[SunRescue] bad blocks test from prom?

[BSD Bob]

> > if they're read errors, use 'format' under solaris (you can 
> > do this from
> > cdrom) and run 'analyze' then 'read' -- if the blocks are remappable,
> > this will fix your disk.
> 
> cool, I got Solaris7 installed last night (I've been meaning to do that
> anyway), and when I got back this evening (ran tests while I was at work),
> it said 
> "Warning: unable to pinpoint defective block."
> 18 times on pass 0, and then 7 more times on pass 1.  Is that anything to be
> concerned about?  Oh, and at the end it says "Total of 0 defective blocks
> repaired", which I'm certainly worried about.  Thanks,

FWIIW, I have run into problems trying to format things on sun boxes.
My solution is to keep a dead old VAXstation 3100 (early model with the
MFM+SCSI boards and only 4M onboard ram) with a vt100 monitor, just for
formatting drives.  Use test 75 from the prom, and it will format anything
that it can detect is spinning, correctly.  Suns format just can't quite
do that.  If you have unknown status sectors that may be really OK, but
just incorrectly overwritten by skating heads at powerdown, etc., you can
use about 5 passes of the prom formatter.  If it won't report 0 bad blocks
after that, or correctly remap bad sectors that are really bad, the drive
is really toast.  I have been fortunate to resurrect many drives that way
that my suns could not even begin to touch.  Also, it gets around having
to generate format entries for unknown drives not in the format.dat list,
just to test out or refresh an unknown drive.  VAXen be good for some
things.....(:+}}... even if all the world is not a VAX... as Henry Spencer
was recorded to have spoke, one time......

Good luck!

Bob