Out-of-order lifetimes in SMART self-test log

Question

I was peeking at a server's SMART log, and noticed this (emphasis mine):

SMART Self-test log structure revision number 1
Num  Test_Description    Status                  Remaining  LifeTime(hours)  LBA_of_first_error
# 1  Extended offline    Completed without error       00%   ***4433***      -
# 2  Extended offline    Completed without error       00%   ***4804***      -
# 3  Short offline       Completed without error       00%   ***3908***      -
# 4  Extended offline    Completed without error       00%      3126         -
# 5  Extended offline    Completed without error       00%      2847         -
# 6  Short offline       Completed without error       00%      2833         -
# 7  Extended offline    Completed without error       00%      2811         -
# 8  Short offline       Completed without error       00%      2803         -
# 9  Extended offline    Interrupted (host reset)      90%      2792         -
#10  Extended offline    Completed without error       00%      1796         -
#11  Extended offline    Completed without error       00%      1778         -
#12  Extended offline    Completed without error       00%        24         -
#13  Extended offline    Completed without error       00%         5         -

Note the LifeTime(hours), where the log line 1 seem to be out of order.

Is this reason enough to be concerned, or are there benign circumstances in which this may happen?

The following is the full SMART log, which otherwise looks okay to me, so I'm not too worried:

root@server ~ # smartctl -a /dev/sdb
smartctl 6.5 2016-01-24 r4214 [x86_64-linux-4.4.0-66-generic] (local build)
Copyright (C) 2002-16, Bruce Allen, Christian Franke, www.smartmontools.org

=== START OF INFORMATION SECTION ===
Model Family:     Western Digital RE4 (SATA 6Gb/s)
Device Model:     WDC WD3000FYYZ-01UL1B2
Serial Number:    WD-WCC136FFNX77
LU WWN Device Id: 5 0014ee 20bde640d
Firmware Version: 01.01K03
User Capacity:    3,000,592,982,016 bytes [3.00 TB]
Sector Size:      512 bytes logical/physical
Rotation Rate:    7200 rpm
Device is:        In smartctl database [for details use: -P show]
ATA Version is:   ATA8-ACS (minor revision not indicated)
SATA Version is:  SATA 3.0, 6.0 Gb/s (current: 6.0 Gb/s)
Local Time is:    Fri Apr  7 17:31:43 2017 CEST
SMART support is: Available - device has SMART capability.
SMART support is: Enabled

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

General SMART Values:
Offline data collection status:  (0x84) Offline data collection activity
                                        was suspended by an interrupting command from host.
                                        Auto Offline Data Collection: Enabled.
Self-test execution status:      (   0) The previous self-test routine completed
                                        without error or no self-test has ever
                                        been run.
Total time to complete Offline
data collection:                (35220) seconds.
Offline data collection
capabilities:                    (0x7b) SMART execute Offline immediate.
                                        Auto Offline data collection on/off support.
                                        Suspend Offline collection upon new
                                        command.
                                        Offline surface scan supported.
                                        Self-test supported.
                                        Conveyance Self-test supported.
                                        Selective Self-test supported.
SMART capabilities:            (0x0003) Saves SMART data before entering
                                        power-saving mode.
                                        Supports SMART auto save timer.
Error logging capability:        (0x01) Error logging supported.
                                        General Purpose Logging supported.
Short self-test routine
recommended polling time:        (   2) minutes.
Extended self-test routine
recommended polling time:        ( 382) minutes.
Conveyance self-test routine
recommended polling time:        (   5) minutes.
SCT capabilities:              (0x70bd) SCT Status supported.
                                        SCT Error Recovery Control supported.
                                        SCT Feature Control supported.
                                        SCT Data Table supported.

SMART Attributes Data Structure revision number: 16
Vendor Specific SMART Attributes with Thresholds:
ID# ATTRIBUTE_NAME          FLAG     VALUE WORST THRESH TYPE      UPDATED  WHEN_FAILED RAW_VALUE
  1 Raw_Read_Error_Rate     0x002f   200   200   051    Pre-fail  Always       -       1
  3 Spin_Up_Time            0x0027   150   149   021    Pre-fail  Always       -       11466
  4 Start_Stop_Count        0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       -       32
  5 Reallocated_Sector_Ct   0x0033   200   200   140    Pre-fail  Always       -       0
  7 Seek_Error_Rate         0x002e   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
  9 Power_On_Hours          0x0032   093   093   000    Old_age   Always       -       5476
 10 Spin_Retry_Count        0x0032   100   253   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
 11 Calibration_Retry_Count 0x0032   100   253   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
 12 Power_Cycle_Count       0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       -       32
183 Runtime_Bad_Block       0x0032   100   100   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
192 Power-Off_Retract_Count 0x0032   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       -       3
193 Load_Cycle_Count        0x0032   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       -       28
194 Temperature_Celsius     0x0022   111   103   000    Old_age   Always       -       41
196 Reallocated_Event_Count 0x0032   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
197 Current_Pending_Sector  0x0032   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
198 Offline_Uncorrectable   0x0030   200   200   000    Old_age   Offline      -       0
199 UDMA_CRC_Error_Count    0x0032   200   200   000    Old_age   Always       -       0
200 Multi_Zone_Error_Rate   0x0008   200   200   000    Old_age   Offline      -       1

SMART Error Log Version: 1
No Errors Logged

SMART Self-test log structure revision number 1
Num  Test_Description    Status                  Remaining  LifeTime(hours)  LBA_of_first_error
# 1  Extended offline    Completed without error       00%      4433         -
# 2  Extended offline    Completed without error       00%      4804         -
# 3  Short offline       Completed without error       00%      3908         -
# 4  Extended offline    Completed without error       00%      3126         -
# 5  Extended offline    Completed without error       00%      2847         -
# 6  Short offline       Completed without error       00%      2833         -
# 7  Extended offline    Completed without error       00%      2811         -
# 8  Short offline       Completed without error       00%      2803         -
# 9  Extended offline    Interrupted (host reset)      90%      2792         -
#10  Extended offline    Completed without error       00%      1796         -
#11  Extended offline    Completed without error       00%      1778         -
#12  Extended offline    Completed without error       00%        24         -
#13  Extended offline    Completed without error       00%         5         -

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

Thanks!

shodanshok · Answer 1 · 2017-04-08T04:52:22.990

1

In some old disk, the lifetime (or power on hours) can advance erratically. However, based on your complete smartctl report, this seems not the case.

Overall, you disks seems an healthy one, with a catch: its attribute #200 Multi_Zone_Error_Rate is non-zero, reporting 1 bad/unsuccessful sector write. Keep an eye on this value and, if it is increasing, replace the disk.

edited Apr 08 '17 at 04:52

answered Apr 07 '17 at 21:44

shodanshok

47,711
7
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Did you really mean "However (...) this seems to [be] the case"? For me, it doesn't - it's a new disk, installed a little over 6 months. Also, it didn't advance - it went back! Regarding #200, like #1, a value of 1 doesn't bother me. Yes, it will if it increases. – Valmiky Arquissandas Apr 08 '17 at 00:00
Sorry, I misspelled the reply: this seems **not** the case. I've updated my answer. – shodanshok Apr 08 '17 at 04:53

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Jun 01 '22 at 09:31

The below doesn't apply to OP's case, but the symptoms match the subject line ("out-of-order lifetimes in SMART self-test log"):

Today, I noticed that (one of) my hard drive(s) seems to have only 16 bits for the "Life Time" in the Self-test logs: the disk has Power_On_Hours of 70300 plus change, but last night's self-test was logged at just below 4800 hours of life, the difference between the two numbers being precisely 65536 (=2^16).

Out-of-order lifetimes in SMART self-test log

2 Answers2