Re: scratching a system

["Larry \"DrFranken\" Bolhuis" <midrange@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At one point I had (probably still do) a simple set of programs that 
creates a big PF with fixed record length of 1K. It writes Hex 00 to the 
entire file then writes FFs then writes 33 then writes AA. Then deletes 
the thing. We would run several of these processes at the same time so 
that the system was as busy as the disks could handle. Fill 'em to 99%+ 
full.

To start the process though we would IPL to DST, delete the ASP, end 
RAID or mirror, then add ALL disks to the ASP unprotected, install just 
IBM i and these programs. This way we've smoked all security data and 
user profiles and company data making all that space available to be 
written on.  Next the programs write over everything including any 
drives that were raid striped or hot spares with multiple passes of 
different patterns. As a consequence, getting back usable data from that 
would be monumentally expensive. Potentially possible, yes, and in 
theory I could win the Daytona 500 on Sunday too.

 - DrF

On 2/9/2021 1:04 PM, Andrew Lopez (SXS US) wrote:
> > > Honestly I just go with the recommendations at the IBM site for initializing disk drives.
> > > Doesn't qualify for a DOD wipe but pretty effective nonetheless.  Basically nothing qualifies
> > > for a DOD wipe which leaves the disks able to be reused anymore.
>
> I would also recommend, after clearing the drives in a system you have to hand back to IBM, blow away any disk configuration in SST and then randomize where each drive is stored in the system.  Heck, go full bore and then load up an entirely new configuration.
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