Hi all, yesterday I bought a new WD15EADS-00P8B0 for my NMT (Popcorn Hour A110).
Sadly I read about the problem on parking system of this damn Intelli-Park feature only today
And yes, Murphy's law are absolutely right...
I've read about this problem, find everything, people with WD Green with strange noise during disk idle who solved with 'hdparm -B 255 <dev>'
Others have input/output (or read/write) error after the same command.
Someone solved the problem with WD dos utility to raise the number of seconds the hard drive wait for parking heads (more than these damned 8 seconds...).
As I know the
real problem comes from this feature (parking heads after 8" of idle state) using OS like linux where the kernel check the hard drive every 10"; this generates a useless stress on the hard drive making heads parking and move on again very frequently, reaching the recomended limit in a short time. I am right?
I must confess I'm a bit confused about this topic, so I tried to reproduce the problem.
I installed the hard drive on my pc (motherbord DFI with Intel P35 and ICH9R) loading a linux live distribution (normally on this pc I use Vista SP2 32bit) and started with some tests.
I collected Load_Cycle_Count value with smartmontools (smartctl -a <dev>) for 5 times, between each iteration I waited some seconds.
The tests was made waiting 7", 8", 9", 30", 60" and 180" between each iteration, leaving the system in idle.
7" delay
Code: Select all
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Load Cycle test on WD15EADS-00P8B0 - loop every 7"
====================================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:13:49
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 210
========================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:13:57
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 210
========================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:14:04
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 210
========================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:14:11
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 210
========================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:14:18
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 210
8" delay
Code: Select all
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Load Cycle test on WD15EADS-00P8B0 - loop every 8"
====================================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:16:17
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 212
========================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:16:26
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 212
========================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:16:34
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 212
========================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:16:42
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 212
========================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:16:50
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 212
9" delay
Code: Select all
====================================================
Load Cycle test on WD15EADS-00P8B0 - loop every 9"
====================================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:17:43
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 214
========================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:17:53
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 215
========================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:18:02
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 216
========================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:18:12
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 217
========================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:18:21
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 218
========================================
30" delay
Code: Select all
====================================================
Load Cycle test on WD15EADS-00P8B0 - loop every 30"
====================================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:07:13
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 199
========================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:07:43
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 200
========================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:08:13
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 201
========================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:08:43
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 202
========================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:09:14
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 203
60" delay
Code: Select all
====================================================
Load Cycle test on WD15EADS-00P8B0 - loop every 60"
====================================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:19:16
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 219
========================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:20:16
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 220
========================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:21:16
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 221
========================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:22:17
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 222
========================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:23:17
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 223
========================================
180" delay
Code: Select all
====================================================
Load Cycle test on WD15EADS-00P8B0 - loop every 180"
====================================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:33:18
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 224
========================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:36:18
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 225
========================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:39:18
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 226
========================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:42:18
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 227
========================================
Date: 2009-11-04 22:45:18
Device Model: WDC WD15EADS-00P8B0
Firmware Version: 01.00A01
User Capacity: 1,500,301,910,016 bytes
9 Power_On_Hours 13
193 Load_Cycle_Count 228
========================================
As you can see the Load_Cycle_Count rise for only
1 unit and only if the hard drive is left idle for more than 8".
Reading online I was expecting the Load_Cycle_Count value will rise more and more quickly; I think the Load_Cycle_Count value will rise by 1 unit after 8" for parking heads by Intelli-Park feature, and rise for another unit 2" after for kernel work. So on in a 30" delay I expected the value rises by at last 6 units.
From my tests It seems the hard drive normally park heads after 8" and then leave them in that position if the drive is left on idle state. If something try to read some data from the hard drive, it returns the heads in position and return parking them after the work is done and 8" of idle are passed.
It is right?
Someone knows if something was corrected with recent linux kernel (I used Ubuntu 9.04) or WD fix the features in the last Green series hd?
Thanks for every info