SMART tests indicate HD Failure... or not?

[GBillR]

So this is behavior that I haven't seen before, and I am wondering if anyone else has.

A remote server alerted via email to failed SMART test for a particular drive. Relatively young drive (still within warranty period), but I've had drives fail before, so not completly unheard of obviously. I increased the SMART test interval to daily short and weekly long, and also increased the scrub periodicity to daily until I could get to the server to replace the drive. I pulled the drive last week and figured I would benchtest prior to RMA on my ubuntu 16.04 system via esata dock. Now, the SMART tests pass (short and long), and a -ws badblocks completed without error.

Has anyone ever seen a drive suddenly pass SMART tests after failing so many at the exact same spot on the drive? I would be suspicious of the sata cable, but the error occured at the exact same location each test (as I interpret the data anyway). FreeNAS never complained about the volume, only the SMART test failure count. The replacement drive (same cable) has had no issues. Maybe I don't understand what I am reading in the results. I don't see how I could trust the drive in production again... although it has been so long since I've had to RMA a drive, I'm not even sure this would meet their criteria. Any other testing I could do to try to stress the drive? Thoughts on the SMART data? The only abnormal info (beyond the failed tests) that I see in the SMART data is the line below. Based on my limited search, I'm not sure this is related, or if this is just a Ubuntu 16.04 bug.

Code:

Read SMART Thresholds failed: scsi error badly formed scsi parameters

Full readout here:

Code:

=== START OF INFORMATION SECTION ===
Model Family:     Western Digital Red
Device Model:     WDC WD20EFRX-68EUZN0
Serial Number:    WD-
LU WWN Device Id: 5 0014ee 20f4712a4
Firmware Version: 82.00A82
User Capacity:    2,000,398,934,016 bytes [2.00 TB]
Sector Sizes:     512 bytes logical, 4096 bytes physical
Rotation Rate:    5400 rpm
Device is:        In smartctl database [for details use: -P show]
ATA Version is:   ACS-2 (minor revision not indicated)
SATA Version is:  SATA 3.0, 3.0 Gb/s (current: 3.0 Gb/s)
Local Time is:    Mon May 20 23:10:49 2019 EDT
SMART support is: Available - device has SMART capability.
SMART support is: Enabled

Read SMART Thresholds failed: scsi error badly formed scsi parameters

=== START OF READ SMART DATA SECTION ===
SMART overall-health self-assessment test result: PASSED

General SMART Values:
Offline data collection status:  (0x00)    Offline data collection activity
                    was never started.
                    Auto Offline Data Collection: Disabled.
Self-test execution status:      (   0)    The previous self-test routine completed
                    without error or no self-test has ever
                    been run.
Total time to complete Offline
data collection:         (25800) seconds.
Offline data collection
capabilities:              (0x7b) SMART execute Offline immediate.
                    Auto Offline data collection on/off support.
                    Suspend Offline collection upon new
                    command.
                    Offline surface scan supported.
                    Self-test supported.
                    Conveyance Self-test supported.
                    Selective Self-test supported.
SMART capabilities:            (0x0003)    Saves SMART data before entering
                    power-saving mode.
                    Supports SMART auto save timer.
Error logging capability:        (0x01)    Error logging supported.
                    General Purpose Logging supported.
Short self-test routine
recommended polling time:      (   2) minutes.
Extended self-test routine
recommended polling time:      ( 261) minutes.
Conveyance self-test routine
recommended polling time:      (   5) minutes.
SCT capabilities:            (0x703d)    SCT Status supported.
                    SCT Error Recovery Control supported.
                    SCT Feature Control supported.
                    SCT Data Table supported.

SMART Attributes Data Structure revision number: 16
Vendor Specific SMART Attributes with Thresholds:
ID# ATTRIBUTE_NAME          FLAG     VALUE WORST THRESH TYPE      UPDATED  WHEN_FAILED RAW_VALUE
  1 Raw_Read_Error_Rate     0x002f   200   200   ---    Pre-fail  Always       -       0
  3 Spin_Up_Time            0x0027   174   173   ---    Pre-fail  Always       -       4275
  4 Start_Stop_Count        0x0032   100   100   ---    Old_age   Always       -       18
  5 Reallocated_Sector_Ct   0x0033   200   200   ---    Pre-fail  Always       -       0
  7 Seek_Error_Rate         0x002e   200   200   ---    Old_age   Always       -       0
  9 Power_On_Hours          0x0032   084   084   ---    Old_age   Always       -       12347
 10 Spin_Retry_Count        0x0032   100   253   ---    Old_age   Always       -       0
 11 Calibration_Retry_Count 0x0032   100   253   ---    Old_age   Always       -       0
 12 Power_Cycle_Count       0x0032   100   100   ---    Old_age   Always       -       18
192 Power-Off_Retract_Count 0x0032   200   200   ---    Old_age   Always       -       1
193 Load_Cycle_Count        0x0032   200   200   ---    Old_age   Always       -       174
194 Temperature_Celsius     0x0022   106   106   ---    Old_age   Always       -       41
196 Reallocated_Event_Count 0x0032   200   200   ---    Old_age   Always       -       0
197 Current_Pending_Sector  0x0032   200   200   ---    Old_age   Always       -       0
198 Offline_Uncorrectable   0x0030   100   253   ---    Old_age   Offline      -       0
199 UDMA_CRC_Error_Count    0x0032   200   200   ---    Old_age   Always       -       0
200 Multi_Zone_Error_Rate   0x0008   200   200   ---    Old_age   Offline      -       0

SMART Error Log Version: 1
No Errors Logged

SMART Self-test log structure revision number 1
Num  Test_Description    Status                  Remaining  LifeTime(hours)  LBA_of_first_error
# 1  Extended offline    Completed without error       00%     12347         -
# 2  Short offline       Completed without error       00%     12314         -
# 3  Short offline       Completed: read failure       10%     12301         3907025624
# 4  Short offline       Completed: read failure       20%     12277         3907025624
# 5  Short offline       Completed: read failure       20%     12253         3907025624
# 6  Short offline       Completed: read failure       60%     12229         3907025624
# 7  Short offline       Completed: read failure       10%     12205         3907025624
# 8  Extended offline    Completed: read failure       10%     12188         3907025624
# 9  Short offline       Completed: read failure       10%     12181         3907025624
#10  Short offline       Completed: read failure       10%     12157         3907025624
#11  Short offline       Completed: read failure       20%     12133         3907025624
#12  Short offline       Completed: read failure       40%     12109         3907025624
#13  Short offline       Completed: read failure       10%     12085         3907025624
#14  Short offline       Completed: read failure       60%     12061         3907025624
#15  Short offline       Completed: read failure       60%     12037         3907025624
#16  Extended offline    Completed: read failure       10%     12019         3907025624
#17  Short offline       Completed: read failure       60%     12013         3907025624
#18  Short offline       Completed: read failure       60%     11990         3907025624
#19  Short offline       Completed: read failure       60%     11966         3907025624
#20  Short offline       Completed: read failure       10%     11942         3907025624
#21  Short offline       Completed: read failure       20%     11918         3907025624
19 of 19 failed self-tests are outdated by newer successful extended offline self-test # 1

SMART Selective self-test log data structure revision number 1
 SPAN  MIN_LBA  MAX_LBA  CURRENT_TEST_STATUS
    1        0        0  Not_testing
    2        0        0  Not_testing
    3        0        0  Not_testing
    4        0        0  Not_testing
    5        0        0  Not_testing
Selective self-test flags (0x0):
  After scanning selected spans, do NOT read-scan remainder of disk.
If Selective self-test is pending on power-up, resume after 0 minute delay.

Thanks, -Bill

 

[Chris Moore]

Thoughts on the SMART data?

I have often thought that the SMART data reported by WD drives was not telling me the truth about the drive.

Any other testing I could do to try to stress the drive?

The thing I would do is run a DBAN DOD short (3 passes) against it with a verify pass between wipe passes. This will give the amount of stress on the drive equivalent to almost a year of use, both read and write, and if it is going to fail, this should find the problem. I have used it myself to test drives that I thought were suspect.

although it has been so long since I've had to RMA a drive, I'm not even sure this would meet their criteria.

With WD, all you need to do is tell them your drive failed a diagnostic test and send it to them. They will send you a replacement drive. For my work I had to deal with four faulted drives last month where they were still in warranty. They don't make it difficult for you.

 

[GBillR]

Thanks Chris. Running DBAN now. All looks okay, but I expect it to take another 36 hours to finish. I'll post results once complete.

 

[GBillR]

DBAN passed with no errors. I am running another extended SMART test, but expect that will also pass. Guess this drive goes on the shelf as another spare. Thanks for the tip @Chris Moore.