Applies to: All editions
SMART Health Check
Enable SMART Health Check to request available device identity, health status, attributes, and diagnostic information before erasure. The exact data depends on the protocol, firmware, controller, and driver path.
SMART is an indicator, not a complete prediction of device reliability. A passing status does not prove that all addressable sectors can be written or that the device will remain reliable during a long operation.
Fail Job on SMART Failure
When enabled, Fail Job on SMART Failure prevents the affected device from entering the erasure stage if the pre-erasure assessment fails. A failure can mean:
- The device reports an adverse SMART condition;
- SMART commands are unsupported;
- The controller or bridge does not pass SMART data;
- The identity or response cannot be read reliably;
- The assessment encounters an execution error.
Use this setting when policy requires a valid pre-operation health record or when erasing an unstable device could reduce evidence quality.
Continuing after SMART failure
When Fail Job on SMART Failure is disabled, DriveErase records the failed or unavailable assessment and may continue with erasure. This can be appropriate for a best-effort sanitization attempt on a device already intended for destruction, provided the approved procedure allows it.
Do not interpret continuation as proof that the device is healthy. Review whether the erasure method can provide acceptable coverage on a failing device. If the device cannot be processed reliably, physical destruction may be required.
Controller limitations
USB bridges, RAID controllers, HBAs, virtual disks, and some storage drivers can prevent SMART passthrough. A SMART failure in those environments can describe the access path rather than the physical condition of the underlying media.
Recommended practice
Keep both pre-erasure options enabled for normal reuse, resale, return, or redeployment workflows. Disable fail-on-SMART only under a documented exception that explains the intended disposition and the acceptable residual risk.