SCSI Command Utility (scu)

**SCSI Command Utility (scu)**

This page is under construction.

What Is This Program Used For?

The SCSI Command Utility (scu) interfaces with the SCSI I/O sub-system and the peripherals attached to SCSI buses, via the SCSI pass-through mechanism. This utility implements various SCSI commands necessary for normal maintenance and diagnostics of SCSI peripherals and the CAM I/O sub-system (CAM commands are only supported on Tru64 Unix). The online scu help file describes command details.

Here are a few things you can do with this utility:

Device Maintenance:

formatting disks/diskettes.
scanning for bad blocks.
reassigning bad blocks.
verifying media (non-destructive).
viewing defect lists.
downloading new firmware.
moving media in jukeboxes.
obtaining device information:

Diagnostic/Test Functions:

executing diagnostics (selftest, etc).
modifying mode parameters.
displaying log pages (error counters, etc)
read/write media testing.
read/write controller memory.
tape erase or retentioning.
generate hard or soft media errors.
obtain performance information.
permits CD-ROM audio operations.
useful for diagnosing hardware problems.

Program Startup:

    Format:

      % /sbin/scu [ -options... ] [ command [ keywords... ] ]

    Where options are:

        -e               Use exclusive open.
        -f device-name   The device name path.
        -n               Don't execute startup script.
        -p               Enables pipe operation mode.
        -s startup-file  Specify startup script file name.
        -N               Disable device directory scanning.
        -S               Enable device directory scanning.

    Note: Device directory scanning is disabled by default on Tru64 Unix.

If the device name is not specified on the command line, the environment variable SCU_DEVICE can be used to define the device name. Likewise, the CAM_DEVICE environment variable can be used to override the default user agent device name (/dev/cam on Tru64 Unix).

If a startup script file is not specified on the command line, then the environment variable SCU_SCRIPT is checked and used, and if neither are specified, the program looks for ".scurc" first in the current directory and then in $HOME/.scurc.

If a command is not entered on the command line, the program will prompt for commands until you terminate the program. Commands can be abbreviated to the least number of unambiguous characters.