3 Useful GUI and Terminal Based Linux Disk Scanning Tools

Introduction

Disk scanning is an essential task for any system administrator or user. Disk scanning tools are used to analyze and diagnose problems with storage devices, including hard drives and solid-state drives. Linux operating systems have several tools available for disk scanning, including GUI and terminal-based options. In this article, we will discuss three of most useful Linux disk scanning tools.

GSmartControl

GSmartControl is a graphical user interface (GUI) tool for Linux that allows users to check health of their hard drives and solid-state drives. This tool provides detailed information about disk's health, including temperature, read and write error rates, and number of bad sectors on drive.

GSmartControl is easy to use and provides a clean interface that displays all relevant information about disk. tool uses SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) feature of modern hard drives and solid-state drives to diagnose issues.

To use GSmartControl, first, install tool using package manager on your Linux distribution. Once installed, launch application from system menu. tool will detect all storage devices connected to system and display them in a list.

For example, if you want to check health of your hard drive, click on device in list, and GSmartControl will display all relevant information about disk's health. You can view information such as disk's temperature, power-on hours, and number of bad sectors detected.

GSmartControl also provides a self-test feature that allows users to check disk's performance and identify any potential issues. To perform a self-test, select disk you want to test and click on "Perform Tests" button. tool supports both short and long self-tests, which can be initiated from tool's interface.

Overall, GSmartControl is a user-friendly tool that provides a clean interface displaying all relevant information about disk. It uses SMART feature of modern hard drives and solid-state drives to diagnose issues, making it a useful tool for Linux users who want to ensure their storage devices are in good health.

Badblocks

Badblocks is a terminal-based tool for Linux that is used to scan for bad blocks on a storage device. Bad blocks are sectors on a disk that are no longer usable due to physical damage or other issues. These bad blocks can cause data loss or corruption and can result in system crashes.

To use Badblocks, first, install tool using package manager on your Linux distribution. Once installed, open terminal and type following command to start a scan −

badblocks -v /dev/sda

Replace /dev/sda with name of device you want to scan. tool will start scanning disk for bad blocks and display progress in terminal. -v flag is used to enable verbose output, which displays more detailed information about scan.

Badblocks has several options that can be used to customize scan, including ability to specify block size and number of blocks to scan. tool can also be used to write patterns to disk and test for read and write errors.

fsck

fsck is a terminal-based tool for Linux that is used to check and repair file systems. File systems are structures that organize data on a storage device and are essential for operating system to access and store files. Over time, file systems can become corrupt due to hardware issues, power failures, or other factors. When a file system becomes corrupt, data loss or corruption can occur, and system may become unstable.

To use fsck, first, unmount file system you want to check. This is important because fsck can only repair file systems that are not in use. To unmount a file system, use umount command followed by mount point of file system. For example, to unmount /dev/sda1 file system mounted at /mnt, type following command −

umount /mnt

Once file system is unmounted, type following command to start scan −

fsck /dev/sda1

Replace /dev/sda1 with name of device and partition you want to scan. tool will start scanning file system for errors and display progress in terminal. If errors are found, fsck will prompt you to fix them. In some cases, fsck may not be able to repair file system automatically, and manual intervention may be required.

fsck has several options that can be used to customize scan, including ability to force a scan even if file system appears to be clean and ability to repair specific types of errors.

Conclusion

Disk scanning is an essential task for any Linux system administrator or user. tools we have discussed in this article provide different ways to scan and diagnose issues with storage devices. GSmartControl is a useful GUI tool that provides detailed information about health of hard drives and solid-state drives. Badblocks is a terminal-based tool that scans for bad blocks on a disk, and fsck is a terminal-based tool that checks and repairs file systems.

Each tool has its advantages and disadvantages, and choice of which tool to use will depend on specific needs of user. However, using a combination of these tools can provide a comprehensive view of health of storage devices and ensure that data is protected against potential loss or corruption.