PLScsi

PLScsi makes talking SCSI to your storage as easy as typing AT commands into a dial-up modem.

PLScsi makes each SCSI fragment as interactive as a C interpreter could, taking the SCSI CDB in hex from the command line and streaming the binary data in/out thru stdout or stdin. Think: { open(); ioctl{}; close(); exit(); }

1. the PLScsi application,

2. its source code in C,

3. links to gratis C compilers, and

4. technical discussion of SCSI pass thru.

Dos, Linux 2.6/ 2.4, Mac OS X/ OF, Solaris, Windows Vista/ XP/ 2K, Windows ME/ 98/ 95/ 3.1

CardBus, FireWire (aka iLink aka 1394), PATA/ PATAPI (aka parallel IDE aka ATA/ ATAPI), PC Card, SATA/ SATAPI, SAS, SPI (aka parallel SCSI), USB

gui = graphical user interface (not yet complete)

pldd = i/o streams conventionally shattered into multiple CDB's, described by a command line resembling Unix dd

plscsi = single arbitrary CDB's, described by a command line

gccscsi = single arbitrary CDB's, described by C code

Learning to use a tool like PLScsi will probably remind you of the need to backup often. If you won't enjoy that lesson, then please don't pick up the tool. Potential side effects include kernel panics, destroyed discs, destroyed devices, and even imperceptibly subtle forms of data corruption. Storage devices differ from modems first by being designed to record your mistakes permanently, and second by defining some commands or sequences of commands to mean self-destruct.

We have not yet heard of anyone hurt by trying `plscsi -w`, which lists all devices to which your O.S. has given one of the well-known SCSI device names. We do recommend first trying `plscsi -w` only while no drives are sleeping, spinning up, or spinning down.

Please write to share your experience of PLScsi. As our "posted by" mailto links suggest, please include the word plscsi in the Subject line of your e-mail. Blank subject lines and vague subject lines like "hi" help lose your e-mail as if it were spam.

Storage/ PLScsi/