                uucp  : [mcsun,hp4nl]!philapd!wilko
* Philips Information Systems Nederland  phone: +31 55-432372 fax: +31 55-432103
      "Do, or do not. There is no 'try'" Yoda - The Empire Strikes Back
________________________________________________________________________________

ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu (Ed Krimen) (04/23/91)

In article <1283@idcapd.idca.tds.philips.nl> wilko@idca.tds.PHILIPS.nl (W.C. Bulte) writes:
>The Seagate St157N-1 (48Mb, 3.5", SCSI) harddrive of a friend of mine has
>chosen to display blinking error codes (using the activity LED). We would
>like to know what they mean. Normally this drive performs a couple of [seeks 
>on startup, but now it either displays 3 or 6 blinks on the LED. The drive
>keeps spinning.
>
>Any info on this error code is most welcome

I don't think it's necessarily an error code, but there does seem to be 
something wrong with the drive, at least from the information you give us.
Problems with the drives are usually communicated to the user via sense codes.
I don't have any experience with drivers other than ICD's, but it will
usually display a sense code in the upper right hand corner of the screen
if there is anything wrong.

Can you access the drive at all?  If so, I'd recommend backing it up if
you haven't done so already.

I'd also recommend calling Seagate and ask them, if no one here has an
answer.  Good luck!


-- 
         Ed Krimen  ...............................................
   |||   Video Production Major, California State University, Chico
   |||   INTERNET: ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu  FREENET: al661 
  / | \  SysOp, Fuji BBS: 916-894-1261        FIDONET: 1:119/4.0

cliff@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (Clifford Stein) (04/23/91)

In article <1991Apr22.184054.20179@ecst.csuchico.edu> ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu (Ed Krimen) writes:
>

   [...stuff deleted...]

>Problems with the drives are usually communicated to the user via sense codes.
>I don't have any experience with drivers other than ICD's, but it will
>usually display a sense code in the upper right hand corner of the screen
>if there is anything wrong.
>
>-- 
>         Ed Krimen  ...............................................

I get sense codes every once in a blue moon, usually right after I tell my
friends I never have problems with my HD.  I'm using a Seagate 157N, I think.
It's a 48.8 meg mechanism with ICD host adaptor and software.  What are
sense $17 and $15 errors.  I think those are the only two I've had.  Can I
get a listing of sense errors?  Who would I write to, ICD, Seagate, or the
babooze who I bought the HD from and might have neglected to give me the
info?

-Cliff
-- 
cliff@jarthur.claremont.edu   |  "Ted Striker?  Never heard of him.  Wait!
cliff@jarthur.uucp  	      |  That's not exactly true.  We were like
...uunet!jarthur!cliff	      |  brothers."
cstein@hmcvax.bitnet          |  		--Buck Murdoch

ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu (Ed Krimen) (04/23/91)

In article <11853@jarthur.Claremont.EDU> cliff@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (Clifford Stein) writes:
>In article <1991Apr22.184054.20179@ecst.csuchico.edu> ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu (Ed Krimen) writes:
>>
>
>   [...stuff deleted...]
>
>>Problems with the drives are usually communicated to the user via sense codes.
>>I don't have any experience with drivers other than ICD's, but it will
>>usually display a sense code in the upper right hand corner of the screen
>>if there is anything wrong.
>>
>
>I get sense codes every once in a blue moon, usually right after I tell my
>friends I never have problems with my HD.  I'm using a Seagate 157N, I think.
>It's a 48.8 meg mechanism with ICD host adaptor and software.  What are
>sense $17 and $15 errors.  I think those are the only two I've had.  Can I
>get a listing of sense errors?  Who would I write to, ICD, Seagate, or the
>babooze who I bought the HD from and might have neglected to give me the
>info?

I don't know what those sense codes are, and unfortunately I don't have a
listing.  I called ICD to find out what they were, since I thought they
were coming from the host adapter.  The tech I talked to looked in a manual
to find out what the error was.  I would think that Seagate would send you
a listing, with or without payment I'm not sure.


-- 
         Ed Krimen  ...............................................
   |||   Video Production Major, California State University, Chico
   |||   INTERNET: ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu  FREENET: al661 
  / | \  SysOp, Fuji BBS: 916-894-1261        FIDONET: 1:119/4.0

dtb@adpplz.UUCP (Tom Beach) (04/24/91)

> I get sense codes every once in a blue moon, usually right after I tell my
> friends I never have problems with my HD.  I'm using a Seagate 157N, I think.
> It's a 48.8 meg mechanism with ICD host adaptor and software.  What are
> sense $17 and $15 errors.  I think those are the only two I've had.  Can I
> get a listing of sense errors?  Who would I write to, ICD, Seagate, or the
> babooze who I bought the HD from and might have neglected to give me the
> info?

SCSI ERROR CODES:

01 No index/Adress mark found
02 No seek complete
03 Write Fault
04 Drive not ready
08 Logical Unit Communication failure
09 Track following error
10 ID CRC or ECC error
11 Unrecovered read error
12 No address mark in ID field
14 No record found
15 Seek positioning error
17 Read error recovered with retrys
18 Read error recovered with ECC
19 Default List error
1A Parameter overrun
1C Primary defect list not found
1D Compare Error

These were taken from a Seagate manual for a drive different from yours.
Most of them are defined by the SCSI spec so should be standard for all
drives which support them. All drives do not support all error codes.

Tom

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
|  Tom Beach : Sr Project Engineer : Mass Storage Technology             |
|  phone : (503) 294-1541                                                |
|  email : uunet : dtb@adpplz.uucp                                       |
|  ADP Dealer Services, ADP Plaza, 2525 S.W. 1st Ave, Portland OR, 97201 |
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------

boyd@nu.cs.fsu.edu (Mickey Boyd) (04/24/91)

In article <1991Apr22.184054.20179@ecst.csuchico.edu>, ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu (Ed Krimen) writes:
>In article <1283@idcapd.idca.tds.philips.nl> wilko@idca.tds.PHILIPS.nl (W.C. Bulte) writes:
>>The Seagate St157N-1 (48Mb, 3.5", SCSI) harddrive of a friend of mine has
>>chosen to display blinking error codes (using the activity LED). We would
>>like to know what they mean. Normally this drive performs a couple of [seeks 
>>on startup, but now it either displays 3 or 6 blinks on the LED. The drive
>>keeps spinning.
>>
>>Any info on this error code is most welcome
>
>I don't think it's necessarily an error code, but there does seem to be 
>something wrong with the drive, at least from the information you give us.
>Problems with the drives are usually communicated to the user via sense codes.
>I don't have any experience with drivers other than ICD's, but it will
>usually display a sense code in the upper right hand corner of the screen
>if there is anything wrong.
>

Just FYI, the ICD host adaptor is the only one for the ST that communicates 
the device sense codes to the user.  This is quite nice.  As for the 
error codes via LEDs, it would perhaps be simplest to call Seagate (you can 
call 1-800-555-1212 and get their 1-800 number).  I have done this in the 
past, and they have responded with a Xerox of whatever info I needed.  Just 
ask them for a manual for the device.
--
    ---------------------------------+-------------------------------------
             Mickey R. Boyd          |  "Kirk to Enterprise.  All clear 
          FSU Computer Science       |      down here.  Beam down    
        Technical Support Group      |      yeoman Rand and a six-pack . ."
      email:  boyd@fsucs.cs.fsu.edu  |               
    ---------------------------------+-------------------------------------

boyd@nu.cs.fsu.edu (Mickey Boyd) (04/24/91)

In article <11853@jarthur.Claremont.EDU>, cliff@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (Clifford Stein) writes:
>
>I get sense codes every once in a blue moon, usually right after I tell my
>friends I never have problems with my HD.  I'm using a Seagate 157N, I think.
>It's a 48.8 meg mechanism with ICD host adaptor and software.  What are
>sense $17 and $15 errors.  I think those are the only two I've had.  Can I
>get a listing of sense errors?  Who would I write to, ICD, Seagate, or the
>babooze who I bought the HD from and might have neglected to give me the
>info?
>

$15 - seek positioning error
$17 - Recovered read data with controller/drive READ retries

I occasionally get a $17 (usually when my dog jumps onto the desk :-).  A 
$15 would worry me.  These are quoted from the ICD manual, which should be 
in the possession of said babooze.  This is an ICD feature, and has nothing 
to do with the device.

--
    ---------------------------------+-------------------------------------
             Mickey R. Boyd          |  "Kirk to Enterprise.  All clear 
          FSU Computer Science       |      down here.  Beam down    
        Technical Support Group      |      yeoman Rand and a six-pack . ."
      email:  boyd@fsucs.cs.fsu.edu  |               
    ---------------------------------+-------------------------------------

wilko@idca.tds.PHILIPS.nl (W.C. Bulte) (04/25/91)

In article <1991Apr24.082559.28567@mailer.cc.fsu.edu> boyd@nu.cs.fsu.edu writes:
>In article <1991Apr22.184054.20179@ecst.csuchico.edu>, ekrimen@ecst.csuchico.edu (Ed Krimen) writes:
>>In article <1283@idcapd.idca.tds.philips.nl> wilko@idca.tds.PHILIPS.nl (W.C. Bulte) writes:
>>>The Seagate St157N-1 (48Mb, 3.5", SCSI) harddrive of a friend of mine has
>>>chosen to display blinking error codes (using the activity LED). We would

[lots deleted]

For us, being non-US, it would be most helpful if anyone could provide us 
with the fax# of Seagate support. This is probably more effective than 
an across-the-world voice call.

Thanks

_     __________________________________________________________________________
 |   / o / /  _   Wilko Bulte   Domain: wilko@idca.tds.philips.nl
 |/|/ / / /( (_)                uucp  : [mcsun,hp4nl]!philapd!wilko
* Philips Information Systems Nederland  phone: +31 55-432372 fax: +31 55-432103
      "Do, or do not. There is no 'try'" Yoda - The Empire Strikes Back
________________________________________________________________________________

csbrod@immd4.informatik.uni-erlangen.de (Claus Brod) (04/25/91)

boyd@nu.cs.fsu.edu (Mickey Boyd) writes:
>>usually display a sense code in the upper right hand corner of the screen
>the device sense codes to the user.  This is quite nice.  As for the 
>error codes via LEDs, it would perhaps be simplest to call Seagate (you can 

This is plain wrong. Just about every host adaptor communicates the
sense codes to the ST. The ICD software, however, is the only one that
displays the sense codes on the screen.


----------------------------------------------------------------------
Claus Brod, Am Felsenkeller 2,			Things. Take. Time.
D-8772 Marktheidenfeld, West Germany		(Piet Hein)
csbrod@medusa.informatik.uni-erlangen.de
Claus Brod@wue.maus.de
----------------------------------------------------------------------

chap@art-sy.detroit.mi.us (j chapman flack) (04/27/91)

>In article <1283@idcapd.idca.tds.philips.nl> wilko@idca.tds.PHILIPS.nl (W.C. Bulte) writes:
>>The Seagate St157N-1 (48Mb, 3.5", SCSI) harddrive of a friend of mine has
>>chosen to display blinking error codes (using the activity LED). We would
>>like to know what they mean. Normally this drive performs a couple of [seeks 
>>on startup, but now it either displays 3 or 6 blinks on the LED. The drive
>>keeps spinning.

According to the ST{251,277,296}N Product Manual (which *might* be similar to
the ST157N as far as blink codes):

One blink: Microprocessor/Internal Memory Test failure
Two blinks: Microprocessor ROM checksum
Three blinks: Controller chip failed to initialize
Four blinks: Controller program RAM test
Five blinks: Data buffer RAM test
Six blinks: Drive is unable to reach and maintain proper spindle speed
Eight blinks: The controller is unable to read its own control microcode
              from the drive.
Nine blinks:  The control microcode can be read but is corrupted.

These conditions all have corresponding sense codes.
-- 
Chap Flack                         Their tanks will rust.  Our songs will last.
chap@art-sy.detroit.mi.us                                   -Mikos Theodorakis

Nothing I say represents Appropriate Roles for Technology unless I say it does.