One MB is equal to one million bytes, one GB is equal to one billion bytes and one TB equals
1,000GB (one trillion bytes) when referring to storage capacity. Accessible capacity will vary from
the stated capacity due to formatting and partitioning of the drive, the computer’s operating system, and other factors.
The following paragraph does not apply to any jurisdiction where such provisions are inconsistent
with local law: THIS PUBLICATION IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY
KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
This publication could include technical inaccuracies or typographical errors. Changes are periodically made to the information herein; these changes will be incorporated in new editions of the
publication. There may be improvements or changes in any products or programs described in this
publication at any time. It is possible that this publication may contain reference to, or information
about, HGST products (machines and programs), programming, or services that are not
announced in your country. Such references or information must not be construed to mean that
Western Digital Corporation intends to announce such HGST products, programming, or services
in your country. Technical information about this product is available by contacting your local
HGST product representative or on the Internet at: support.hgst.com.
Western Digital Corporation may have patents or pending patent applications covering subject
matter in this document. The furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents.
Travelstar, Data Lifeguard and the HGST logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Western
Digital Corporation or its affiliates in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other trademarks are the
property of their respective owners.
References in this publication to HGST-branded products, programs, or services do not imply that
they will be made available in all countries. Product specifications provided are sample specifications and do not constitute a warranty. Actual specifications for unique part numbers may vary.
Please visit the Support section of our website, support.hgst.com, for additional information on
product specifications. Pictures shown may vary from actual products.
HGST Hard Disk Drive Technical Reference Manual
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HGST Travelstar™ Z7K500.B
Technical Reference Manual
HGST Hard Disk Drive Technical Reference Manual
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HGST Hard Disk Drive Technical Reference Manual
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. DESCRIPTION AND FEATURES.................................................................................................. 9
1.1 General Description ....................................................................................................... 9
Table 2-3 Full Model Number Description..................................................................................................................21
Table 4-5 Definitions for the 512 Bytes.......................................................................................................................35
HGST Travelstar 2.5 inch hard drives combine a high performance 7200 RPM spin speed, 32 MB
cache and SATA 6 Gb/s interface for the ultimate in power computing for notebooks.
1.2Product Features
Serial ATA (SATA) — Serial ATA (SATA) is the next generation bus interface for
2.5-inch hard drives. It is designed to replace Parallel ATA, and has many advantages
including increased transfer rate, improved signal integrity, enhanced data protection, and hot
plug support.
Advanced Format (AF) — Technology adopted by HGST and other drive manufacturers to
increase media format efficiencies, thus enabling larger drive capacities.
Perpendicular Magnetic Recording (PMR) — With PMR technology the magnetization of
each data bit is aligned vertically to the spinning disk, rather than longitudinally as has been
the case in hard drive technology for decades. This enables more data on a given disk than is
possible with conventional longitudinal recording, and provides a platform for future
expansion of hard drive densities.
Reduced Power Spinup (RPS) — HGST’s optimized start up feature specifically designed for
the external hard drive and Consumer Electronics (CE) market. Specific focus for RPS is to
minimize the duration and magnitude of the peak power consumption from the hard drive.
System-on-Chip - The System-on-Chip (SOC) is the foundation for HGST's next generation
electronics and firmware architecture. The native SATA SOC lowers component count by
integrating a hard disk controller, high performance processor, high speed execution SRAM,
and read channel in a 128-pin package.
S.M.A.R.T. Command Transport (SCT) — The SCT Command Transport feature set provides
a method for a host to send commands and data to a device and for a device to send data and
status to a host using log pages.
Reliability Features Set-Data Lifeguard™ — Representing HGST's ongoing commitment to
data protection, Data Lifeguard includes features that enhance the drive’s ability to prevent
data loss. Data Lifeguard data protection utilities include thermal management, an
environmental protection system, and embedded error detection and repair features that
automatically detect, isolate, and repair problem areas that may develop over the extended use
of the hard drive. With these enhanced data reliability features, the drive can perform more
accurate monitoring, error repair, and deliver exceptional data security.
Hot Plug Support — SATA supports hot plugging (also known as “hot swapping”), the ability
to swap out a failed hard drive without having to power down the system or reboot. This
capability contributes to both data availability and serviceability without any associated
downtime, making it a critical feature for extending SATA into enterprise applications.
Active LED Status — These drives support external LED requirements. It provides an activity
LED output which is ON during command execution and OFF otherwise.
Fluid Dynamic Bearings (FDB) — Bearing design that incorporates a layer of high-viscosity
lubricant instead of ball bearings in the hard drive spindle motor. As an alternative to
conventional ball bearing technology, FDB designs provide increased non-operational shock
resistance, speed control, and improved acoustics.
Staggered Spin-Up — Native SATA feature that allows the system to control whether the drive
will spin up immediately or wait until the interface is fully ready.
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CacheFlow™ —HGST’s unique, multi-generation caching algorithm evaluates the way data is
read from and written to the drive and adapts “on-the-fly” to the optimum read and write caching
methods. CacheFlow minimizes disk seek operations and overheads due to rotational latency.
CacheFlow supports sequential and random write cache. With write cache and other CacheFlow
features, the user can cache both read and write data. The cache can hold multiple writes and collectively write them to the hard drive.
48-bit Logical Block Addressing (LBA) — HGST SATA drives support both 48-bit and 28-bit
LBA and CHS-based addressing. LBA is included in advanced BIOS and operating system
device drivers and ensures high capacity disk integration.
Power Management — HGST SATA drives support the ATA and Serial ATA power
management command set, allowing the host to reduce the power consumption of the drive by
issuing a variety of power management commands.
Automatic Defect Retirement — If the HGST SATA drive detects a defective sector while
reading, writing, or performing offline data collection, it automatically relocates the sector
without end-user intervention.
Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T.) — S.M.A.R.T. enables a
drive’s internal status to be monitored through diagnostic commands at the host level and
during offline activities. S.M.A.R.T. devices employ data analysis algorithms that are used to
predict the likelihood of some near-term degradation or fault conditions. When used with a
S.M.A.R.T. application, the drive can alert the host system of a negative reliability status
condition. The host system can then warn the user of the impending risk of data loss and
recommend an appropriate action.
ATA Security — HGST SATA drives support the ATA Security Mode Feature set. The ATA
Security Mode feature set allows the user to create a device lock password that prevents
unauthorized hard disk access even if the drive is removed from the host computer. The
correct password must be supplied to the hard drive in order to access user data. Both the User
and Master Password features are supported, along with the High and Maximum security
modes. The Master Password Revision code is also supported.
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2.0CHARACTERISTICS
2.1Performance Characteristics
Average Seek
- Read
- Write
Rotational Speed7200 RPM
Data Transfer Rate (maximum)
- Interface Speed
- Sustained data transfer rate at OD
Buffer Size32 MB
Error Rate - Unrecoverable<1 in 10
Spindle Start Time
- From Power-on to Drive Ready
- From Power-on to Rotational Speed
Spindle Stop Time8s average
Load/Unload Cycles
1
During continuous Seek, Read, or Write commands, an algorithm in the code will add latency as required to keep
the VCM motor from overheating. Seek performance will be impacted under this condition.
2
As used for storage capacity, one megabyte (MB) = one million bytes, one gigabyte (GB) = one billion bytes, and
one terabyte (TB) = one trillion bytes. Total accessible capacity varies depending on operating environment. As
used for buffer or cache, one megabyte (MB) = 1,048,576 bytes. As used for transfer rate or interface, megabyte
per second (MB/s) = one million bytes per second, and gigabit per second (Gb/s) = one billion bits per second.
Effective maximum SATA 6 Gb/s transfer rate calculated according to the Serial ATA specification published by
the SATA-IO organization as of the date of this specification sheet. Visit www.sata-io.org for details.
3
Defined as the time from power-on to the setting of Drive Ready and Seek Complete including calibration.
4
Defined as the time from power-on to when the full spindle rotational speed is reached.
5
Controlled unload at ambient condition.
1
12.0 ms average
14.0 ms average
2
6 Gb/s
163 MB/s
14
bits read
3
4
5
3.8s average
2.0s average
600,000
HGST Hard Disk Drive Technical Reference Manual
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2.2Physical Characteristics
Physical
HGST HTS725050B7E630
Specifications
Capacity
InterfaceSATA 6 Gb/s
Actuator TypeRotary Voice Coil
Number of Disks1
Physical bytes per Sector4096
Host bytes per Sector512
User Sectors per Drive976,773,168
Servo TypeEmbedded
Recording Method LDPC Target
1
1
As used for storage capacity, one megabyte (MB) = one million bytes, one gigabyte (GB) = one billion bytes,
and one terabyte (TB) = one trillion bytes. Total accessible capacity varies depending on operating
environment. As used for buffer or cache, one megabyte (MB) = 1,048,576 bytes. As used for transfer rate or
interface, megabyte per second (MB/s) = one million bytes per second, and gigabit per second (Gb/s) = one
billion bits per second. Effective maximum SATA 6 Gb/s transfer rate calculated according to the Serial ATA
specification published by the SATA-IO organization as of the date of this specification sheet. Visit www.sataio.org for details.
500,107MB
2.2.1Physical Dimensions
EnglishMetric
DimensionToleranceDimensionTolerance
Height0.27 inches±0.01 inch6.8 mm±0.20 mm
Length3.94 inches±0.01 inch100.20 mm±0.25 mm
Width2.75 inches±0.01 inch69.85 mm±0.25 mm
Weight
(typical)
0.20 lb—92 gm—
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2.3Mechanical Characteristics
Figure 2-1 shows the mounting dimensions and locations of the screw holes for the drive.
Figure 2-1. Mounting Dimensions
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2.4Electrical Characteristics
2.4.1Current Requirements and Power Dissipation
Operating Mode
Spinup (max)1.1A5.5W
Read (average)400 mA2.0W
Write (average)400 mA2.0W
Seek (average)420 mA2.1W
POWER MANAGEMENT COMMANDS
Operating Mode
Idle - Performance Mode
(average)
Idle - Active Mode (average)237 mA1.18W
Idle - Low Power Mode (average)170 mA0.85W
Standby (average)50 mA0.25W
Sleep (average)50 mA0.25W
1
All values are typical (25°C and 5V input) except where specified as maximum.
Current
5 VDC
Current
5 VDC
1
1
370 mA1.85W
Power
Power
1
1
2.4.2Input Voltage Requirements
The input voltage requirement for these drives is +5.0V ± 5%.
2.4.3Ripple
+5 VDC
Maximum
Frequency
100 mV (peak-to-peak)
10 KHz - 30 MHz
2.4.4ESD
The ESD specification compliance is determined at room ambient conditions with nominal power
supply settings, unless otherwise specified.
Op-System LevelMinimum
Direct contact discharges8 kV
Direct air discharges15 kV
Indirect contact discharges (VCP & HCP)8 kV
Indirect air discharges (VCP & HCP)15 kV
Non-Op Driv e Level
Direct contact discharges8 kV
Direct air discharges15 kV
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2.5Environmental Characteristics
2.5.1Shock and Vibration
Table 2-1. Shock and Vibration
Shock
Operating (2 ms)400G
Non-operating (2 ms)1000G
Note: Half-sine wave, measured without shock isolation and without non-recoverable errors.
Vibration
Operating
Non-operating
1
2.2 Grms, measured using random write/read ratio of 1:3 at block size of 256
2
5.8 Grms
Drive Generated Vibration
Operating (average)0.17 gm-mm
Rotational Shock
Operating (2 ms)3.5K rad/sec
Non-operating (2 ms)50K rad/sec
1
2
Operating Vibration
Drives are tested by applying a random or swept sinusoidal excitation in each linear axis, one axis
at a time. The drive incurs no physical damage and no hard errors while operating and subjected to
continuous vibration not exceeding the level listed in Table 2-1. Operating performance may
degrade during periods of exposure to continuous vibration.
Note: This specification applies to handling and transportation of unmounted drives.
Drives are tested by applying a random or swept sinusoidal excitation in each linear axis, one axis
at a time. The drive incurs no physical damage when subjected to continuous vibration not
exceeding the level listed in Table 2-1.
Drive Generated Vibration
Drives are tested by supporting a single drive horizontally in a free-free state and measuring the
side-to-side vibration. Self vibration may not exceed the level listed in Table 2-1.
Rotational Shock Non-Operating
Drives are tested by applying a rotational force centered around the actuator pivot. The drive incurs
no physical damage when subjected to the rotational force specified in Table 2-1.
Packaged Shock and Vibration
The shipping packaging is designed to meet the National/International Safe Transit Association
(N/ISTA) standards for packaged products. The drive incurs no physical damage when subjected to
the N/ISTA standards.
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2.5.2Temperature and Humidity
Operation
Min-Max Base Casting
Temperature
Humidity8-90% RH non-condensing
Thermal Gradient20C/hour (maximum)
Humidity Gradient20%/hour (maximum)
1
0C to 60C (32°F to 140°F)
29.4C (maximum wet bulb)
Non-Operation
Non-operating Temperature-40°C to 65°C (-40°F to 149°F)
Humidity5-95% RH non-condensing
Thermal Gradient30C/hour (maximum)
Humidity Gradient20%/hour (maximum)
1
The system environment must allow sufficient air flow to limit maximum base casting temperatures as defined in
Figure 2-2 below.
40C (maximum wet bulb)
2.5.3Thermocouple Location
ComponentLocation
Drive base casting#1, Figure 2-2
Figure 2-2. Drive Base Casting Thermocouple Location
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2.5.4Cooling
If forced air cooling is required, the drive must be positioned to receive airflow from one or more
fans as indicated in Figure 2-3.
Figure 2-3. Forced Airflow Direction
2.5.5Atmospheric Pressure
Altitude
Operating-1,000 feet to 10,000 feet (-305m to 3,048m)
Non-operating-1,000 feet to 40,000 feet (-305m to 12,192m)
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2.5.6Electromagnetic Field/Magnetic Field Immunity
Test LevelFrequency Range
5 V/m100 Khz to 200 MHz
5 GaussDC to .200 MHz
1 Gauss.200 Mhz to .400 MHz
.005 Gauss.400 Mhz to 20 MHz
2.5.7Operating Drive DC Magnetic Field Susceptibility
Drive level operational magnetic DC field susceptibility:
160 Gauss outside shaded area
40 Gauss inside shaded area in all magnetic field directions
Figure 2-4. Operating Drive DC magnetic Field Susceptibility
2.5.8Acoustics
TYPICAL SOUND POWER LEVEL
Idle Mode (average dBA)
Seek Mode (average dBA)
1
Measured per ECMA-74/ISO 7779.
2
No audible pure tones.
3
Random seek at a rate of 26 seeks per second.
2
3
1
23
25
2.5.9RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances)
HGST hard drive products manufactured and sold worldwide after June 8, 2011, meet or exceed
Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) compliance requirements as mandated by the RoHS
Directive 2011/65/EU. RoHS aims to protect human health and the environment by restricting the
use of certain hazardous substances in new equipment, and consists of restrictions on lead,
mercury, cadmium, and other substances.
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2.6Reliability Specification and Characteristics
The average Annualized Failure Rate (AFR) calculations assumes the reliability characteristics below.
If the system(s) that the drive is installed in are not capable of meeting the characteristics listed
below, please use a HGST drive that matches your system(s)' capability. Operating drives outside
any of the reliability characteristics below will result in a higher AFR.
Reliability Specification
Average AFR over the Limited Warranty Period0.50%
Reliability Characteristics
Base Casting Temperature40°C
Annual Power on Hours (POH)<=3120
2.7Device Plug Connector Pin Definitions
The drive interfaces with the host I/O bus via the SATA interface connection, and receives power
from the SATA power connection, illustrated in Figure 2-5 below. Table 2-2 identifies the pin
definitions of the SATA connectors and the corresponding signal names and signal functions.
Figure 2-5. Standard Factory Connectors
Table 2-2. Device Pin Connector Pin Definitions
S1Gnd2nd mate
S2A+Differential signal pair A from Phy
S3A-
S4Gnd2nd mate
S5B-Differential signal pair B from Phy
Signal segment
S6B+
S7Gnd2nd mate
Key and spacing separate signal and power segments
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P1ReservedConnected to P2
P2ReservedConnected to P1
P3ReservedNOT CONNECTED
P4Gnd1st mate, GROUND
P5Gnd2nd mate, GROUND
P6Gnd2nd mate, GROUND
P7
P8
P9
Power segment
P10Gnd2nd mate, GROUND
P11ACT-Activity LED- (O.D.)/Staggered Spin-up Disable Control
P12Gnd1st mate, GROUND
P13
P14
P15
V
5
V
5
V
5
V
12
V
12
V
12
5V power, Precharge, 2nd mate
5V power
2nd mate, 5V power
12 V power, pre-charge, 2nd mate, NOT CONNECTED
12 V power, NOT CONNECTED
12 V power, NOT CONNECTED
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2.8Agency Approvals
Travelstar Z7K500.B Regulatory Number (R/N): 800018
These drives meet the standards of the following regulatory agencies:
Underwriters Laboratories: Bi-National UL Standard CAN/CSA-C22.2 No. 60950/UL
60950-1. Standard for Safety of Information Technology Equipment, including Electrical
Business Equipment (File E101559).
TUV NORD CERT GmbH: IEC 60950-1 per EN 60950-1, Standard for Safety of
Information Technology Equipment, including Electrical Business Equipment. IEC 60065.
Standard of Safety for Audio, Video, and Similar Electronic Apparatus.
CE Compliance for Europe: Complies with EN 55022: 2010 RF/ Conducted Emissions and
EN 55024: 2010 Immunity requirements. Including EU Directive 2011/65/EU RoHS II
requirements.
C-Tick Compliance for Australia: Verified to comply with AS/NZS CISPR 22 for RF
Emissions as required by the Australian Communications Authority.
Korean KC Mark: Registered as a Class-B product with the South Korean Ministry of
Information and Communication.
Taiwan BSMI EMI Certification: Certified as a Class-B product with the Bureau of
Standards Metrology and Inspection (BSMI).
2.9Full Model Number Specification
Table 2-3 below provides a summary specification of the model number suffix for this product
platform.
Table 2-3. Full Model Number Description
Model Number Format
HTS725050B7E630HGST Travelstar7200Z7K500.B 32 MB SATA 6 Gb/s AF
Product
Brand
RPMDescription
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3.0PRODUCT FEATURES
SATA 6 Gb/s
Advanced Format (AF)
Perpendicular Magnetic Recording (PMR)
Reduced Power Spinup (RPS)
System-on-Chip (SOC)
S.M.A.R.T. Command Transport (SCT)
Reliability Features Set—Data Lifeguard™
Hot Plug Support
Active LED Status
Fluid Dynamic Bearings (FDB)
Staggered Spin-Up and Activity Indication (SATA Power Pin 11)
CacheFlow™
48-bit Logical Block Addressing (LBA)
Power Management
Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T.)
Security Mode
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3.1SATA 6 Gb/s
SATA 6 Gb/s is the next generation interface for SATA hard drives. It adds to the functionality of
the SATA 1.5 Gb/s interface with the following features:
Improved Power Management— provides improved power management features including
Host Initiated SATA Power Management (HIPM) and Device Initiated SATA Power
Management (DIPM).
Staggered Spin-up — allows the system to control whether the drive will spin up immediately
or wait until the interface is fully ready before spinning up.
Asynchronous Signal Recovery (ASR) — robustness feature that improves signal recovery.
Enclosure Services — defines external enclosure management and support features.
Backplane Interconnect — defines how to lay out signal line traces in a backplane.
Auto-activate DMA — provides increased command efficiency through automated activation
of the DMA controller.
Device Configuration Overlay (DCO) — allows hiding of supported features via a SATA
feature mask.
3.2Advanced Format (AF)
Advanced Format (AF) technology is adopted by HGST and other drive manufacturers to increase
media format efficiencies, thus enabling larger drive capacities.
In Advanced Format, each physical sector is composed of eight 512 byte logical sectors, totaling
4096 bytes. HGST is shipping Advanced Format drives as 512 Byte Emulated Devices until full
operating system support for the Advanced Format host interface is available. 512 Byte Emulated
Device drives are backward compatible with 512 byte sector accesses.
3.3Perpendicular Magnetic Recording (PMR)
In perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR), the magnetization of each data bit is aligned vertically
to the spinning disk, rather than longitudinally as has been the case in hard drive technology for
decades. In longitudinal recording, as the bits become smaller and closer together, they experience
an increasing demagnetizing field, much like two bar magnets that are placed end-to-end repel one
another. A property of the media called coercivity must be increased to counteract the
demagnetization to keep the bits stable under thermal fluctuations; otherwise data corruption may
occur over time. Higher media coercivity has pushed the recording head write field to the limit of
known materials.
In perpendicular recording, the adjacent bits attract instead of repel (as with bar magnets placed
side by side,) creating more thermally stable bits. In addition, the media contains a magnetically
soft underlayer (SUL) beneath the recording layer. This SUL allows a larger effective write field,
thus higher coercivity media, enabling further increases in density. Lastly, because of the vertical
orientation of the bits, the PMR recording layer tends to be thicker than that used for longitudinal
recording, providing increased signal for the read heads. All of these benefits enable HGST
engineers to reliably pack more data on a given disk than is possible with conventional longitudinal
recording.
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3.4Reduced Power Spinup (RPS)
Applications for 2.5-inch hard drives include USB external hard drives, notebook systems, and
Consumer Electronics (CE). Due to the fact that many of these applications are portable in nature,
an option for limiting startup current levels and increasing spinup speed is necessary.
To address this requirement, HGST has developed Reduced Power Spinup (RPS) mode.
RPS-enabled drives use minimal power consumption during spin up, allowing a greater range of
compatibility with various systems and cables in the marketplace.
RPS mode is set via jumper. See figure 5-4 more information.
Figure 3-1. RPS Spinup Profile
mA
mA
mA
mA
mA
3.5System-on-Chip (SOC)
The System-on-Chip (SOC) is the foundation for HGST's next generation electronics and firmware
architecture. The native SATA SOC lowers component count by integrating a hard disk controller,
high performance processor, high speed execution SRAM, and read channel in a 128-pin package.
The processor has a 5-stage pipeline which can execute instructions in a single cycle and a DSP
engine for enhanced operations. The SOC has on-chip tightly coupled memory for high speed code
and data execution that maximizes the processing bandwidth for timing critical operations. It has a
high performance disk controller that incorporates maximum flexibility, modularity, performance,
and low power consumption. The read/write channel has advanced detection capabilities for highdensity drives.
Seconds
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3.6S.M .A.R .T. C om ma nd T ra nsp or t (S CT )
The SCT Command Transport feature set provides a method for a host to send commands and data
to a device and for a device to send data and status to a host using log pages. Standard ATA
commands may be interspersed with SCT commands, but SCT commands cannot be nested. SCT
commands that do not require a subsequent data transfer operation are not interspersed with any
ATA commands or each other.
The SCT Command Transport feature set provides a method for a host to send commands and data
to a device and for a device to send data and status to a host using log pages. This capabilitility is
used to pass commands through a driver interface or a bridge where new or unknown commands
may be filtered and not passed to the drive. SCT is also used for issuing commands that require
more than 8 parameter bytes. ATA8-ACS provides detailed information on the usage and
capabilities of SCT. The SCT feature set includes the following command:
Temperature Reporting
3.6.1Temperature Reporting
The SCT Temperature Reporting (SCT TR) feature allows a host system to access temperature
information in the drive. This information can been used to control fans or adjust the usage of
various system components to keep the drive within its normal operating temperature. Applications
include Enterprise, Laptop, Desktop and Consumer Electronics. SCT TR reports the maximum and
minimum sustained operating limits, warning level limits, and drive damage limits. In addition to
reporting the limits, SCT TR returns the current drive temperature (a temperature history which the
host can use to predict heating or cooling trends) and the maximum temperature acheived during
the lifetime of the drive as well as the highest temperature achieved since the power was applied to
the drive. Detailed information on this capability can be found in ATA8-ACS.
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3.7Reliability Features Set
3.7.1Data Lifeguard™
1
Representing HGST's ongoing commitment to data protection, Data Lifeguard includes features
that enhance the drive’s ability to prevent data loss. Data Lifeguard data protection utilities include
thermal management, an environmental protection system, and embedded error detection and
repair features that automatically detect, isolate, and repair problem areas that may develop over
the extended use of the hard drive. With these enhanced data reliability features, the drive can
perform more accurate monitoring, error repair, and deliver exceptional data security.
This self-tuning feature is performed during offline data collection scan. All user sectors on the
hard drive are scanned during times of no activity from the host. Any sector determined to be
written poorly (e.g., off-track), or that is difficult to recover (e.g., because of a developing media
defect or thermal asperity), is marked for repair. Data Lifeguard actively guards your data, even if
S.M.A.R.T. operations are disabled.
All HGST drives are defect-free and low-level formatted at the factory. After prolonged use, any
drive, including a HGST drive, may develop defects. If you continue receiving data errors in any
given file, use the Data Lifeguard Diagnostics utility to recover, relocate and rewrite the user data
to the nearest spare sector and maintain a secondary defect list.
CAUTION:As with all format utilities, some options in the Data Lifeguard Diagnostics
utility will overwrite user data.
3.7.2Thermal Management
The drive is designed with Thermal Management features for high reliability.
State-of-the-art mechanical design—Mechanical design is optimized to reduce the drive’s
temperature. State-of-the-art thermal dissipation and windage design is employed.
Closed loop servo management—Thermal management monitors the drive temperature and
can control servo operations to maintain a stable operating temperature under high temperature
conditions. This is a closed loop servo and thermal control system.
S.M.A.R.T. HDA Temperature Attribute—The S.M.A.R.T. HDA Temperature Attribute is
supported.
Ducted airflow—Provides protection to the Read/Write element from heated air.
1 Default shipping configuration has Data Lifeguard feature disabled for power management
optimization.
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3.7.3Internal Environmental Protection System
This system protects the inside environment of the drive from contamination. System features
include:
Filtration System to ensure fast clean-up times
Directed airflow to maximize mechanical cooling
Increase casting surface area to maximize cooling
Ducted air flow to protect read/write elements from heated air
Breather filter located at low pressure area
Enhanced heat dissipation
3.7.4Recoverable Errors
A sector marked for repair is written back to the same location. The sector is then read several
times to be sure that it was written correctly and that there is no media damage at its location (sector
test). If the sector does not easily and consistently read correctly, the sector is then relocated with
original data.
3.7.5Unrecoverable Errors
If an unrecoverable error is found during the offline scan, the sector is marked. Future reads from
this location will continue to perform full error recovery. However, the next write to this location
will perform a sector test to be sure the media is not damaged, and the sector relocated if the sector
test fails.
3.7.6Self Test
Self Test is a quick way to determine the operation status of a drive. The following Self Tests are
supported:
Quick Test: Completes in less than two minutes.
Extended Test: Tests all the critical subsystems of the drive.
Conveyance Test: Quickly identifies issues caused by handling damage.
Selective Test: Scans host-defined sections of the drive.
The test may be run to completion or be performed as a background task as the drive processes
other commands from the host. The host may then poll the drive for runtime status and test results.
Since the test is embedded in the drive’s firmware, it is always available, requires no installation
and can be faster and more effective than a software-based drive test.
3.7.7ATA Error Logging
ATA Error Logging provides an industry standard means to record error events and supporting
information that is then accessible by the host. The event record includes the exact command that
caused the failure, the response of the drive, the time of the event and information about the four
commands immediately prior to the errant command. Error Logging can reliably and quickly
determine whether a system problem is the result of a hard drive failure or other component
malfunction. Error Logging retains total error count for the life of the drive and complete records
for the last five errors.
3.7.8Defect Management
Every HGST drive undergoes factory-level intelligent burn in, which thoroughly tests for and maps
out defective sectors on the media before the drive leaves the manufacturing facility. Following the
factory tests, a primary defect list is created. The list contains the cylinder, head, and sector
numbers for all defects.
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Defects managed at the factory are sector slipped. Grown defects that can occur in the field are
mapped out by relocation to spare sectors on the inner cylinders of the drive.
3.7.9Automatic Defect Retirement
The automatic defect retirement feature automatically maps out defective sectors while reading or
writing. If a defective sector appears, the drive finds a spare sector.
The following item is specific to automatic defect retirement on writes (write auto-relocation):
Data is always written to disk (using automatic defect retirement if required) and no error is
reported.
The following item is specific to automatic defect retirement on reads (read auto-relocation):
When host retries are enabled, the drive will internally flag any unrecoverable errors (DAMNF
or ECC). This flagging allows subsequent write commands to this location to relocate the
sector only if the sector test fails.
3.7.10 Error Recovery Process
The drive has the following means of Error Recovery:
One-the-Fly Recovery: Using LDPC's internal recovery mechanism with Global and Local
Iteration for Error Recovery and Correction. This recovery is real time and does not require
any additional re-reads for the correction.
Simple Firmware Assist Recovery: Single variable re-reads involving off-track recoveries and
synch mark retires.
Extended Firmware Assist Recovery: This retry procedure will step through a combination of
positive/negative track offsets and VGA DAC manipulations to recover the data. In addition,
further retries will also involve Low Pass Filter (FIR) manipulations, Timing recovery, and
Synch Error Recoveries deeper into the retry process. Furthermore, in specific retry steps
Hardware assist is also involved for Extended Retry involving more modification of FIR filters
& Erasure Sweep.
LDPC Erasure Sweep Correction: This step sweeps the entire data stream with a Erasure
Length and a Sliding Window, both programmable, to maximize the correction capability.
When an extended retry operation is successful, the controller continues with the command. The
controller clears any changes during the F/W Assist Recovery before commencing to the next
operation.
3.8Hot Plug Support
SATA supports hot plugging (also known as “hot swapping”), the ability to swap out a failed hard
drive without having to power down the system or reboot. This capability contributes to both data
availability and serviceability without any associated downtime, making it a critical feature for
extending SATA into enterprise applications.
HGST SATA drives support hot plugging only in systems where a SATA hard drive storage
backplane is used.
The Serial ATA revision 2.5 specification requires staggered pins for both the hard drive and drive
receptacles. Staggered pins mate the power signals in the appropriate sequences required for
powering up the hot plugged device. These pins are also specified to handle in excess of the
maximum allowed inrush current that occurs during drive insertion. SATA-compliant devices thus
need no further modification to be hot pluggable and provide the necessary building blocks for a
robust hot plug solution, which typically includes:
Device detection even with power downed receptacles (typical of server applications).
Pre-charging resistors to passively limit inrush current during drive insertion.
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Hot plug controllers to actively limit inrush current during drive insertion.
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3.9Active LED Status
The drive supports external LED requirements. It provides an activity LED output which is ON
during command execution and OFF otherwise.
The drive strength of this open drain drive active signal is that it can sink 12mA to 0.4V Max. It is
5V tolerant, meaning that the external LED may be driven from +5V or +3.3V so long as the Host
system provides a series resistor to limit the LED current to the lower of 12mA or the rated
operating current of the LED. As an example with +5V and a 2 volt forward drop across a 10mA
LED, a 300 Ohm 5% 1/16W resistor would be suitable. In the case of a 3.3V supply for the same
LED, the resistor would be 130 Ohm 5% 1/16W.
The pin corresponding to P11 shall be used for Active LED (see “Device Pin Connector Pin
Definitions” on page 19).
3.10 Fluid Dynamic Bearings (FDB)
Bearing design that incorporates a layer of high-viscosity lubricant instead of ball bearings in the
hard drive spindle motor. As an alternative to conventional ball bearing technology, FDB designs
provide increased non-operational shock resistance, speed control, and improved acoustics.
3.11Staggered Spinup and Activity Indication (SATA Pow er Pin 11)
SATA device power connector pin 11 (see “Standard Factory Connectors” on page 19) is defined
as a means by the host to DISABLE staggered spinup and it may also be used by the device to
provide the host with an activity indication. According to the SATA II specs, "Staggered Spin-up
Disable and Activity Signal shall not be enabled at the same time."
3.11.1 Staggered Spinup
When multiple disks are installed in an enclosure, it is desirable to provide a simple mechanism by
which a subsystem controller can sequence hard drive initialization to minimize the current load
presented during power up. Staggered spinup provides this mechanism by preventing the hard
drives from spinning up until after successful PHY initialization (i.e., after PHY enters
DP7:DR_Ready state).
Staggered spinup is only applicable during initial power-up. If a drive is spun down using ATA
commands—as a result of having been placed in Standby or Sleep power modes, for example—the
drive shall spin up following the rules that govern spinup from low power modes described in
ATA/ATAPI-6 or later.
3.11.2 Activity Indication
The host controller through SATA power pin 11 may access storage device status and activity. The
signal provided by the device for activity indication is a low-voltage low-current signal. It is not
suitable for directly driving an LED. A buffer circuit external to the device must be employed to
drive the LED. The activity signal is based on an open-collector or open-drain active low driver.
The device shall tolerate the activity signal being shorted to ground.
3.12CacheFlow ™
CacheFlow is HGST’s unique, multi-generation disk caching system. It incorporates read cache
with write cache.
HGST designed CacheFlow to obtain maximum performance with today’s most popular operating
systems and applications. CacheFlow increases performance over prior caching algorithms by
increasing the number of times that requested data is in the cache. This reduces the number of host
commands that require actual media access thereby improving overall drive performance.
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Typical applications perform a variety of access patterns, such as random, sequential, and
repetitive. CacheFlow is designed to dynamically adapt to the changes in access patterns that occur
during the course of application execution.
Random mode is the default operational mode for CacheFlow. Once CacheFlow detects a
sequential access pattern, it leaves random mode. CacheFlow also performs predictive read
operations to increase the probability that data requested in future commands already exists in the
cache.
CacheFlow partitions the buffer into multiple segments to allow for the fact that applications may
access multiple non-contiguous areas on the disk. CacheFlow tracks the amount of valid data in
each segment and controls the deallocation of segments to maximize drive performance.
3.12.1 Write Cache
CacheFlow is designed to improve both single and multi-sector write performance by reducing
delays caused by seek time and rotational latency.
The write cache adaptively detects random and sequential access patterns during application
execution.
If a defective sector is found during a write cache operation, that sector is automatically relocated
before the write occurs.
3.12.2 Read Cache
CacheFlow implements a multiple segment read cache. Cache segments are assigned to read
commands as they are received from the host.
Each read segment consists of pre and post read sectors in addition to the host-requested sectors.
This maximizes the amount of cache data in the drive’s buffer, thereby increasing the likelihood of
cache hits and improving overall performance.
3.12.3 48-bit Logical Block Addressing (LBA)
The 48-bit Address feature set allows devices with capacities up to approximately 281 tera sectors
or approximately 144 peta bytes. In addition, the number of sectors that may be transferred by a
single command are increased by increasing the allowable sector count to 16 bits.
The drives support the ATA power management commands that lower the average power
consumption of the hard drives. For example, to take advantage of the lower power consumption
modes of the drive, an energy efficient host system could implement a power management scheme
that issues a Standby Immediate command when a host resident disk inactivity timer expires. The
Standby Immediate command causes the drive to spin down and enter a low-power mode.
Subsequent disk access commands would cause the drive to spin up and execute the new command.
To avoid excessive wear on the drive due to the starting and stopping of the HDA, set the host’s
disk inactivity timer to no shorter than ten minutes.
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The drives also support the SATA power management feature that lowers the average power
consumption of the SATA interface.
3.14 Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T.)
S.M.A.R.T. helps you monitor a drive’s internal status through diagnostic commands at the host
level.
The drive monitors Read Error Rate, Start/Stop Count, Re-allocated Sector Count, Seek Error Rate,
Power-on Hours Count, Spin-up Retry Count, Drive Calibration Retry Count, Drive Power Cycle
Count, Offline Scan Uncorrectable Sector Count, Ultra ATA CRC Error Rate, Multi-zone Error
Rate, Spin-up Time, Relocation Event Count, and Current Pending Sector Count. The hard drive
updates and stores these attributes in the reserved area of the disk. The drive also stores a set of
attribute thresholds that correspond to the calculated attribute values. Each attribute threshold
indicates the point at which its corresponding attribute value achieves a negative reliability status.
3.15Security Mode
The Security Mode feature set allows the user to create a device lock password that prevents
unauthorized hard drive access even if the drive is removed from the computer.
3.15.1 Master and User Passwords
The manufacturer/dealer can set a master password using the Security Set Password command,
without enabling the device lock function. The user password should be given or changed by a
system user.
Master Password Identifier is supported and set to a default value of 00FE. If a Master Password is
set via a Security Set Password Command, a valid Master Password Revision code value of 0001h
– 00FEh must be used. A Master Password Identifier of 0000h is ignored.
When the master password is set, the drive does not enable the device lock function. When the user
password is set, the drive enables the device lock function, and the drive is locked after the next
power on reset or hard reset.
3.15.2 Security Levels
High - If High level security is set and the user password is forgotten, the master password can be
used to unlock the drive and access the data.
Maximum - If Maximum level security is set and the user password is forgotten, data access is
impossible. Only the master password with a Security Erase Unit command can unlock the drive
when the device lock function is enabled and the user password has been forgotten. When the
Security Erase Unit command is used to unlock the drive, all user data is erased.
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4.0AT COMMAND SET
4.1Host Interface Commands
4.1.1ATA-7/ATA-8 Commands
Table 4-1 lists the hexadecimal codes specific to each ATA-7/ATA-8 command supported by these
hard drives. Refer to the D1699 ATA8-ACS specification for full details on each command.
Table 4-1. ATA-7/ATA-8 Command Opcodes
COMMANDHEX OPCODE
CHECK POWER MODEE5
DEVICE CONFIGURATION OVERLAYB1
DOWNLOAD MICROCODE92
EXECUTE DEVICE DIAGNOSTIC90
FLUSH CACHEE7
FLUSH CACHE EXTEA
IDENTIFY DEVICEEC
IDLEE3
IDLE IMMEDIATEE1
NOP00
READ BUFFERE4
READ DMAC8
READ DMA EXT25
READ FPDMA QUEUED60
READ LOG EXT2F
READ LOG DMA EXT47
READ MULTIPLEC4
READ MULTIPLE EXT29
READ NATIVE MAX ADDRESSF8
READ NATIVE MAX ADDRESS EXT27
READ SECTOR(S)20
READ SECTORS(S) EXT24
READ VERIFY SECTOR(S) EXT42
READ VERIFY SECTORS(S)40
S.M.A.R.T.B0
SECURITY DISABLE PASSWORDF6
SECURITY ERASE PREPAREF3
SECURITY ERASE UNITF4
SECURITY FREEZE LOCKF5
SECURITY SET PASSWORDF1
SECURITY UNLOCKF2
SET FEATURESEF
SET MAXF9
SET MAX ADDRESS EXT37
SET MULTIPLEC6
SLEEPE6
STANDBYE2
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COMMANDHEX OPCODE
STANDBY IMMEDIATEE0
WRITE BUFFERE8
WRITE DMACA
WRITE DMA EXT35
WRITE FPDMA QUEUED61
WRITE LOG EXT3F
WRITE LOG DMA EXT57
WRITE MULTIPLEC5
WRITE MULTIPLE EXT39
WRITE SECTOR(S)30
WRITE SECTOR(S) EXT34
WRITE UNCORRECTABLE EXT45
4.1.2SATA Commands
Table 4-2 lists the hexadecimal codes specific to each SATA command supported by these hard
drives. Refer to the SATA specification for full details on each command.
Table 4-2. Optional Subcommands
COMMANDSUBFUNCTION
DOWNLOAD MICROCODEMode 3
4.1.3Obsolete Commands
Table 4-3 lists the hexadecimal codes specific to each obsolete command supported by these hard
drives.
Table 4-3. Obsolete Command Opcodes
COMMANDHEX OPCODE
INITIALIZE DEVICE PARAMETERS91
RECALIBRATE10
SEEK70
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4.1.4SCT Commands
SCT commands provide capabilities not covered in ATA/ATAPI-7 for commands that do not fit
the ATA command delivery model. Some SCT commands report completion when the command
begins execution. Execution progress for these commands may be checked by requesting SCT
status. See ATA8-ACS for a full description of SCT.
Table 4-4. SCT Action Codes
ACTION CODEDESCRIPTION
0000hRESERVED
0001hLong Sector Access
0004hFeatures Control
0005hSCT Data Tables
0006hVendor specific
0007hBFFFh Reserved
C000hFFFFh Vendor specific
4.2S.M .A.R .T. ( B0h )
The S.M.A.R.T. command provides access to attribute values, S.M.A.R.T. status, and other
S.M.A.R.T. information. These commands can be used for logging and reporting purposes, and for
accommodating special user needs.
Prior to writing the S.M.A.R.T. command to the Command Register, the host must write key values
into the LBA Mid and LBA High Registers (4Fh, C2h) or the command will be aborted and an
error will be reported.
The S.M.A.R.T. command has several sub-commands that are selectable via the Features Register
when the host issues the S.M.A.R.T. command. To select a sub-command, the host must write the
appropriate sub-command code to the Features Register before issuing the S.M.A.R.T. command.
The sub-commands and their respective codes are listed below. For more detailed information on
executing S.M.A.R.T. commands, please see the ATA specification.
4.2.1Read Attribute Values Sub-Command
This command returns a sector of data with the drive's S.M.A.R.T. data structure.
Table 4-5. Definitions for the 512 Bytes.
BYTEVALUEDESCRIPTION
0 - 10010hS.M.A.R.T. Data Structure Revision
2 - 361XXS.M.A.R.T. Attribute Data
Offline data collection status
0Xh OL disabled
362XX
363XXSelf-Test execution status byte.
8Xh OL enabled
X0h scan not run
X2h scan complete
X4h scan suspended
X5h scan aborted
00hThe previous self-test routine completed without error
or no self-test has ever been run
01hThe self-test routine was aborted by the host
02hThe self-test routine was interrupted by the host with a
hard or soft reset
03hA fatal error or unknown test error occurred while the
device was executing its self-test routine. The device
was unable to complete the self-test routine.
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BYTEVALUEDESCRIPTION
364 - 365XX
366XX
3677Bh
368 - 3690003h
37001h
371XX
372XX
373XX
374XX
375 - 510XX
511XX
04hThe previous self-test completed having a test element
05hThe previous self-test completed having a test element
06hThe previous self-test completed having a test element
07hThe previous self-test completed having a test element
08hThe previous self-test completed having a test element
090Eh
0FhSelf-test routine in progress
Total time in seconds to complete offline data collection activity
Reserved
Offline data collection capability. Bits are as follows:
S.M.A.R.T. Capability. Bits are as follows:
Error logging capability. Bits are as follows:
Reserved
Short self-test routine completion time in minutes
Extended self-test routine completion time in minutes
Conveyance self-test routine completion time in minutes
Reserved
Checksum
that failed. The test element that failed is not known.
that failed. The electrical element of the test failed.
that failed. The servo (and/or seek) test element of the
test failed.
that failed. The read element of the test failed.
that failed. The element damage is suspected to be
caused by handling.
Reserved
1 = Offline Immediate Command supported
0
1 = Auto Offline enable\disable command supported
1
0 = Offline will suspend on and will resume after host
2
command
1 = Offline read scan implemented
3
1 = DST Short and Extended tests supported
4
1 = DST Conveyance test supported
5
1 = DST Selective test supported
6
0 = Reserved
7
1 = The device saves SMART data prior to going into a
1
power saving mode
1 = Device complies with SMART data autosave after an
1
event
Reserved
2-15
1 = Error logging supported
0
Reserved
1
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4.2.2Supported Attributes
The drive supports the following attributes.
AttributeAttribute ID NumberPre-Failure/Advisory Bit
See “Temperature Reporting” on page 25 for a better mechanism.
2
194Advisory
(Status Flags bit 0)
1
Attributes that use the Pre-Failure/Advisory Bit Set can predict potential future degrading or faulty
conditions. Attributes with the Failure/Advisory Bit Clear are used for informational purposes only,
they do not indicate impending drive failure.
The S.M.A.R.T. data saving process is a background task. After a pre-determined idle period, the
self-monitoring data is automatically saved to the disk.
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4.2.3Read Log Sector
There are several logs that can be read with the S.M.A.R.T. Read Log Sector sub-command. The
LBA Low Register indicates the log sector to be returned.
Bit 15-8: 80h
Bit 7-0: 00h: Reserved
01h-FFh = Maximum number of logical sectors that shall be
transferred per DRQ data block on READ/WRITE
MULTIPLE commands
48Trusted Computing feature set options
Bit 15: Shall be cleared to zero
Bit 14: Shall be set to one
Bit 13-1: Reserved for the Trusted Computing Group
Bit 0: If set, Trusted Computing feature set is supported
49Capabilities
Bit 15-14: Reserved for the IDENTIFY PACKET DEVICE
command.
Bit 13: If set, Standby timer values as specified in this
standard are supported.
0 = Standby timer values shall be managed by the device
Bit 12: Reserved for the IDENTIFY PACKET DEVICE
command
Bit 11: If set, IORDY supported
Bit 10: If set, IORDY may be disabled
Bit 9: If set, LBA supported
Bit 8: If set, DMA supported
Bit 7-2: Reserved
Bit 1: Current Long Physical Alignment Setting
50Capabilities
Bit 15: Shall be cleared to zero.
Bit 14: Shall be set to one.
Bit 13-2: Reserved.
Bit 1: Obsolete
Bit 0: Shall be set to one to indicate a device specific
Standby timer value minimum
51-52Obsolete0
0
8010h
4000h
2F00h
4001h
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WORDFIELD DESCRIPTIONVALUE
53Additional Words Valid
Bit 8-15: Free-fall Control Sensitivity
00h = Vendor’s recommended setting
01h-FFh = Sensitivity level. A larger number is a
more sensitive setting.
Bit 7-3: Reserved
Bit 2: If set, the fields reported in word 88 are valid
Bit 1: If set, the fields reported in words 70-64 are valid
Bit 0: Obsolete
54-58Obsolete0
59Current Blocking Factor
Bit 15: 1=The BLOCK ERASE EXT command is supported
Bit 14: 1= The OVERWRITE EXT command is supported
Bit 13: 1=The CRYPTO Scramble EXT command is
supported
Bit 12: 1=The Sanitize feature set is supported
Bit 9-11 Reserved
Bit 8: 1=Multiple local sector setting is valid
Bit 0-7: Current setting for number of logical sectors that
shall be transferred per DRQ data block on READ/WRITE
Multiple commands
60-61Total number of user addressable logical sectors for
28 bit commands (DWord)
62Obsolete0
63Multi-Word DMA Transfer Mode Supported
Bit 15-11: Reserved
Bit 10: If set, Multiword DMA mode 2 is selected
Bit 9: If set, Multiword DMA mode 1 is selected
Bit 8: If set, Multiword DMA mode 0 is selected
Bit 7-3: Reserved
Bit 2: If set, Multiword DMA mode 2
Bit 1: If set, Multiword DMA mode 1
Bit 0: If set, Multiword DMA mode 0
64Advanced PIO Modes Supported
Bits 0-7: PIO Modes supported
65Min. Multi-Word DMA Transfer Cycle Time (ns)
Bit 15-0: Cycle time in nanoseconds
66Manufacturer Recommended Multi-Word DMA Cycle
Time
Bit 15-0: Cycle time in nanoseconds
67Min. PIO Transfer Cycle Time without flow control
Bit 15-0: Cycle time in nanoseconds
68Min. PIO Transfer Cycle Time with IORDY flow control
Bit 15-0: Cycle time in nanoseconds
69Additional Supported
Bit 15: If set, CFast Specification Support
Bit 14: If set, Deterministic data in trimmed LBA range(s) is
supported
Bit 13: If set, Long Physical Sector Alignment Error
Reporting Control is supported
Bit 12: If set, DEVICE CONFIGURATION IDENTIFY DMA
and DEVICE CONFIGURATION SET DMA are supported
Bit 11: If set, READ BUFFER DMA is supported
Bit 10: If set, WRITE BUFFER DMA is supported
Bit 9: If set, SET MAX SET PASSWORD DMA and SET
MAX UNLOCK DMA are supported
Bit 8: If set, DOWNLOAD MICROC
Bit 6: If set, Optional ATA device 28-bit commands
supportedODE DMA is supported
Bit 7: If set, Reserved for IEEE 1667
Bit 5: If set, Trimmed LBA range(s) returning zeroed data is
supported
Bit 4: If set, Device Encrypts All User Data
Bit 3: If set, Extended Number of User Addressable Sectors
is supported
Bit 2-0: Reserved
70Reserved0
0007h
XXh
0FFFFFFFh
XX07h
0003h
120
120
120
120
0
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WORDFIELD DESCRIPTIONVALUE
71-74Reserved for the Identify Packet Device command0
75Queue Depth
Bit 15-5: Reserved
Bit 4-0: Maximum queue depth - 1
76Serial ATA Capabilities
Bit 15-13: Reserved
Bit 12: Supports Native Command Queuing priority
information
Bit 11: Supports Unload while NCQ commands
outstanding
Bit 10: Supports Phy event counters
Bit 9: Supports receipt of host-initiated interface power
management requests
Bit 8: Supports Native Command Queuing (NCQ)
Bit 7-4: Reserved for future Serial ATA signaling speed
grades
Bit 3: 1=Supports Serial ATA Gen3 signal speed (6 Gb/s)
Bit 2: 1= Supports Serial ATA Gen2 signaling speed
(3 Gb/s)
Bit 1: 1= Supports Serial ATA Gen1 signaling speed
(1.5 Gb/s)
Bit 0: Shall be cleared to zero
77Reserved for Serial ATA0002h
78Serial ATA Features Supported
Bit 7-15: Reserved for Serial ATA
Bit 6: If set, device supports software settings preservation
Bit 5: Reserved for Serial ATA
Bit 4: If set, device supports in-order data delivery
Bit 3: If set, device supports initiating power management
Bit 2: If set, device supports DMA Setup Auto-activation
Bit 1: If set, device supports non-zero buffer offsets
Bit 0: Cleared to zero
79Serial ATA Features Enabled
Bits 7-15: Reserved for Serial ATA
Bit 6: If set, software settings preservation enabled
Bit 5: Reserved for Serial ATA
Bit 4: If set, In-order data delivery enabled
Bit 3: If set, device initiated power management enabled
Bit 2: If set, DMA Setup Auto-activation enabled
Bit 1: If set, non-zero buffer offsets enabled
Bit 0: Cleared to zero
80Major Version Number
Bit 15-10: Reserved
Bit 9: if set, supports ACS-2
Bit 8: if set, supports ATA8-ACS
Bit 7: if set, supports ATA/ATAPI-7
Bit 6: if set, supports ATA/ATAPI-6
Bit 5: if set, supports ATA/ATAPI-5
Bit 4 –1: Obsolete
Bit 0: Reserved
81Minor Version Number001Fh
82Command and feature sets supported
Bit 14: If set, NOP command supported
Bit 13: If set, Read buffer command supported
Bit 12: If set, Write buffer command supported
Bit 11: Obsolete
Bit 10: If set, Host Protected Area Feature Set supported
Bit 9: If set, Device Reset command supported
Bit 8: If set, Service interrupt supported
Bit 7: If set, Release interrupt supported
Bit 6: If set, look-ahead supported
Bit 5: If set, Write Cache supported
Bit 4: Cleared to 0 to indicate that the PACKET feature set
is not supported.
Bit 3: If set, mandatory Power Management Feature Set
supported
Bit 2: Obsolete
Bit 1: If set, Security Feature Set supported
Bit 0: If set, SMART Feature Set supported
1111 1111 0000 1110b
0000 0000 0100 1100b
0000 0000 0X0X XXX0b
0111 0100 0110 1011b
001Fh
FF0Eh
004Ch
03FEh
746Bh
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WORDFIELD DESCRIPTIONVALUE
83Command Set Supported
Bit 15: Shall be cleared to 0
Bit 14: Shall be set to 1
Bit 13: If set, Flush Cache EXT command supported
Bit 12: If set, mandatory Flush Cache command supported
Bit 11: If set, DCO feature set supported
Bit 10: If set, 48-bit Address Feature Set supported
Bit 9: Not supported
Bit 8: If set, Set Max Security Extension supported
Bit 7: Reserved
Bit 6: If set, Set Features subcommand required to spin-up
after power-up
Bit 5: If set, Power-Up In Standby feature set supported
Bit 4: Obsolete
Bit 3: If set, Advanced Power Management feature set
supported
Bit 2: If set, CFA feature set supported
Bit 1: If set, Read/Write DMA Queued supported
Bit 0: If set, Download Microcode command supported
84Command and feature sets supported
Bit 15: Shall be cleared to zero
Bit 14: Shall be set to one
Bit 13: If set, Idle Immediate with Unload Feature supported
Bit 12: Reserved
Bit 11: Reserved
Bit 9-10: Obsolete
Bit 8: If set, 64-bit World wide name supported
Bit 7: If set, Write DMA Queued FUA EXT command
supported
Bit 6: If set, Write DMA FUA EXT and Write Multiple FUA
EXT commands supported
Bit 5: If set, General Purpose Logging feature set supported
Bit 4: If set, Streaming Feature Set supported
Bit 3: Obsolete
Bit 2: If set, Media serial number supported
Bit 1: If set, SMART Self-Test supported
Bit 0: If set, SMART Error Logging supported
85Command and feature sets supported or enabled
Bit 15: Obsolete
Bit 14: If set, NOP command supported
Bit 13: If set, Read Buffer command supported
Bit 12: If set, Write Buffer command supported
Bit 11: Obsolete
Bit 10: If set, Host Protected Area has been established
Bit 9: If set, DEVICE RESET command supported
Bit 8: If set, SERVICE interrupt enabled
Bit 7: If set, Release Interrupt enabled
Bit 6: If set, Read look-ahead enabled
Bit 5: If set, Volatile Write cache enabled
Bit 4: Cleared to 0 to indicate that the PACKET feature set
is not supported
Bit 3: Set to 1 to indicate that the Mandatory Power
Management feature set is supported
Bit 2: Obsolete
Bit 1: If set, Security Feature Set enabled
Bit 0: If set, SMART Feature Set enabled
86Commands and feature sets supported or enabled
Bit 15: If set, Words 119-120 are valid
Bit 14: Reserved
Bit 13: If set, Flush Cache EXT command supported
Bit 12: If set, Flush Cache command supported
Bit 11: If set, Device Configuration Overlay supported
Bit 10: If set, 48-bit Address Feature Set supported
Bit 9: Not supported
Bit 8: If set, Set Max Security Extension enabled by Set Max
Set Password
Bit 7: Reserved
Bit 6: If set, Set Features subcommand required to spin-up
after power-up
Bit 5: If set, Power-Up In Standby feature set enabled
Bit 4: Obsolete
Bit 3: If set, Advanced Power Management feature set
enabled
Bit 2: If set, CFA Feature Set enabled
Bit 1: If set, Read/Write DMA Queued command supported
Bit 0: If set, Download Microcode command supported
0111 1101 0110 1001b
0110 0001 0010 0011b
0111 0X0X XXX0 10XXb
1011 11XX 01X0 X001b
7D69h
6123h
HGST Hard Disk Drive Technical Reference Manual
42
WORDFIELD DESCRIPTIONVALUE
87Commands and feature sets supported or enabled
Bit 15: Shall be cleared to zero
Bit 14: Shall be set to 1
Bit 13: If set, Idle Immediate with Unload Feature supported
Bit 12: Reserved
Bit 11: Reserved
Bit 9-10: Obsolete
Bit 8: If set, 64-bit World wide name supported
Bit 7: If set, Write DMA Queued FUA EXT command
supported
Bit 6: If set, Write DMA FUA EXT and Write Multiple FUA
EXT commands supported
Bit 5: If set, General Purpose Logging Feature Set
supported
Bit 4: Obsolete
Bit 3: If set, Media Card Pass Through Command feature
set supported
Bit 2: If set, Media serial number is valid
Bit 1: If set, SMART Self-Test supported
Bit 0: If set, SMART Error Logging supported
88Ultra DMA modes
Bit 15: Reserved
Bit 14: If set, Ultra DMA Mode 6 is selected
Bit 13: If set, Ultra DMA Mode 5 is selected
Bit 12: If set, Ultra DMA Mode 4 is selected
Bit 11: If set, Ultra DMA Mode 3 is selected
Bit 10: If set, Ultra DMA Mode 2 is selected
Bit 9: If set, Ultra DMA Mode 1 is selected
Bit 8: If set, Ultra DMA Mode 0 is selected
Bit 7: Reserved
Bit 6: Ultra DMA mode 6 supported
Bit 5: Ultra DMA mode 5 supported
Bit 4: Ultra DMA mode 4 supported
Bit 3: Ultra DMA mode 3 supported
Bit 2: Ultra DMA mode 2 supported
Bit 1: Ultra DMA mode 1 supported
Bit 0: Ultra DMA mode 0 supported
89Bit 15-8: Reserved
Bit 7-0: Time required for Normal Erase mode
SECURITY ERASE UNIT command
90Bit 15-8: Reserved
Bit 7-0: Time required for Normal Erase mode
SECURITY ERASE UNIT command
91Current APM level valueXXXXh
92Master Password IdentifierXXXXh
93Hardware reset result0
94Obsolete0
95Stream Minimum Request Size0
96Stream Transfer Time - DMA0
97Stream Access Latency -DMA and PIO0
98-99Stream Performance Granularity (Dword)0
0100 0001 0010 XX11b
XXXX XXXX 0111 1111b
xxh
xxh
100-103Total number of User Addressable Logical Sectors
(QWord)
104Streaming Transfer Time - PIO0
105Maximum number of 512 byte blocks per Data Set
Management command
106Physical sector size / logical sector size
Bit 15 Shall be cleared to zero
Bit 14 Shall be set to one
Bit 13 if set, Device has multiple logical sectors per physical sector.
Bit 12 if set, Device Logical Sector longer than 256 Words
Bits 11-4 Reserved
Bits 3-0 2X logical sectors per physical sector
HTS725050B7E630
(976,773,168)
6003h
HGST Hard Disk Drive Technical Reference Manual
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0
WORDFIELD DESCRIPTIONVALUE
107Inter-seek delay for ISO 7779 standard acoustic testing0
108-111World Wide NameXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
112-115Reserved0
116Reserved for TLC0
117-118Logical Sector size (DWord)0
119Commands and feature sets supported (Continued
120Commands and feature sets supported (Continued
121-126Reserved0
127Obsolete0
128Security Status
129-159Vendor Specific0
160CFA power mode
161-167Reserved for the CompactFlash™ Association0
168Device Nominal Form Factor
169Data Set Management Command
170-173Additional Product Identifier0
174-175Reserved0
from words 82-84)
Bit 15: Cleared to zero
Bit 14: Shall be set to one
Bit 13-8: Reserved
Bit 7: If set, Extended Power Conditions feature set
supported
Bit 6: If set, Sense Data Reporting supported
Bit 5: If set, Free-fall Control feature set is supported
Bit 4: If set, DOWNLOAD MICROCODE with offsets is
supported
Bit 3: If set, READ and WRITE DMA EXT GPL optional
commands are supported
Bit 2: If set, WRITE UNCORRECTABLE EXT supported
Bit 1: If set, Write-Read-Verify feature set is supported
Bit 0: Reserved for DDT
from words 85-87)
Bit 15: Cleared to zero
Bit 14: Shall be set to one
Bit 13-8: Reserved
Bit 7: If set, Extended Power Conditions feature set
supported
Bit 6: If set, Sense Data Reporting supported
Bit 5: If set, Free-fall Control feature set is supported
Bit 4: If set, DOWNLOAD MICROCODE with offsets is
supported
Bit 3: If set, READ and WRITE DMA EXT GPL optional
commands are supported
Bit 2: If set, WRITE UNCORRECTABLE EXT supported
Bit 1: If set, Write-Read-Verify feature set is supported
Bit 0: Reserved for DDT
Bit 15-9: Reserved
Bit 8: Security level (0 = High, 1 = Maximum)
Bit 7-6: Reserved
Bit 5: If set, Enhanced Security Erase supported
Bit 4: If set, Security count expired
Bit 3: If set, Security Frozen
Bit 2: If set, Security Locked
Bit 1: If set, Security enabled
Bit 0: If set, Security supported
Bit 15: Word 160 supported
Bit 14: Reserved
Bit 13: CFA power mode
Bit 12: CFA power mode 1 disable
Bit 11-0: Maximum current in ma
Bit 15-4: Reserved
Bit 3-0: Device Nominal Form Factor
Bit 15-1: Reserved
Bit 0: if set, the Trim bit in the Data Set Management
command supported
0100 0000 0001 1000b
4018h
0100 0000 0001 1000b
4018h
0000 000X 001X XXX1b
0
0
0
HGST Hard Disk Drive Technical Reference Manual
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WORDFIELD DESCRIPTIONVALUE
176-205Current Media Serial number0
206SCT Command Transport
Bit 15-12: Vendor Specific
Bit 11-6: Reserved
Bit 5: If set, SCT Data tables command supported
Bit 4: If set, SCT Features Control command supported
Bit 3: If set, SCT Error Recovery Control command
supported
Bit 2: If set, SCT Write Same command supported
Bit 1: If set, Obsolete
Bit 0: If set, SCT Command Transport supported
207-208Reserved0
209Alignment of logical blocks within a physical block
Bit 15: Shall be cleared to zero
Bit 14: Shall be set to one
Bits 13-0: Logical sector offset within the first physical
sector where the first logical sector is placed.
210-211Write-Read-Verify Sector Count Mode 30
212-213Write-Read-Verify Sector Count Mode 20
214NV Cache Capabilities
Bit 15-12: NV Cache feature set version
Bit 11-8: NV Cache Power Mode feature set version
Bit 7-5: Reserved
Bit 4: If set, NV Cache feature set enable
Bit 3-2: Reserved
Bit 1: If set, NV Cache Power Mode feature set enable
Bit 0: if set, NV Cache Power Mode feature set supported
215-216NV Cache Size in Logical Blocks0
217Nominal media rotation rate1C20h
218Reserved0
219NV Cache Options
Bit 15-8: Reserved
Bit 7-0: Device Estimate Time to spin up in seconds
220Bit 15-8: Reserved
Bit 7-0: Write-Read-Verify feature set current mode
221Reserved0
222Transport major version number
0000h or FFFFh=device does not report version
Bit 12-15: Transport Type (0h=Parallel 1h=Serial 2hFh=Reserved)
Bit 11-7: Reserved (Parallel, Serial)
Bit 6: Reserved SATA Rev. 3.1
Bit 5: Reserved SATA Rev. 3.0
Bit 4: Reserved SATA Rev. 2.6
Bit 3: Reserved SATA Rev. 2.5
Bit 2 : Reserved SATA II: Extensions
Bit 1: ATA/ATAPI-7 SATA 1.0a
Bit 0: ATA8-APT ATA8-AST
223Transport minor version number0
224-229Reserved0
230-233Extended Number of User Addressable Sectors (Qword)0
234Minimum number of 512-byte data blocks per
DOWNLOAD MICROCODE command for mode 03h
235Maximum number of 512-byte data blocks per
DOWNLOAD MICROCODE command for mode 03h
236-254Reserved0
255Integrity Word
Bit 15-8: Checksum
Bit 7-0: Signature
0011 0000 0011 0101b
3035h
4000h
0
0
0
0001 0000 0111 1110b
107Eh
0001h
1000h
XXA5h
HGST Hard Disk Drive Technical Reference Manual
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4.4Set Features (EFh)
The Set Features command enables or disables the features listed in the following table
FUNCTIONFEATURES
Enable read look-ahead
Disable read look-ahead
Enable write cache
Disable write cache
Set Transfer Mode03hDon’t care
Enable use of Serial ATA Feature10h02h-DMA Setup FIS Auto-Activate optimization
Disable use of Serial ATA Feature90h02h-DMA Setup FIS Auto-Activate optimization
Enable the PUIS feature set
Disablethe PUIS feature set
PUIS feature set device spinup
Enable/disable reverting to defaults
1
Changes are only valid while power remains applied to the drive. After power is cycled, the drive reverts to the default
settings.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
REGISTER
SECTOR COUNT REGISTER
AAhDon’t care
55hDon’t care
02hDon’t care
82hDon’t care
03h-Device-initiated interface power state
transitions
06h-Software Settings Preservation
03h-Device-initiated interface power state
transitions
06h-Software Settings Preservation
06hDon’t care
86hDon’t care
07hDon’t care
66hDon’t care
HGST Hard Disk Drive Technical Reference Manual
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5.0INSTALLATION AND SETUP PROCEDURES
Hard drives are precision instruments that must be handled with care to prevent damage. It is important to
understand that drives are typically damaged due to electrostatic discharge (ESD), pressing on the top cover,
rough handling, or shock and vibration. Also refer to the HGST 2.5-inch Hard Drive Handling poster (part
number 2378-701047) for details on drive handling.
Important: If your system does not support hot plugging (see “Hot Plug Support” on page 28), it must be turned off and
unplugged before installing your hard drive.
5.1Unpacking
5.1.1Handling Precautions
HGST products are designed to withstand normal handling during unpacking and installation. Take
care to avoid excessive mechanical shock, pressing on the top cover, or electrostatic discharge
(ESD) which can permanently damage the hard drive and void the warranty. Hard drives are
typically damaged because of ESD, rough handling, or shock and vibration.
Figure 5-1. Drive Handling Precautions
Hard drives are delicate, precision instruments and should be handled with care at all times.
Hard drives are typically damaged by rough handling, shock, vibration, and electrostatic discharge (ESD).
Handle the Drive ONLY by its Sides
DO NOT Press on the Top Cover of the Drive
To avoid ESD problems, wear a properly grounded wrist strap when handling the hard drive.
Articles of clothing generate static electricity. Do not allow clothing to come in direct contact with
the hard drive or circuit board components.
When the drive is not in its shipping container or installed in its proper host enclosure, it must
remain in the antistatic bag. To prevent damage, do not unpack your drive until you are ready to
install it.
CAUTION:To avoid damage to internal drive components, do not apply a load greater than
2.6 lbf to a circular 10 mm diameter area anywhere on the top cover. Chassis
design should allow for sufficient clearance and support to prevent loads from
being transferred to the drive top cover.
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5.1.2Inspection of Shipping Container
Carefully examine the container for obvious shipping damage, such as: holes, signs of crushing, or
stains. Notify the carrier and your HGST representative if you observe any shipment damage.
Always move the shipping container in the upright position indicated by the arrows on the
container.
5.1.3Removal From Shipping Container
Remove the drive from the shipping container only for inspection or installation. Carefully open the
box. When removing the drive from the box, follow these precautions:
Grasp the drive by the sides only; avoid touching the circuit board components.
Gently place the drive on its antistatic bag on a clean, level, grounded work area.
Do not stack drives or stand the drive on its edge.
CAUTION:When removing the drive from the shipping container, be careful not to drop it.
Dropping the drive can severely damage the head disk assembly or printed
circuit board.
5.1.4Removal From Static Shielding Bag
Before removing the drive from its static shielding bag:
Make sure that your work station is properly grounded.
Wear a properly grounded wrist strap with good skin contact.
Avoid contact with any component on the printed circuit board.
Figure 5-2. Hard Drive Removal From Static Shielding Bag
After attaching your wrist strap, gently remove the drive from the static shielding bag.
Handle the drive by the sides only; avoid touching the printed circuit board.
Handle the drive with the printed circuit board facing downward during installation.
The unit should not be moved during drive activity.
The unit is not intended as a portable device.
Do not attempt to open the drive and service it yourself. Removing the cover may expose you
to harmful electrical voltages and will void the warranty.
To allow ventilation, do not block the air slots on the underside and rear of the enclosure.
Do not remove the tape seal or any labels from the drive; this will void the warranty.
5.1.5Moving Precautions
If you need to move your computer, turn off the power to automatically park the heads. Parking
moves the heads to a safe, non-data landing zone where they lock into place. This helps protect the
media and the heads from accidental damage due to vibration, moving, or shipping.
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5.2Bare Drive Handling External Force
Cover stiffness must be sufficient to prevent cover-to-media or cover-to-hub contact when a 2.6 lbf
load is applied to a circular 10 mm diameter area anywhere on the cover.
5.3Mounting Restrictions
Important: Your system must be turned off and unplugged before installing your hard drive.
5.3.1Orientation
You can mount the hard drive in the X, Y, or Z axis, depending upon the physical design of your
system. For best results, mount the drive with all four screws grounded to the chassis. If all four
screws are not used, see "Grounding" on page 50.
5.3.2Screw Type and Screw Length Limitations
The hard drive should be mounted to the chassis using four M3 screws. Recommended screw
torque is 5 in-lb. Maximum screw torque is 6 in-lb.
CAUTION: Screws that are too long can damage the hard drive. Hard drive screw penetration
can differ between products depending upon hard drive design. HGST's minimum
design criteria is to always meet the SFF 8201 industry standard specification.
The industry standard as defined in the SFF 8201, specifies for Side Mounting a
maximum of 3 mm screw penetration, and a minimum of 3 threads engagement,
for Bottom Mounting a maximum of 2.5 mm screw penetration, and a minimum
of 2.5 threads engagement.
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49
5.3.3Grounding
For best results, mount the drive with all four screws in the side grounded to the chassis (positions
A, B, C, and D below). You must ground the drive with at least one mounting screw.
When mounting the drive in a chassis or system, the chassis or system should never contact the
cross-hatched area “E” to prevent electrical shorting of the PCBA or drive. Contact should be
limited to the side mounting (A,B,C, and D) or top facing mounting (1,2,3, and 4).
Figure 5-3. Grounding Diagram
Side Mounting – Use four metal screws in A, B, C, and D. If less than four screws are used, remove
in this order: C, D, and then B. You must use a screw in position A.
Top face Mounting–Use four metal screws in 1, 2, 3 and 4. If less than four screws are used, remove
in this order: 2, 4, and then 3. You must use a screw in position 1.
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5.4Jumper Settings
It is not necessary to put a jumper shunt on the drive for notebook use. Advanced settings for the
drive are as follows:
RPS Mode – RPS feature. Default setting is disabled
Figure 5-4. Jumper Settings
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6.0MAINTENANCE
The hard drive requires no preventative maintenance and contains no user-serviceable parts. The service and
repair of HGST drives can only be performed at a HGST Service Center. Please contact your HGST
representative for warranty information and service/return procedures.
Observe the following precautions to prolong the life of the drive:
Do not attempt to open the sealed compartment of the HGST drive as this will void the warranty.
Do not lift a HGST drive by the printed circuit board.
Avoid static discharge when handling a HGST drive.
Avoid harsh shocks or vibrations.
Do not touch the components on the printed circuit board.
Do not obstruct or cover any holes on the drive’s cover. Air must be able to pass through these holes to the
external air filter for normal operation of the drive.
Observe the environmental limits specified for this product.
To protect your data, back it up regularly. HGST assumes no responsibility for loss of data. For information
about back-up and restore procedures, consult your operating system manual. There are also a number of
utility programs available that you can use to back up your data.
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7.0GLOSSARY
Active LED Status - HGST SATA drives support external LED requirements. It provides an activity LED
output which is ON during command execution and OFF otherwise.
Advanced Format (AF) — Technology adopted by HGST and other drive manufacturers to increase media
format efficiencies, thus enabling larger drive capacities.
Annualized Failure Rate (AFR) - A method of measuring failure rates or trends for a group of units at a site.
The rates are based on the monthly total number of returned field failure units divided by the total cumulative
installed base and multiplied by 12 (to annualize the failure rate).
Automatic Defect Retirement - If defective sectors are found during a read or write, they are automatically
mapped out and relocated.
Block - A group of bytes handled, stored, and accessed as a logical data unit, such as an individual file record.
Buffer - A temporary data storage area that compensates for a difference in data transfer rates and/or data
processing rates between sender and receiver.
Data Lifeguard™ — Representing HGST's ongoing commitment to data protection, Data Lifeguard data
protection utilities include thermal management, an environmental protection system, and embedded error
detection and repair features that automatically detect, isolate, and repair problem areas that may develop over
the extended use of the hard drive.
Data Transfer Rate -The rate that digital data is transferred from one point to another, expressed in bits per
second or bytes per second.
Data Transfer Rate to Disk: The internal disk transfer rate in Mbits per second.
Data Transfer Rate from the Buffer to the Host: Based on the transfer of buffered data in MB per second.
Defect Management -A general methodology of eliminating data errors on a recording surface by mapping out
known bad areas of the media.
ECC On-the-Fly -A hardware correction technique that corrects errors in the read buffer prior to host transfer
without any performance penalties. These error corrections are invisible to the host system because they do not
require assistance from the drive’s firmware.
Error Correction Code (ECC) -A mathematical algorithm that can detect and correct errors in a data field by
adding check bits to the original data.
F.I.T. (Functional Integrity Testing) - A suite of tests HGST performs on all its drive products to ensure
compatibility with different hosts, operating systems, application programs, and peripherals. This testing must
be performed before the product can be released to manufacturing.
Fluid Dynamic Bearings (FDB) - Bearing design that incorporates a layer of high-viscosity lubricant instead of
ball bearings in the hard drive spindle motor. As an alternative to conventional ball bearing technology, FDB
designs provide increased non-operational shock resistance, speed control, and improved acoustics.
Formatted Capacity - The actual capacity available to store data in a mass storage device. The formatted
capacity is the gross capacity minus the capacity taken up by the overhead data required for formatting the
media.
Hot Plugging - The ability to swap out a failed hard drive without having to power down the system or reboot.
Latency - The period of time that the read/write heads wait for the disk to rotate the data to an accessible
position.
Logical Address - A storage location address that may or may not relate directly to a physical location. The
logical address is usually used when requesting information from a controller. The controller performs a logicalto-physical address conversion and retrieves the data from a physical location in the storage device.
Logical Block Address - An alternative addressing methodology of identifying a given location on an SATA
drive that permits disk sizes greater than 528 MB.
Perpendicular Magnetic Recording (PMR) - In PMR, the magnetization of each data bit is aligned vertically
rather than longitudinally to the spinning disk. The adjacent bits attract instead of repel (as with bar magnets
placed side by side), creating more thermally stable bits.
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PRML (Partial Response Maximum Likelihood) - A read channel using sampled data, active equalization and
Veterbi detection to accurately retrieve the user data off the disk.
Reduced Power Spinup (RPS) — HGST’s optimized start up feature specifically designed for the external hard
drive and Consumer Electronics (CE) market. Specific focus for RPS is to minimize the duration and magnitude
of the peak power consumption from the hard drive.
RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances) — HGST complies with the Restriction of Hazardous
Substances (RoHS) Directive 2002/95/EC of the European Parliament, which is effective in the EU beginning
July 1, 2006. RoHS aims to protect human health and the environment by restricting the use of certain
hazardous substances in new equipment, and consists of restrictions on lead, mercury, cadmium, and other
substances.
Rotational Latency - The amount of delay in obtaining information from a hard drive that can be attributed to
the rotation of the disk.
RPM (Revolutions per Minute) - Rotational speed of the media (disk), also known as the spindle speed. Hard
drives spin at one constant speed. The slower the RPM, the higher the mechanical latencies. Disk RPM is a
critical component of hard drive performance because it directly impacts the rotational latency of the disk
transfer rate.
Serial ATA (SATA) - SATA is the next generation bus interface for hard drives. It is designed to replace Parallel
ATA, and has many advantages including increased transfer rate, improved signal integrity, enhanced data
protection, and hot plugging.
Sector - A 512- or 4K-byte packet of data.
Seek Time - The time it takes for the read/write head to move to a specific block of data on the hard drive. The
average seek time is computed by dividing the time it takes to complete a large number of random seeks by the
number of seeks performed.
Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T.) - A technology to assist the user in
preventing possible system down time due to hard drive failure.
S.M.A.R.T. Command Transport (SCT) — The SCT Command Transport feature set provides a method for a
host to send commands and data to a device and for a device to send data and status to a host using log pages.
System-on-Chip - The System-on-Chip (SOC) is the foundation for HGST's next generation electronics and
firmware architecture. The native SATA SOC lowers component count by integrating a hard disk controller,
high performance processor, high speed execution SRAM, and read channel in a 128-pin package.
Unrecoverable Error - A read error that cannot be overcome by an ECC scheme or by rereading the data when
host retries are enabled.
Write Cache - A feature in CacheFlow that posts “command complete” prior to completing the actual write.
Data Lifeguard, 26
Data Transfer Rate, 11
DC Magnetic Field Susceptibility, 18
Defect Management, 27
Device Plug Connector Pin Definitions, 19
Dimensions, 12