Cycle through errors reported by smartctl utiity, the Control and Monitor Utility for SMART Disks, and send repair commands for each entry
The smartctl utility in Linux and other operating systems is used to control the Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology (SMART) system found in most ATA/SATA and SCSI/SAS hard drives and solid-state drives.
SMART is designed to monitor the reliability of the hard drive, predict drive failures, and perform various types of drive self-tests.
One of the lesser-used functions of smartctl is the ability to reassign sectors that have been detected by the drive firmware as bad.
There is a common belief propagated on the internet that any detected error is a sign of imminent catastrophic failure, and users are often advised to immediately replace the drive in a state of breathless panic. As a result, there are few script options available for users who want to efficiently reassign sectors on disks that frequently report errors.
In less critical environments where relatively trivial data is generated, such as systems monitoring personal property cameras or software-defined radios, a SMART drive reporting errors can sometimes continue to function reasonably well for an extended period.
The process of reassigning a bad sector involves attempting to read the sector and write a new one from a reserve pool. In most cases, if the drive firmware detects an error, the data is overwritten with zeros in the new location by the repair command.
It is important for the user to evaluate whether this behavior is acceptable based on the critical nature of their data. The author assumes no responsibility for the use of this script or the user's satisfaction with any potential repairs.