[Sunhelp] format - defect list write (Use a VAX!)

[BSD Bob]

> > How do you write a new defect to the defect list under format?
> > As in - you find a bad disk sector - can't repair it - what 
> > do you do next?
> > All I see is print options under defect?
> 
> Not that this will help you much, but I recently tried to repair some
> defects on a disk using 'format'.  I gave up, plugged the drive into my
> AHA-3940UW, and used the SCSI bios on my PeeCee to find/mark bad those
> sectors.  Solaris/sun support for that sucks, it seems.  Amazing from a
> machine with onboard SCSI.  

Sun's format does not see everything.

When I run into drives getting those kinds of errors, I turn to my
trust, rusty, decrepit, ancient, VAXstation 3100, and format it from
the boot prom routines.  I keep the machine laid out on a board, case
removed, with a dumb terminal to drive it, and can pop in any sort of
drive.  It fixes things the Sun format never even finds.  3 passes
through the VAX low level formatter (test 75) and that fixes almost
anything that still spins.  If it won't fix it, the drive really is
toasteo city.  It is a good use for an old 3 dollar VAX.

Just keep original format entries to plug back into it, when you
return it to the Sun.....(:+\\.....

Bob