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Ice Czar
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http://www.nu2.nu/bst/
Bart's Stuff Test 5
Bst5 (Bart's Stuff Test v5) is a small win32 application for long time heavily stress testing storage devices. Bst5 supports testing at file and device level.
File level support enables you to test any local or remote volume by file access. This makes it possible to test almost any storage device. As long as the operating system can write or read files from it, you can use bst5 to test it. In bst5 this is seen as a "high" level test, you write/read data to/from a file using the file system support from your operating system.
Device level support enables you to test local devices directly block-by-block. You can use this to test any removable or fixed logical drive, physical hard disk, or tape device. In bst5 this is seen as a "low" level test, bst5 writes/reads data directly to/from the storage device without the use of any file system. In other word, the storage device or media does not need to be partitioned or formatted before testing. If any file systems exists on a storage device or media, a non-read only test will overwrite any data on it.
Bst5 supports very large volumes, up to 16 exabyte (17.179.869.184 Gigabyte) enough to last for at least 30 years.
Practical use of bst5
Can be done using the free edition...
Test a local hard disk of any system which already has a windows operating system.
Boot the OS on the system. Run bst5 and start testing on path "c:\". If the system has more hard disk volumes start a second instance of bst5 and let it test on path "d:\" and so on. Bst5 will use almost all free space available for testing.
Test a local CD-Rom or DVD drive of any system which already has a windows operating system.
You will have to prepare a CD-Rom or DVD medium for this. Run bst5 on a system with a CD-Rom or DVD recorder. Click "options" and select operation "write pattern" and enter the maximum size valid for your media. For example, a CD recordable media can hold up to 700MB and a DVD recordable media can hold up to 4.5GB. Click "OK", enter a file and path for example "c:\tmp\bst1.tmp" and click "Start". Bst5 will now write a stuff pattern file called c:\tmp\bst1.tmp and stop. Next record this file on your CD or DVD media. Label it "Stuff test file media".
With this media you can test any CD-Rom or DVD drive of any system which already has a windows operating system. Boot the OS already on the system. Start bst5, enter the path to "<x>:\bst1.tmp" (where <x> is the drive letter of your CD-Rom or DVD drive) or click "...", select folder and browse to the file "bst1.tmp". Make sure you check "Read only". Hit "start" and bst5 will read the file bst1.tmp until your stop it.
Test server, network and workstations.
Testing will include:
Server hard disk
Server network interface
Network hub/switches
Workstation network interface
On each of the workstations start bst5. Enter a path to a share on the server, for example "\\server1\share" and hit "start". All workstations will now test the server. Each workstation uses it's own file like "bst5*.tmp". When you have more hard disk volumes on the server divide the workstations.
Warning: this test will put very high load on your server and network. Other users will get very slow server/network responses!
Requires the Pro edition...
Test tape media inter-exchange compatibility. On the first system with a tape drive, use bst5 to create a stuff pattern media using "write pattern" operation. You can enter a size for the pattern image, for example 400mb, Or you can leave the size empty, then bst5 will write until end of media. Take this media to a second system with a tape drive that is capable of reading the media. Run bst5, check "Read only" and start on the tape device.
You can mix all of these test, for example you can:
Run first bst5 to test a local hard disk and a second bst5 to test a CD-Rom or DVD drive.
With "3) Test server, network and workstations" you can also start a second bst5 on the workstations to also test local hard and/or CD/DVD drives.
Or even start bst5 on the server to test it's tape device (pro edition).
Like benchmarking, Stress Testing can Impact the lifespan of components
Bart's Stuff Test 5
Bst5 (Bart's Stuff Test v5) is a small win32 application for long time heavily stress testing storage devices. Bst5 supports testing at file and device level.
File level support enables you to test any local or remote volume by file access. This makes it possible to test almost any storage device. As long as the operating system can write or read files from it, you can use bst5 to test it. In bst5 this is seen as a "high" level test, you write/read data to/from a file using the file system support from your operating system.
Device level support enables you to test local devices directly block-by-block. You can use this to test any removable or fixed logical drive, physical hard disk, or tape device. In bst5 this is seen as a "low" level test, bst5 writes/reads data directly to/from the storage device without the use of any file system. In other word, the storage device or media does not need to be partitioned or formatted before testing. If any file systems exists on a storage device or media, a non-read only test will overwrite any data on it.
Bst5 supports very large volumes, up to 16 exabyte (17.179.869.184 Gigabyte) enough to last for at least 30 years.
Practical use of bst5
Can be done using the free edition...
Test a local hard disk of any system which already has a windows operating system.
Boot the OS on the system. Run bst5 and start testing on path "c:\". If the system has more hard disk volumes start a second instance of bst5 and let it test on path "d:\" and so on. Bst5 will use almost all free space available for testing.
Test a local CD-Rom or DVD drive of any system which already has a windows operating system.
You will have to prepare a CD-Rom or DVD medium for this. Run bst5 on a system with a CD-Rom or DVD recorder. Click "options" and select operation "write pattern" and enter the maximum size valid for your media. For example, a CD recordable media can hold up to 700MB and a DVD recordable media can hold up to 4.5GB. Click "OK", enter a file and path for example "c:\tmp\bst1.tmp" and click "Start". Bst5 will now write a stuff pattern file called c:\tmp\bst1.tmp and stop. Next record this file on your CD or DVD media. Label it "Stuff test file media".
With this media you can test any CD-Rom or DVD drive of any system which already has a windows operating system. Boot the OS already on the system. Start bst5, enter the path to "<x>:\bst1.tmp" (where <x> is the drive letter of your CD-Rom or DVD drive) or click "...", select folder and browse to the file "bst1.tmp". Make sure you check "Read only". Hit "start" and bst5 will read the file bst1.tmp until your stop it.
Test server, network and workstations.
Testing will include:
Server hard disk
Server network interface
Network hub/switches
Workstation network interface
On each of the workstations start bst5. Enter a path to a share on the server, for example "\\server1\share" and hit "start". All workstations will now test the server. Each workstation uses it's own file like "bst5*.tmp". When you have more hard disk volumes on the server divide the workstations.
Warning: this test will put very high load on your server and network. Other users will get very slow server/network responses!
Requires the Pro edition...
Test tape media inter-exchange compatibility. On the first system with a tape drive, use bst5 to create a stuff pattern media using "write pattern" operation. You can enter a size for the pattern image, for example 400mb, Or you can leave the size empty, then bst5 will write until end of media. Take this media to a second system with a tape drive that is capable of reading the media. Run bst5, check "Read only" and start on the tape device.
You can mix all of these test, for example you can:
Run first bst5 to test a local hard disk and a second bst5 to test a CD-Rom or DVD drive.
With "3) Test server, network and workstations" you can also start a second bst5 on the workstations to also test local hard and/or CD/DVD drives.
Or even start bst5 on the server to test it's tape device (pro edition).
Like benchmarking, Stress Testing can Impact the lifespan of components