REASSIGN(8)             COMMAND REFERENCE             REASSIGN(8)



NAME
     reassign - replace a defective disk block

SYNOPSIS
     /etc/reassign [ -a ] special block

DESCRIPTION
     Reassign instructs the SCSI hard disk controller to replace
     a defective block with an alternate block.  The alternate
     blocks were allocated by the controller when the disk was
     formatted.  Reassign will attempt to read block before doing
     the reassign.  After the reassignment reassign will read
     block again and compare it with the original.  If the data
     are the same, reassign assumes the disk controller copied
     the data.  If the data are different, reassign will write
     the data which were read before the reassignment to the new
     block.  Reassign will advise as to the integrity of the data
     via messages to standard out.

     Special is the special file (device) on which the bad block
     resides.  Special must be a character (raw) device and must
     be the whole disk partition (ends with a 'p').

     Block is the number of the defective disk block to be
     reassigned.  The value of block is obtained from error
     messages printed on the system console when a disk error
     occurs.

     Reassign must be run as super-user.

OPTIONS
     -a  Reassign will advise which partitions of the disk
         contain block. No reassignment will take place.  Due to
         the overlapping nature of some of the partitions block
         will appear in more than one partition.  It will always
         appear in the whole disk (p) partition in addition to
         one or more others.

RETURN VALUE
     [NO_ERRS]      Command completed without error.

     [NP_ERR]       An error occurred that was not a system
                    error.  Execution terminated.

     [P_ERR]        A system error occurred. Execution
                    terminated.  See intro(2) for more
                    information on system errors.

     [USAGE]        Incorrect command line syntax. Execution
                    terminated.





Printed 4/6/89                                                  1

REASSIGN(8)             COMMAND REFERENCE             REASSIGN(8)



CAVEATS
     Reassign requires exclusive access to device special.
     Therefore reassign cannot be used online to repair the
     internal (system) disk.  To repair the system disk, use
     reassign under the mini-root file system.  Reassign can be
     used online if special is not the system disk and is not
     currently mounted or otherwise being used.

     Reassign only works with disk controllers which conform to
     the SCSI Common Command Set for direct access devices.  An
     attempt to reassign a block on a device which does not
     support reassignment will result in an error message but
     will not change the disk.

SEE ALSO
     fs(5), scsifmt(8), and fsck(8).







































Printed 4/6/89                                                  2

%%index%%
na:336,93;
sy:429,304;
de:733,1846;
op:2579,544;
rv:3123,556;
ca:4087,1063;
se:5150,184;
%%index%%000000000122