sdformat -------- sdformat is an enhanced replacement for the sdform utility shipped with NEXTSTEP. It allows selection of the SCSI device's block size for improved performance - both in access speed and available free space. This is a beta version of sdformat (Version 0.9) One of the most popular performance enhancements for NEXTSTEP workstations is to do a low-level format of all capable SCSI drives at a block size of 1024 bytes. If you have a new drive, or if you have backed up all data on your current drive, then you might consider wiping the slate clean and starting over with a faster, larger drive (for free!) sdformat does what you cannot do with the utilities supplied by NeXT. I believe it is easier to use than the "formatter" utility on the archives - and compatible with more drives. For some strange reason, the formatting utilities included in NEXTSTEP are not orthogonal in features. Specifically, fdform allows specification of the block size as 512 or 1024 bytes, but sdform has no such option. sdform is also limited to working with SCSI devices which were attached when the system was started, simply because it takes a raw device name instead of a SCSI id. Hence the need for sdformat. sdformat, which is also available as a FAT binary for Release 3.1 and beyond, is capable of formatting any SCSI device selected by its target ID (and logical unit number, if applicable). The utility can also be used to examine the current settings for a particular device's block size. You will only need root access for drives which were attached and powered up when NEXTSTEP was booted, otherwise any user can just attach a new drive, format, and reboot to initialize the drive with the file system of your choice (sdformat does not handle the step of file system initialization, but neither does sdform or fdform). Need further convincing? If you aren't already convinced that you want to back up your drive and execute a low-level reformat, read on! For space increase, you can expect numbers like the following: Original Reformat Increase Drive 406.5 MB 419.9 MB 13.39 MB Seagate ST1480N (NeXT supplied 400 MB) 1.156 GB 1.227 GB 73.30 MB Maxtor MXT-1240S 5.407% Seagate ST41650N (Wren VIII) I have not personally measured the inherent increases in throughput performance, but figures ranging from 20% to 25% have been reported by users of sdformat. LEGAL STUFF ----------- I am tired of legalese, so I will word the following in plain english. The language should be precise enough to avoid misunderstanding in the event that legal action is necessary. I cannot be responsible for data loss. This program is designed to do a low-level format of a SCSI device under user control. Format implies data loss by definition. If you ask for it with the right options, you WILL erase your drive. I can say that I highly doubt that there is any way to permanently damage a SCSI device when using sdformat, other than data loss. Please do not charge money for this utility or for any service you provide using this utility. Please do not remove my name from this README, the accompanying man page, or the executable. Please do not distribute modified versions of these files. I hold the copyrights for this utility and do not give permission for it to be distributed on CD-ROM without my prior written permission. For those of you who are compiling CD-ROM archives of software available freely via ftp, these restrictions are aimed directly at you - especially if you are planning to charge for the CD-ROM, but even if you are not. I would suggest keeping a copy of this README around to remind you not to forget about the restrictions I have placed on this free software. Future version are not guaranteed to be free. Apart from the explicit warnings about inherent data loss, there are no other guarantees or warranties associated with this free software. You must accept it as is or do without. INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS ------------------------- sdformat.nonFAT.tar.Z is for Motorola (true Black NeXT hardware) systems, and also includes the same man page. It is being provided for those who are not running release 3.1 or better, and who therefore cannot handle FAT binaries. I have not personally tested it under 3.0 or earlier, but it should work. Use the following command to uncompress: zcat sdformat.tar.Z | tar xf - The package has the following recommended installation points: /usr/local/bin/sdformat /usr/local/man/man8/sdformat.8 or you can use ~/Unix/bin and ~/Unix/man/man8 As an exercise for the reader, I leave the process for adding new man page directories (hint, take a look in /etc/login.std and /etc/cshrc.std after searching for MANPATH in the ManPages target of Digital Librarian). Brian Willoughby Software Design Engineer, BSEE from NCSU NeXTmail welcome Sound Consulting: Software Design and Development BrianW@SoundS.WA.com Bellevue, WA