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SG_READ_ATTR(8)			   SG3_UTILS		       SG_READ_ATTR(8)

NAME
       sg_read_attr - send SCSI	READ ATTRIBUTE command

SYNOPSIS
       sg_read_attr    [--cache]    [--enumerate]    [--ea=EA]	 [--filter=FL]
       [--first=FAI] [--help]  [--hex]	[--in=FN]  [--lvn=LVN]	[--maxlen=LEN]
       [--pn=PN]  [--quiet] [--raw] [--readonly] [--sa=SA] [--verbose] [--ver-
       sion] DEVICE

DESCRIPTION
       Sends a SCSI READ ATTRIBUTE command to DEVICE and outputs the data  re-
       turned. This command was	introduced in SPC-3 revision 1 and thus	is ap-
       plicable	 to  all  SCSI devices.	In practice it is used mainly for tape
       systems.	This utility is	based on the SPC-5 draft standard, revision 17
       (spc5r17.pdf).

OPTIONS
       Arguments to long options are mandatory for short options as well.

       -c, --cache
	      sets the CACHE bit in the	READ ATTRIBUTE cdb. This instructs the
	      device server to return cached attributes. By default  that  bit
	      is  cleared  which  instructs  the  device  server not to	return
	      cached attributes.

       -e, --enumerate
	      enumerates all known attributes and service actions.  Attributes
	      include  an  identifier, length, format and a name as defined by
	      T10. If DEVICE is	given then it is ignored.

       -E, --ea=EA
	      where EA is an element address which is placed in	the  READ  AT-
	      TRIBUTE  cdb. This field is only found in	SMC-2 and SMC-3	drafts
	      for medium changers usually associated with tape	libraries.  By
	      default this field is set	to zero.

       -f, --filter=FL
	      where  FL	 is an attribute identifier in the range 0 to 65535 or
	      -1.  Attribute identifiers are typically given in	hexadecimal in
	      which case the hex number	should be prefixed by "0x"  or	has  a
	      trailing	"h".  "-1" is the default value	and means 'match all';
	      for all other values of FL on the	matching attribute is output.

       -F, --first=FAI
	      where FAI	is the "first attribute	identifier" field in the  cdb.
	      It seems as though the intent of this field is that only attrib-
	      utes  whose identifiers are equal	to or greater than FAI are re-
	      turned. The default value	of FAI is  zero.  Attributes  are  re-
	      turned in	ascending identifier order.

       -h, --help
	      output the usage message then exit.

       -H, --hex
	      output the response in hexadecimal to stdout. When used once the
	      whole response is	output in ASCII	hexadecimal with a leading ad-
	      dress  (starting	at  0)	on each	line. When used	twice each at-
	      tribute descriptor in the	response is output separately in hexa-
	      decimal. When used thrice	the whole response is output in	 hexa-
	      decimal with no leading address (on each line).
	      Output  generated	 by  '-HHH' (or	--hex used three times)	can be
	      redirected to a file. That file will be in suitable  format  for
	      --in=FN to use in	a later	invocation.

       -i, --in=FN
	      FN  is  treated as a file	name (or '-' for stdin)	which contains
	      ASCII hexadecimal	or binary representing the response to a  READ
	      ATTRIBUTE	command	with service action 0x0	(i.e (fetch) attribute
	      values).	When  this option is given then	DEVICE (if also	given)
	      is ignored.
	      By default FN is assumed to contain ASCII	 hexadecimal  arranged
	      as  bytes	 which a space,	tab or comma delimited.	All characters
	      from (and	including) "#" to the end of line are ignored. If  the
	      --raw  option is also given then FN is assumed to	contain	binary
	      data. When the --raw option is given then	after  processing  the
	      input  the  internal raw variable	is reset to 0 so it has	no ef-
	      fect on the output.
	      Since the	READ ATTRIBUTE response	does not contain  the  service
	      action  number that it is	a response to, then the	--sa=SA	should
	      be given (if not service action 0	(attribute values) is assumed.

       -l, --lvn=LVN
	      where LVN	is placed in the "logical volume number" field of  the
	      cdb.  The	default	value is zero which is required	to be the log-
	      ical volume number if the	device only has	one volume.

       -m, --maxlen=LEN
	      where  LEN  is  the  (maximum)  response	length in bytes. It is
	      placed in	the cdb's "allocation length" field. If	not given  (or
	      LEN is zero) then	8192 is	used. The maximum allowed value	of LEN
	      is 1048576.

       -p, --pn=PN
	      where  PN	 is placed in the "partition number" field of the cdb.
	      If the DEVICE only has one partition then	its  partition	number
	      must be zero. The	default	value of PN is zero.

       -q, --quiet
	      this  option reduces the amount of information output. For exam-
	      ple when used once (SA=0), it suppresses	the  header  line  an-
	      nouncing the output of attributes; when used twice it suppresses
	      the  name	 of  each  attribute,  leaving only the	associated at-
	      tribute values (or strings).

       -r, --raw
	      output the SCSI response (i.e. the data-out  buffer)  in	binary
	      (to stdout).

       -R, --readonly
	      open the DEVICE read-only	(e.g. in Unix with the O_RDONLY	flag).
	      The default is to	open it	read-write.

       -s, --sa=SA
	      where  SA	 is  placed  on	the "service action" field of the cdb.
	      Values of	0 to 63	are accepted with a default of 0.  spc5r08.pdf
	      defines five service actions: 0 for attributes values ; 1	for an
	      attribute	 list  (names,	not  values), 2	for the	logical	volume
	      list; 3 for the partition	list; 4	is restricted for SMC-3; and 5
	      for the supported	attribute list.
	      Alternatively an acronym can be given for	SA. The	acronym	should
	      be one of	"av", "al", "lvl", "pn", "smc" or "sa" for service ac-
	      tions 0 to 5 respectively. The acronyms can also be given	in up-
	      per case.

       -v, --verbose
	      increase the level of verbosity, (i.e. debug output).

       -V, --version
	      print the	version	string and then	exit.

NOTES
       Only tape systems seem to implement the SCSI  READ  ATTRIBUTE  command.
       The vast	majority of its	definition is in the SPC standard so other de-
       vice types could	use it.

       Much of the information provided	by READ	ATTRIBUTE can also be found in
       pages  returned	by  LOG	SENSE (see the sg_logs utility)	and in the VPD
       pages returned by the INQUIRY command.

EXAMPLES
       To list the attributes of a tape	drive whose DEVICE is /dev/sg1	,  the
       following could be used:

	 # sg_read_attr	-s al /dev/sg1
	 Attribute list:
	   Remaining capacity in partition [MiB]
	   Maximum capacity in partition [MiB]
	   TapeAlert flags
	   Load	count
	   MAM space remaining [B]
	   Assigning organization
	   Format density code
	   ...

       To check	the number of partitions:

	 # sg_read_attr	-s pl /dev/sg1
	 Partition number list:
	   First partition number: 0
	   Number of partitions	available: 2

       And to see the attribute	values (which is the default service action):

	 # sg_read_attr	/dev/sg1
	 Attribute values:
	   Remaining capacity in partition [MiB]: 1386103
	   Maximum capacity in partition [MiB]:	1386103
	   TapeAlert flags: 0
	   ....

       To redirect the attribute values	response to a file for later decoding:

	 # sg_read_attr	-HHH /dev/sg1 >	av.hex

       And later the response held in the av.hex file could be decoded with:

	 # sg_read_attr	-s av --in=av.hex
	 Attribute values:
	   Remaining capacity in partition [MiB]: 1386103
	   Maximum capacity in partition [MiB]:	1386103
	   TapeAlert flags: 0
	   ....

EXIT STATUS
       The  exit  status of sg_read_attr is 0 when it is successful. Otherwise
       see the sg3_utils(8) man	page.

AUTHORS
       Written by Douglas Gilbert.

REPORTING BUGS
       Report bugs to <dgilbert	at interlog dot	com>.

COPYRIGHT
       Copyright (C) 2016-2020 Douglas Gilbert
       This software is	distributed under a BSD-2-Clause license. There	is  NO
       warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PUR-
       POSE.

SEE ALSO
       sg_vpd,sg_logs(sg3_utils)

sg3_utils-1.46			 December 2020		       SG_READ_ATTR(8)

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