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1.207.  sg3_utils

1.207.1.  RHBA-2009:1357: bug fix and enhancement update

Updated sg3_utils packages that fix several bugs and add an enhancement are now available.
The sg3_utils package contains a collection of tools for SCSI devices that use the Linux SCSI generic (sg) interface. It includes utilities to copy data based on "dd" syntax and semantics (the sg_dd, sgp_dd and sgm_dd commands), check INQUIRY data and associated pages (sg_inq), check mode and log pages (sg_modes and sg_logs), spin disks up and/or down (sg_start) and perform self-tests (sg_senddiag), along well as various other utilities.
These updated sg3_utils packages provide the following enhancement:
  • for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.4 a new shell script, "rescan-scsi-bus.sh", has been added to the sg3_utils package. This script utilizes the capabilities of the Linux kernel to add and remove SCSI devices without the need to reboot the machine or reload a kernel module. (BZ#507379)
    This script should be considered a Technology Preview for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.4.

Warning

the rescan-scsi-bus.sh script can remove storage devices from the system as well as add them. Before issuing any command that may cause device removal from the operating system, close all users of the device; unmount any file systems mounting the device; and remove the device from any dm, md, LVM, multipath or RAID setups using it. If you intend, therefore, to add or remove devices from a bus while i/o is on-going, perform these operations on one device at a time and check the results as each step is completed. Do not perform a scan that adds and removes devices at the same time. See the Online Storage Reconfiguration Guide for a complete overview of this topic. (BZ#467201)

Note

"sd" device names are not persistent and may change when devices are removed or added. Use WWIDs or disk metadata to reliably identify devices.
In addition, these updated sg3_utils packages provide fixes for the following bugs:
  • the "sg_map26" command was unable to correctly map the device names for greater than 32 tape drives on a single system. This has been fixed so that it can correctly map 32 or more tape drives. (BZ#468040)
  • the "sg_map26" command's usage information contained an incorrect statement regarding what function the '--verbose' ('-v') flag performed. The usage information for this command has been clarified. (BZ#431190)
  • the "sg_test_rwbuf" command's usage information showed the '--verbose' ('-v') description twice, and omitted the line describing the '--version' option. This has been fixed in these updated packages. (BZ#431193)
  • the "sginfo" command's information page omitted a description for the '-v' option. (BZ#433614)
  • the "sg_wr_mode" command's information page contained the option '--hex', which is non-existent, instead of '--help'. (BZ#433773)
  • due to an option-handling error, the "sg_get_config" command's '--brief' and '-b' options, which show undecoded feature names, presented differing output. (BZ#433779)
  • the "sg_ses" command's usage information contained a typo: the option is actually '--byte1' instead of simply '--byte'. (BZ#435100)
  • the "sg_read_long" command sometimes exited with an incorrect exit code. This has been fixed in these updated packages. (BZ#435275)
  • the "sg_persist" command's usage information incorrectly contained a reference to the '--prout-sark' option instead of, correctly, '--param-sark'. (BZ#435677)
  • the sg_wr_mode(8) man page contained, in the "EXAMPLES" section, examples that used incorrect options with the "sg_modes" comamnd. These command string examples have been corrected. (BZ#437147)
Users are advised to upgrade to these updated sg3_utils packages, which resolve these issues and add this enhancement.

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