SMARTdb update {mini tutorial} ;)

[guletz]

Hi to all,

1. What problem do we want to solve?

- we want to have a updated database regarding SMART info((Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology; often written as SMART)), because
the developers of smartmontools make updates frequently about HDDs/SSDs/and so on

2. How it can be done?

- the short answer: running from command line

/usr/sbin/update-smart-drivedb

- details bellow:

a. Check if the /usr/sbin/update-smart-drivedb can show a output like this, and if you want you can adjuts the command with some parameters(see update-smart-drivedb --help)
- in my case, I can see at firs run this:

/usr/sbin/update-smart-drivedb
/var/lib/smartmontools/drivedb/drivedb.h updated from branches/RELEASE_7_2_DRIVEDB

- if I run again, then I see this:

update-smart-drivedb
/var/lib/smartmontools/drivedb/drivedb.h is already up to date

- OK, so smartmontools data-base is up-to-date

b. Create a schedule so smartmontools can be updated automaticaly(weekly)

- create a new file with with your prefered editor(nano, mcedit, ...) or:

echo "/usr/sbin/update-smart-drivedb >> /var/log/syslog" > /etc/cron.weekly/smart-update

- I want to see the result of the command in my logs, so I use >> ... . It could be any files under /var/log if you want!

- make the permission for smart-update file(we want to be able to run):

chmod 750 /etc/cron.weekly/smart-update

c. Check if all is OK, running from shell:
- it can be executed?

/etc/cron.weekly/smart-update

- you will not see any output(because we redirected the output to a log file)

- I can see anything in my log-file?

cat /var/log/syslog|grep drivedb.h
/var/lib/smartmontools/drivedb/drivedb.h is already up to date

- If you can see some info like this then, you are OK!


Nota Bene: sorry for my bad English skils

Good luck / Bafta !