SMARTtietoja

SMARTtietoja, or SMART data, are the self-monitoring, analysis and reporting technology data produced by storage devices such as hard disk drives and solid-state drives. These data come from the device firmware and provide a view of the drive’s health and reliability over time, helping users detect developing problems and plan maintenance before a failure occurs.

SMART data consist of a set of attributes. Each attribute has an identifier, a name (for example Reallocated Sectors Count, Power-On Hours, Temperature Celsius), a normalized value (typically 0–100, where higher is better), and a raw value that shows the actual measurement. In addition, many implementations expose an overall health status, often presented as OK or a predicted failure. Because attributes are defined by vendors, the exact set and interpretation can vary between drives and manufacturers.

Access to SMART data is provided by firmware and can be read with software tools such as smartmontools (smartctl), CrystalDiskInfo, or HDDScan. Users can run short or long self-tests and monitor attribute trends over time. Environments with RAID controllers or certain virtualization platforms may obscure SMART data or restrict access, and SMART should be viewed as one part of a broader reliability monitoring strategy.

Limitations should be noted: SMART data are not a guaranteed predictor of failure and different drives may report attributes differently. Some failures occur suddenly with little or no SMART warning, and some drives provide minimal or non-actionable data. Proper interpretation relies on historical trends, context, and, when possible, corroborating tests.