SATA-Disk Module 5A
APSDMxxxG42AN-CTX
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© 2016 Apacer Technology Inc. Rev. 1.0
6. Software Interface
6.1 Command Set
This section defines the software requirements and the format of the commands the host sends to
SDM5A. Commands are issued to SDM5A by loading the required registers in the command block with
the supplied parameters, and then writing the command code to the Command register.
Table 6-1 Command Set
Execute Device Diagnostic
Initialize Device Parameters
Security Disable Password
6.2 S.M.A.R.T.
S.M.A.R.T. is an abbreviation for Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology, a self-monitoring
system that provides indicators of drive health as well as potential disk problems. It serves as a warning
for users from unscheduled downtime by monitoring and displaying critical drive information. Ideally, this
should allow taking proactive actions to prevent drive failure and make use of S.M.A.R.T. information for
future product development reference.
Apacer devices use the standard SMART command B0h to read data out from the drive to activate our
S.M.A.R.T. feature that complies with the ATA/ATAPI specifications. S.M.A.R.T. Attribute IDs shall
include initial bad block count, total later bad block count, maximum erase count, average erase count,
power on hours and power cycle. When the S.M.A.R.T. Utility running on the host, it analyzes and reports
the disk status to the host before the device reaches in critical condition.
