IBM SCSI disk and wierd sound when idle?

[Toobster]

Hi!


I just got a replacement IBM, Ultrastar 73LZX 36.7GB 80pin Ultra160 harddrive (the old had the same symtoms) and when it is idle it makes a really wierd noise every 58 seconds. An escalating noise for 3 seconds that ends with a bong, like: "iiiiiiiiiiiidiuh" then its quiet for 55 seconds and the "iiiiiiiiiiiidiuh" again.

Is it this just the drive keeping it self going or is it trashed?
When formatting the sound isn't there. only when idle.

Please help,

Toobster

 

[Souka]

goto storage.ibm.com (I think) and download the drive fitness tool.

Run the full diags n' such and let us know results.

 

[Toobster]

Hello and thanx for your help.

After alot of searching around the Net I found:

http://www.hgst.com/hdd/support/qcheck.htm#a4

Which is a FAQ that says:
Q: Why does my Ultrastar 36LZX / 73LZX hard drive make a noise every minute? Is that normal?

A: This is an Idle Time Function. The Ultrastar 36LZX and Ultrastar 73LZX drives periodically save data in logs and PFA counters in a reserved area of the disks. The drive uses this data to support various SCSI commands and to perform failure analysis. This data gets saved whenever the drive has not received a SCSI command for 1 minute (i.e., the drive is idle). This is normal, and should not concern you regarding the reliability of the drive.


I can now sleep at nights again !!!