error message saying that you should use this. Look in dmesg for it; if
you do not see it, you don’t need to use it.These commands can be used to force the IDE controllers and drives to be
optimally configured. However, YMMV (your mileage may vary) because
these do not work for everyone.
These options can be entered into /etc/lilo.conf or
/boot/grub/grub.conf or GRUB2’s /boot/grub/grub.cfg in
the same way that other options are appended.
The hdparm Command
The hdparm utility can be used by root to set and tune the settings for IDE
hard drives. You would do this to tune the drives for optimal performance.
After previously requiring a kernel patch and installation of associated
support programs, the hdparm program is now included with Ubuntu. You
should only experiment with the file systems mounted read-only because
some settings can damage some file systems when used improperly. The
hdparm command also works with CD-ROM drives and some SCSI drives.
The general format of the command is this:
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matthew@seymour:~$ hdparm command device
The following command runs a hard disk test:
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matthew@seymour:~$ hdparm –tT /dev/hda
You must replace /dev/hda with the location of your hard disk. hdparm
then runs two tests: cached reads and buffered disk reads. A good IDE hard
disk should be getting 400Mbps to 500Mbps for the first test and 20Mbps to
30Mbps for the second. Note your scores and then try this command:
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matthew@seymour:~$ hdparm –m16 –d1 –u1 –c1 /dev/hda
This enables various performance-enhancing settings. Now try executing the
original command again. If your scores increase from the previous
measurement, you should run this command:
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matthew@seymour:~$ hdparm –m16 –d1 –u1 –c1 –k1 /dev/hda