This technology, which was developed in conjunction with Seagate, Quantum, and Conner, monitors a range of attributes and sends attribute and threshold information to host software. The disc drive then decides if an alert is warranted, and sends that message to the system, along with the attribute and threshold information. The attribute and threshold level implementation of IntelliSafe varies with each disc drive vendor, but the interface, and the way in which status is sent to the host, are consistent across all vendors. Seagate quickly recognized that reliability prediction technology offered tremendous benefits to customers, and researched the possibility of making a version available to other system OEMs, integrators, and independent software vendors. Features of S.M.A.R.T. technology include a series of attributes, or diagnostics, chosen specifically for each individual drive model.
Attribute individualism is important because drive architectures vary from model to model.
Attributes and thresholds that detect failure for one model may not be functional for another model. Comparing different models of cars helps illustrate this point. Some cars are equipped with four-wheel drive, but others, like a Cadillac, are not. In other words, the architecture of the drive will determine which attributes to measure, and which thresholds to employ. Although not all failures will be predicted, we can expect an evolution of S.M.A.R.T., as technology and experience sharpen our ability to predict reliability.