Seagate EXOS ST18000NM004J User manual

512E* models
Standard
ST18000NM004J
ST16000NM004J
ST14000NM004J
ST12000NM004J
ST10000NM013G
512E* models
Self-Encrypting
ST18000NM005J
ST16000NM005J
ST14000NM005J
ST12000NM005J
ST10000NM014G
512E* models
SED-FIPS 140-3
ST18000NM006J
ST16000NM007J
ST14000NM007J
ST12000NM007J
ST10000NM016G
* Default configuration is 512E for 512E / 4KN drives.
See Section 4.1.2 to Fast Format to 4KN in seconds
100865853, Rev. F
May 2021
X18 SAS Product Manual

© 2021 Seagate Technology LLC. All rights reserved.
Publication number: 100865853, Rev. F May 2021
Seagate, Seagate Technology and the Spiral logo are registered trademarks of Seagate Technology LLC in the United States and/or other countries. Raid Rebuild and SeaTools are either
trademarks or registered trademarks of Seagate Technology LLC or one of its affiliated companies in the United States and/or other countries. The FIPS logo is a certification mark of NIST,
which does not imply product endorsement by NIST, the U.S., or Canadian governments.All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without written permission of Seagate Technology LLC.
Call 877-PUB-TEK1 (877-782-8351) to request permission.
When referring to drive capacity, one gigabyte, or GB, equals one billion bytes and one terabyte, or TB, equals one trillion bytes. Your computer’s operating system may use a different
standard of measurement and report a lower capacity. In addition, some of the listed capacity is used for formatting and other functions, and thus will not be available for data storage.
Actual quantities will vary based on various factors, including file size, file format, features and application software. Actual data rates may vary depending on operating environment
and other factors. The export or re-export of hardware or software containing encryption may be regulated by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security (for
more information, visit www.bis.doc.gov), and controlled for import and use outside of the U.S. Seagate reserves the right to change, without notice, product offerings or specifications.
Document Revision History
Revision Date Pages affected and Description of changes
Rev. A 08/06/2020 Initial release.
Rev. B 12/16/2020
fc,6 & 49: Added 14TB & 12TB models
10: Corrected 18TB LBA & Added 14TB & 12TB LBA counts
11: Corrected 16TB densities
12: Added 14TB & 12TB drive characteristics columns
12: Added 14TB & 12TB format execution times
12: Updated Section 4.1 for 14TB & 12TB
13: Removed 16TB SDR line
25-27: Added 16TB, 14TB & 12TB DC power tables
26: Corrected 14TB power table
31-33: Added IOPs charts for 16TB, 14TB & 12TB
37: Added 14TB & 12TB weight
Rev. C 01/12/2020 12: Updated 12TB head count to 12.
35: Revised Op shock to = 50g typical
Rev. D 03/01/2020 fc & 6: Updated FIPS to 140.3
Rev. E 05/07/2021 fc, 6, 11-12, 28, 35, 39 & 54: Added 10TB models & specification
Rev. F 05/27/2021 fc, 6 & 54: Corrected 18TB FIPS model number.

Seagate Exos X18 SAS Product Manual, Rev. F 2
Contents
Seagate® Technology Support Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.0 Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
2.0 HDD and SSD Regulatory Compliance and Safety. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.0.1 Regulatory Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.1 Reference documents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
3.0 General description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.1 Standard features. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.2 Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.3 Reliability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
3.4 Media description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.5 Formatted capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
3.6 Programmable drive capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
3.7 Factory-installed options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
4.0 Performance characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4.1 Internal drive characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4.1.1 Format command execution time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4.1.2 Fast Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
4.1.3 General performance characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
4.2 Start/stop time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
4.3 Prefetch/multi-segmented cache control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4.4 Cache operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
4.4.1 Caching write data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
4.4.2 Prefetch operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
5.0 Reliability specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5.1 Error rates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5.1.1 Recoverable Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5.1.2 Unrecoverable Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5.1.3 Seek errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5.1.4 Interface errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5.2 Reliability and service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
5.2.1 Annualized Failure Rate (AFR) and Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
5.2.2 Hot plugging the drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
5.2.3 S.M.A.R.T. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
5.2.4 Thermal monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
5.2.5 Drive Self Test (DST) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
5.2.6 Product warranty. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Seagate Exos X18 SAS Product Manual, Rev. F 3
Contents
6.0 Physical/electrical specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
6.1 PowerChoice™ power management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
6.1.1 PowerChoice reporting methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
6.2 Power Balance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
6.3 AC power requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
6.4 DC power requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
6.4.1 Conducted noise immunity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
6.4.2 Power sequencing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
6.4.3 Current profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
6.5 Power dissipation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
6.6 Environmental limits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
6.6.1 Temperature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
6.6.2 Humidity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
6.6.3 Effective altitude (sea level) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
6.6.4 Shock and Vibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
6.6.5 Acoustics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
6.6.6 Air cleanliness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
6.6.7 Corrosive environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
6.7 Mechanical specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
7.0 About self-encrypting drives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
7.1 Data encryption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
7.2 Controlled access. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
7.2.1 Admin SP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
7.2.2 Locking SP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
7.2.3 Default password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
7.3 Random number generator (RNG). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
7.4 Drive locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
7.5 Data bands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
7.6 Cryptographic erase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
7.7 Authenticated firmware download . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
7.8 Power requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
7.9 Supported commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
7.10 Sanitize - CRYPTOGRAPHIC ERASE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
7.11 RevertSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Seagate Exos X18 SAS Product Manual, Rev. F 4
Contents
8.0 Defect and error management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
8.1 Drive internal defects/errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
8.2 Drive error recovery procedures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
8.3 SAS system errors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
8.4 Deferred Auto-Reallocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
8.5 Idle Read After Write. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
8.6 Protection Information (PI) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
8.6.1 Levels of PI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
8.6.2 Setting and determining the current Type Level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
8.6.3 Identifying a Protection Information drive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
9.0 Installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
9.1 Drive orientation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
9.2 Cooling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
9.3 Drive mounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
9.4 Grounding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
10.0 Interface requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
10.1 SAS features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
10.1.1 task management functions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
10.1.2 task management responses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
10.2 Dual port support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
10.3 SCSI commands supported . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
10.3.1 Inquiry data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
10.3.2 Mode Sense data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
10.4 Miscellaneous operating features and conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
10.4.1 SAS physical interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
10.4.2 Physical characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
10.4.3 Connector requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
10.4.4 Electrical description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
10.4.5 Pin descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
10.4.6 SAS transmitters and receivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
10.4.7 Power. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
10.5 Signal characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
10.5.1 Ready LED Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
10.5.2 Differential signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
10.6 SAS-3 Specification Compliance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
10.7 Additional information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Seagate Exos X18 SAS Product Manual, Rev. F 5
For Seagate Product Support, visit: www.seagate.com/support
For Seagate Compliance, Safety, and Disposal, visit: www.seagate.com/support
For Firmware Download and Tools Download for Secure Erase, visit: www.seagate.com/support/downloads/
For information regarding online support and services, visit: www.seagate.com/contacts/
For information regarding Warranty Support, visit: www.seagate.com/support/warranty-and-replacements/
For information regarding data recovery services, visit: www.seagate.com/services-software/recover/resources/
For Seagate OEM and Distribution partner and Seagate reseller portal, visit: www.seagate.com/partners
Seagate® Technology Support Services

Seagate Exos X18 SAS Product Manual, Rev. F 6
www.seagate.com Scope
1.0 Scope
This manual describes Seagate® Exos® X18 SAS (Serial Attached SCSI) disk drives.
Exos X18 drives support the SAS Protocol specifications to the extent described in this manual. The SAS Interface Manual (part number 100293071)
describes the general SAS characteristics of this and other Seagate SAS drives.
Product data communicated in this manual is specific only to the model numbers listed in this manual. The data listed in this manual may not be
predictive of future generation specifications or requirements. If designing a system which will use one of the models listed or future generation
products and need further assistance, please contact the Field Applications Engineer (FAE) or our global support services group as shown in
“Seagate® Technology Support Services” on page 5.
Unless otherwise stated, the information in this manual applies to standard and Self-Encrypting Drive models.
.
Model type 5xxE
Standard
ST18000NM004J, ST16000NM004J,
ST14000NM004J, ST12000NM004J,
ST10000NM013G
Self-Encrypting Drive (SED)
ST18000NM005J, ST16000NM005J,
ST14000NM005J, ST12000NM005J,
ST10000NM014G
SED-FIPS 140-3
ST18000NM006J, ST16000NM007J,
ST14000NM007J, ST12000NM007J,
ST10000NM016G
Note The Self-Encrypting Drive models indicated on the cover of this product manual have provisions for “Security of Data
at Rest” based on the standards defined by the Trusted Computing Group (see www.trustedcomputinggroup.org).

Seagate Exos X18 SAS Product Manual, Rev. F 7
www.seagate.com HDD and SSD Regulatory Compliance and Safety
2.0 HDD and SSD Regulatory Compliance and Safety
For the latest regulatory and compliance information see: www.seagate.com/support
scroll down the page and click the Compliance, Safety and Disposal Guide link.
2.0.1 Regulatory Models
The following regulatory model number represent all features and configurations within the series:
Regulatory Model Numbers: STL015
2.1 Reference documents
SAS Interface Manual
Seagate part number: 100293071
SCSI Commands Reference Manual
Seagate part number: 100293068
Self-Encrypting Drives Reference Manual
Seagate part number: 100515636
ANSI SAS Documents
SFF-8323 3.5” Drive Form Factor with Serial Connector
SFF-8460 HSS Backplane Design Guidelines
SFF-8470 Multi Lane Copper Connector
SFF-8482 SAS Plug Connector
INCITS 538 SCSI Protocol Layer-4 (SPL-4) Rev. 08
INCITS 534 Serial Attached SCSI (SAS-4)
INCITS 506 SCSI Block Commands-4 (SBC-4) Rev. 10
INCITS 502 SCSI Primary Commands-5 (SPC-5) Rev. 10
ANSI Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) Documents
INCITS 515 SCSI Architecture Model (SAM-5) Rev. 11
Trusted Computing Group (TCG) Documents (apply to Self-Encrypting Drive models only)
TCG Storage Architecture Core Specification, Rev. 1.0
TCG Storage Security Subsystem Class Enterprise Specification, Rev. 1.0
Specification for Acoustic Test Requirement and Procedures
Seagate part number: 30553-001
In case of conflict between this document and any referenced document, this document takes precedence.

Seagate Exos X18 SAS Product Manual, Rev. F 8
www.seagate.com General description
3.0 General description
Exos X18 drives provide high performance, high capacity data storage for a variety of systems including engineering workstations, network
servers, mainframes, and supercomputers. The Serial Attached SCSI interface is designed to meet next-generation computing demands for
performance, scalability, flexibility and high-density storage requirements.
Exos X18 drives are random access storage devices designed to support the Serial Attached SCSI Protocol as described in the ANSI specifications,
this document, and the SAS Interface Manual (part number 100293071) which describes the general interface characteristics of this drive. Exos X18
drives are classified as intelligent peripherals and provide level 2 conformance (highest level) with the ANSI SCSI-1 standard. The SAS connectors,
cables and electrical interface are compatible with Serial ATA (SATA), giving future users the choice of populating their systems with either SAS or
SATA hard disk drives. This allows users to continue to leverage existing investment in SCSI while gaining a 12Gb/s serial data transfer rate.
The Self-Encrypting Drive models indicated on the cover of this product manual have provisions for “Security of Data at Rest” based on the
standards defined by the Trusted Computing Group
(see www.trustedcomputinggroup.org).
The head and disk assembly (HDA) is sealed at the factory. Helium recirculates within the HDA through a non-replaceable filter to maintain a
contamination-free HDA environment.
An automatic shipping lock prevents potential damage to the heads and discs that results from movement during shipping and handling. The
shipping lock disengages and the head load process begins when power is applied to the drive.
Exos X18 drives decode track 0 location data from the servo data embedded on each surface to eliminate mechanical transducer adjustments and
related reliability concerns.
The drives also use a high-performance actuator assembly with a low-inertia, balanced, patented, straight arm design that provides excellent
performance with minimal power dissipation.
Note
Never disassemble the HDA and do not attempt to service items in the sealed enclosure
(heads, media, actuator, etc.) as this requires special facilities. The drive does not contain user-
replaceable parts. Opening the HDA for any reason voids the product warranty.
Note Seagate recommends validating the configuration with the selected HBA/RAID controller
manufacturer to ensure use of full capacity is supported.

Seagate Exos X18 SAS Product Manual, Rev. F 9
www.seagate.com General description
3.1 Standard features
Exos X18 drives have the following standard features:
• 128 - deep task set (queue)
• 256MB data buffer (See Section 4.4) .
• 3.0 / 6.0/12.0 Gb Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) interface
• Drive Self Test (DST)
• Embedded servo design
• Firmware downloadable using the SAS interface
• Flawed logical block reallocation at format time
• Idle Read After Write (IRAW)
• Industry standard SFF 3.5-in dimensions
• Integrated dual port SAS controller supporting the SCSI protocol
• Jumperless configuration.
• No preventive maintenance or adjustments required
• Perpendicular recording technology
• Power Balance supported (see Section 6.2 on page 23)
•PowerSave
• Programmable auto write and read reallocation
• Programmable logical block reallocation scheme
• Reallocation of defects on command (Post Format)
•SASPowerDisable
• Self diagnostics performed when power is applied to the drive
• Support for SAS expanders and fanout adapters
• Supports up to 32 initiators
• T10 Fast Format supported (see Section 4.1.2)
• User-selectable logical block sizes for 4096 native models (4096, 4160 or 4224 bytes per logical block)
• User-selectable logical block sizes for 512E (512, 520 or 528 bytes per logical block).
• Vertical, horizontal, or top down mounting
Seagate Exos X18 SAS Self-Encrypting Drive models have the following additional features:
• 32 Independent data bands
• Authenticated firmware download
• Automatic data encryption/decryption
• Controlled access
• Cryptographic erase of user data for a drive that will be repurposed or scrapped
•Drivelocking
• Random number generator
3.2 Performance
• 1200MB/s maximum instantaneous data transfers.
• 7200 RPM spindle. Average latency = 4.16ms
• Adaptive seek velocity; improved seek performance
• Background processing of queue
• Programmable multi-segmentable cache buffer
• Supports start and stop commands (spindle stops spinning)
.
3.3 Reliability
• 5-year warranty
• Annualized Failure Rate (AFR) of 0.35%
• Balanced low mass rotary voice coil actuator
• Incorporates industry-standard Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology (S.M.A.R.T.)
• Mean time between failures (MTBF) of 2,500,000 hours
Note There is no significant performance difference between Self-Encrypting
Drive and standard (non-Self-Encrypting Drive) models.

Seagate Exos X18 SAS Product Manual, Rev. F 10
www.seagate.com General description
3.4 Media description
The media used on the drive has a glass substrate coated with a thin film magnetic material, overcoated with a proprietary protective layer for
improved durability and environmental protection.
3.5 Formatted capacities
Standard OEM models are formatted to 512 bytes per block for 512 emulation drives and 4096 bytes per block for 4096 native drives. The block
size is selectable at format time. Supported block sizes are 512, 520 and 528 for 512 emulation drives and 4096, 4160 and 4224 for 4096 native
drives. Users having the necessary equipment may modify the data block size before issuing a format command and obtain different formatted
capacities than those listed.
To provide a stable target capacity environment and at the same time provide users with flexibility if they choose, Seagate recommends product
planning in one of two modes:
Seagate designs specify capacity points at certain block sizes that Seagate guarantees current and future products will meet. We recommend
customers use this capacity in their project planning, as it ensures a stable operating point with backward and forward compatibility from
generation to generation. The current guaranteed operating points for this product are shown below.
Sector
Size
18TB with PI bytes 18TB w/out PI bytes 16TB with PI bytes 16TB w/o PI bytes
Decimal Hex Decimal Hex Decimal Hex Decimal Hex
512 34,441,527,296 804E00000 35,156,656,128 82F800000 30,616,322,048 720E00000 31,251,759,104 746C00000
520 33,919,336,448 7E5C00000 34,441,527,296 804E00000 30,152,851,456 705400000 30,616,322,048 720E00000
528 33,413,922,816 7C7A00000 33,919,336,448 7E5C00000 29,701,963,776 6EA600000 30,152,851,456 705400000
4096 4,363,911,168 1041C0000 4,394,582,016 105F00000 3,879,206,912 E7380000 3,906,469,888 E8D80000
4160 4,297,064,448 100200000 4,305,190,912 1009C0000 3,819,700,224 E3AC0000 3,827,040,256 E41C0000
4224 4,232,052,736 FC400000 4,239,917,056 FCB80000 3,761,766,400 E0380000 3,769,106,432 E0A80000
Sector
Size
14TB with PI bytes 14TB w/out PI bytes 12TB with PI bytes 12TB w/o PI bytes
Decimal Hex Decimal Hex Decimal Hex Decimal Hex
512 26,789,019,648 63CC00000 27,344,764,928 65DE00000 22,961,717,248 558A00000 23,437,770,752 575000000
520 26,382,172,160 624800000 26,789,019,648 63CC00000 22,613,590,016 543E00000 22,961,717,248 558A00000
528 25,987,907,584 60D000000 26,382,172,160 543E00000 22,275,948,544 52FC00000 22,613,590,016 543E00000
4096 3,394,240,512 CA500000 3,418,095,616 CBBC0000 2,909,274,112 AD680000 2,929,721,344 AEA00000
4160 3,342,073,856 C7340000 3,348,627,456 C7980000 2,864,709,632 AAC00000 2,870,214,656 AB140000
4224 3,291,480,064 C4300000 3,297,771,520 C4900000 2,821,193,728 A8280000 2,826,698,752 A87C0000

Seagate Exos X18 SAS Product Manual, Rev. F 11
www.seagate.com General description
3.6 Programmable drive capacity
Using the Mode Select command, the drive can change its capacity to something less than maximum. See the Mode Select (6) parameter list table
in the SAS Interface Manual, part number 100293071. A value of zero in the Number of Blocks field indicates that the drive will not change the
capacity it is currently formatted to have. A number other than zero and less than the maximum number of LBAs in the Number of Blocks field
changes the total drive capacity to the value in the Number of Blocks field. A value greater than the maximum number of LBAs is rounded down to
the maximum capacity.
3.7 Factory-installed options
Users may order the following items which are incorporated at the manufacturing facility during production or packaged before shipping. Some
of the options available are (not an exhaustive list of possible options):
• Other capacities can be ordered depending on sparing scheme and sector size requested.
• Single-unit shipping pack. The drive is normally shipped in bulk packaging to provide maximum protection against transit damage. Units
shipped individually require additional protection as provided by the single unit shipping pack. Users planning single unit distribution should
specify this option.
•TheSafety and Regulatory Agency Specifications, part number 75789512, is usually included with each standard OEM drive shipped, but extra
copies may be ordered.
Sector
Size
10TB with PI bytes 10TB w/o PI bytes
Decimal Hex Decimal Hex
512 19,134,414,848 474800000 19,532,873,728 48C400000
520 18,845,007,872 463400000 19,134,414,848 474800000
528 18,563,989,504 452800000 18,845,007,872 463400000
4096 2,424,569,856 90840000 2,441,609,216 91880000
4160 2,387,345,408 8E4C0000 2,391,801,856 8E900000
4224 2,351,169,536 8C240000 2,355,625,984 8C680000
Note LBA Counts for drive capacities greater than 8TB are calculated based upon
the SFF-8447 standard publication. ftp://ftp.seagate.com/sff/SFF-8447.PDF

Seagate Exos X18 SAS Product Manual, Rev. F 12
www.seagate.com Performance characteristics
4.0 Performance characteristics
This section provides detailed information concerning performance-related characteristics and features of Exos X18 drives.
4.1 Internal drive characteristics
Drive capacity 18TB 16TB 14TB 12TB 10TB (formatted, rounded off value)
Read/writedataheads1817141210
Bytes/track 1,840,943 1,785,977 1,840,943 1,704,382 1,680,543 Bytes (average, rounded off values)
Bytes/surface 1,000,000 941,176 1,000,000 857,143 833,333 MB (unformatted, rounded off values)
Tracks/surface (total) 543,200 526,981 543,200 502,905 495,871 Tracks (user accessible)
Tracks/in 482,000 467,609 482,000 446,245 440,004 TPI (average)
Peak bits/in 2,470,000 2,396,251 2,470,000 2,286,776 2,254,791 BPI
Areal density 1146 1121 1146 1020 992 Gb/in2
Internal data rate 2899 2812 2899 2684 2646 Mb/s (max)
Disk rotation speed 7200 7200 7200 7200 7200 RPM
Avg rotational latency 4.16 4.16 4.16 4.16 4.16 ms
4.1.1 Format command execution time
Execution time measured from receipt of the last byte of the Command Descriptor Block (CDB) to the request for a Status Byte Transfer to the
Initiator (excluding connect/disconnect).
When changing sector sizes, the format times shown above may need to be increased by 30 minutes.
4.1.2 Fast Format
Drive sector size transition
• Single code to support sector sizes from 512E
• T10 fast format conversion between 512E configurations in the field.
• Possible only if sector sizes are exact multiples of 8 & vice versa
• The selected sector size will take effect only after fast format or full format
• Drive default is 512E from the factory.
• 512E features set after Fast Format
T10 Fast Format
• Implements the fast format based on T10 Spec.
• To request Fast Format, the FFMT bits (Byte 4, Bits 1:0) should be set to 01b.
• A setting of 10b or 11b will return a check condition with 05/24 sense code (pointing to FFMT MSB in CDB).
Mode Select - Parameter list header
• Set Write buffer: // Set Block Descriptor Length = 0x08, Number of LBAs = 0xFFFFFFFF
• 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 FF FF FF FF 00 00 02 00 // Set block size to 0512 (0x0200)
• Then Send Mode Select Command
• cdb: 55 01 00 00 00 00 00 00 10 00 // (SP bit = 1, Parameter list = 0x10)
Format Unit - Parameter list header
• Set Write buffer: // Set IMMED = 1
• 00 02 00 00
• Then Send Format Unit Command
• cdb: 04 14 00 00 01 00 // (FMTDAT = 1, DEFECT LIST FORMAT = 010b, FFMT = 01b)
5xxE-byte sectors (minutes) 18TB models 16TB models 14TB models 12TB models 10TB models
Maximum (with verify) 2930 2740 2263 1958 1777
Maximum (without verify) 1465 1370 1131 979 889

Seagate Exos X18 SAS Product Manual, Rev. F 13
www.seagate.com Performance characteristics
4.1.3 General performance characteristics
4.2 Start/stop time
Power-on to ready time is based on typical operating conditions, default full current spin-up profile, and clean shutdown prior to measurement.
To ensure a clean shutdown issue a START STOP UNIT command with the START bit set to zero and the IMMED bit set to zero, so that the device
will return status after the operation is completed.
The drive accepts the commands listed in the SAS Interface Manual less than 3 seconds after DC power has been applied.
If the drive receives a NOTIFY (ENABLE SPINUP) primitive through either port and has not received a START STOP UNIT command with the START
bit equal to 0, the drive becomes ready for normal operations within 30 seconds (excluding the error recovery procedure).
If the drive receives a START STOP UNIT command with the START bit equal to 0 before receiving a NOTIFY (ENABLE SPINUP) primitive, the drive
waits for a START STOP UNIT command with the START bit equal to 1. After receiving a START STOP UNIT command with the START bit equal to 1,
the drive waits for a NOTIFY (ENABLE SPINUP) primitive. After receiving a NOTIFY (ENABLE SPINUP) primitive through either port, the drive
becomes ready for normal operations within 30 seconds (excluding the error recovery procedure).
If the drive receives a START STOP UNIT command with the START bit and IMMED bit equal to 1 and does not receive a NOTIFY (ENABLE SPINUP)
primitive within 5 seconds, the drive fails the START STOP UNIT command.
The START STOP UNIT command may be used to command the drive to stop the spindle. Stop time is 23 seconds (maximum) from removal of DC
power. SCSI stop time is 23 seconds. There is no power control switch on the drive.
An unexpected power loss event, spin up at cold or hot temperature extremes may cause the drive to exceed the typical and max time to ready by
5 to 20 seconds. Extended time to ready is dependent on cache state and environmental conditions prior to the unexpected power loss and
during the subsequent power on.
Minimum sector interleave 1 to 1
Maximum Internal data rate* 2.7 Gb/s
Sustained transfer rate 103 to 258 MiB/s **
SAS Interface maximum instantaneous transfer rate 1200MB/s* per port
(dual port = 2400MB/s*)
Logical block sizes
512 (default), 520 or 528.
4096, 4160 or 4224.
Read/write consecutive sectors on a track Yes
Flaw reallocation performance impact (for flaws reallocated at format time using the spare
sectors per sparing zone reallocation scheme.)
Negligible
Average rotational latency 4.16ms
*Assumes no errors and no relocated logical blocks. Rate measured from the start of the first logical block transfer to or from the host.
** MiB/s x 1.048 = MB/s

Seagate Exos X18 SAS Product Manual, Rev. F 14
www.seagate.com Performance characteristics
4.3 Prefetch/multi-segmented cache control
The drive provides a prefetch (read look-ahead) and multi-segmented cache control algorithms that in many cases can enhance system
performance. Cache refers to the drive buffer storage space when it is used in cache operations. To select this feature, the host sends the Mode
Select command with the proper values in the applicable bytes in page 08h. Prefetch and cache operations are independent features from the
standpoint that each is enabled and disabled independently using the Mode Select command; however, in actual operation, the prefetch feature
overlaps cache operation somewhat as described in sections 4.4.1 and 4.4.2.
All default cache and prefetch mode parameter values (Mode Page 08h) for standard OEM versions of this drive family are given inTable 11.
4.4 Cache operation
.
The buffer is divided into logical segments from which data is read and to which data is written.
The drive keeps track of the logical block addresses of the data stored in each segment of the buffer. If the cache is enabled (see RCD bit in the SAS
Interface Manual), data requested by the host with a read command is retrieved from the buffer, if possible, before any disk access is initiated. If
cache operation is not enabled, the buffer is still used, but only as circular buffer segments during disk medium read operations (disregarding
Prefetch operation for the moment). That is, the drive does not check in the buffer segments for the requested read data, but goes directly to the
medium to retrieve it. The retrieved data merely passes through some buffer segment on the way to the host. All data transfers to the host are in
accordance with buffer-full ratio rules. See the explanation provided with the information about Mode Page 02h (disconnect/reconnect control)
in the SAS Interface Manual.
The following is a simplified description of the prefetch/cache operation:
Case A—read command is received and all of the requested logical blocks are already in the cache:
1. Drive transfers the requested logical blocks to the initiator.
Case B—A Read command requests data, and at least one requested logical block is not in any segment of the cache:
1. The drive fetches the requested logical blocks from the disk and transfers them into a segment, and then from there to the host in accor-
dance with the Mode Select Disconnect/Reconnect parameters, page 02h.
2. If the prefetch feature is enabled, refer to Section 4.4.2 for operation from this point.
Each cache segment is actually a self-contained circular buffer whose length is an integer number of logical blocks. The drive dynamically creates
and removes segments based on the workload. The wrap-around capability of the individual segments greatly enhances the cache’s overall
performance.
The size of each segment is not reported by Mode Sense command page 08h, bytes 14 and 15. The value 0XFFFF is always reported regardless of
the actual size of the segment. Sending a size specification using the Mode Select command (bytes 14 and 15) does not set up a new segment
size. If the STRICT bit in Mode page 00h (byte 2, bit 1) is set to one, the drive responds as it does for any attempt to change an unchangeable
parameter.
Note Refer to the SAS Interface Manual for more detail concerning the cache bits.

Seagate Exos X18 SAS Product Manual, Rev. F 15
www.seagate.com Performance characteristics
4.4.1 Caching write data
Write caching is a write operation by the drive that makes use of a drive buffer storage area where the data to be written to the medium is stored
while the drive performs the Write command.
If read caching is enabled (RCD=0), then data written to the medium is retained in the cache to be made available for future read cache hits. The
same buffer space and segmentation is used as set up for read functions. The buffer segmentation scheme is set up or changed independently,
having nothing to do with the state of RCD. When a write command is issued, if RCD=0, the cache is first checked to see if any logical blocks that
are to be written are already stored in the cache from a previous read or write command. If there are, the respective cache segments are cleared.
The new data is cached for subsequent Read commands.
If the number of write data logical blocks exceed the size of the segment being written into, when the end of the segment is reached, the data is
written into the beginning of the same cache segment, overwriting the data that was written there at the beginning of the operation; however,
the drive does not overwrite data that has not yet been written to the medium.
If write caching is enabled (WCE=1), then the drive may return Good status on a write command after the data has been transferred into the
cache, but before the data has been written to the medium. If an error occurs while writing the data to the medium, and Good status has already
been returned, a deferred error will be generated.
The Synchronize Cache command may be used to force the drive to write all cached write data to the medium. Upon completion of a Synchronize
Cache command, all data received from previous write commands will have been written to the medium. Table 11 shows the mode default
settings for the drive.
4.4.2 Prefetch operation
If the Prefetch feature is enabled, data in contiguous logical blocks on the disk immediately beyond that which was requested by a Read
command are retrieved and stored in the buffer for immediate transfer from the buffer to the host on subsequent Read commands that request
those logical blocks (this is true even if cache operation is disabled). Though the prefetch operation uses the buffer as a cache, finding the
requested data in the buffer is a prefetch hit, not a cache operation hit.
To enable Prefetch, use Mode Select page 08h, byte 12, bit 5 (Disable Read Ahead - DRA bit). DRA bit = 0 enables prefetch.
The drive does not use the Max Prefetch field (bytes 8 and 9) or the Prefetch Ceiling field (bytes 10 and 11).
When prefetch (read look-ahead) is enabled (enabled by DRA = 0), the drive enables prefetch of contiguous blocks from the disk when it senses
that a prefetch hit will likely occur. The drive disables prefetch when it decides that a prefetch hit is not likely to occur.

Seagate Exos X18 SAS Product Manual, Rev. F 16
www.seagate.com Reliability specifications
5.0 Reliability specifications
The following reliability specifications assume correct host and drive operational interface, including all interface timings, power supply voltages,
environmental requirements and drive mounting constraints.
5.1 Error rates
The error rates stated in this manual assume the following:
• The drive is operated in accordance with this manual using DC power as defined in Section 6.4, DC power requirements
• Errors caused by host system failures are excluded from error rate computations.
• Assume random data.
• Default OEM error recovery settings are applied. This includes AWRE, ARRE, full read retries, full write retries and full retry time.
5.1.1 Recoverable Errors
Recoverable errors are those detected and corrected by the drive, and do not require user intervention.
Recoverable Data errors will use correction, although ECC on-the-fly is not considered for purposes of recovered error specifications.
Recovered Data error rate is determined using read bits transferred for recoverable errors occurring during a read, and using write bits transferred
for recoverable errors occurring during a write.
5.1.2 Unrecoverable Errors
An unrecoverable data error is defined as a failure of the drive to recover data from the media. These errors occur due to head/media or write
problems. Unrecoverable data errors are only detected during read operations, but not caused by the read. If an unrecoverable data error is
detected, a MEDIUM ERROR (03h) in the Sense Key will be reported. Multiple unrecoverable data errors resulting from the same cause are treated
as 1 error.
5.1.3 Seek errors
A seek error is defined as a failure of the drive to position the heads to the addressed track. After detecting an initial seek error, the drive
automatically performs an error recovery process. If the error recovery process fails, a seek positioning error (Error code = 15h or 02h) will be
reported with a Hardware error (04h) in the Sense Key. Recoverable seek errors are specified at Less than 10 errors in 108seeks. Unrecoverable
seek errors (Sense Key = 04h) are classified as drive failures.
5.1.4 Interface errors
An interface error is defined as a failure of the receiver on a port to recover the data as transmitted by the device port connected to the receiver.
The error may be detected as a running disparity error, illegal code, loss of word sync, or CRC error.
Seek error rate: Less than 10 errors in 108seeks
Read Error Rates1
1. Error rate specified with automatic retries and data correction with ECC enabled and all flaws reallocated.
2. See Section 5.2, "Reliability and service" for rated MTBF device operating condition requirements.
Recovered Data Less than 10 errors in 1012 bits transferred (OEM default settings)
Unrecovered Data Less than 1 sector in 1015 bits transferred
Miscorrected Data Less than 1 sector in 1021 bits transferred
Interface error rate: Less than 1 error in 1012 bits transferred
Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF): 2,500,000 hours
Annualized Failure Rate (AFR):20.35%
Preventive maintenance: None required

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5.2 Reliability and service
Users can enhance the reliability of Exos X18 disk drives by ensuring that the drive receives adequate cooling. Section 6.0 provides temperature
measurements and other information that may be used to enhance the service life of the drive. Section 9.2 provides recommended air-flow
information.
5.2.1 Annualized Failure Rate (AFR) and Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF)
The production disk drive shall achieve an annualized failure-rate of 0.35% (MTBF of 2,500,000 hours) over a 5 year service life when used in
Enterprise Storage field conditions as limited by the following:
• 8760 power-on hours per year.
• HDA temperature as reported by the drive <= 30°C
• Ambient wet bulb temp <= 26°C
•Typicalworkload
• The AFR (MTBF) is a population statistic not relevant to individual units
• ANSI/ISA S71.04-2013 G2 classification levels and dust contamination to ISO 14644-1 Class 8 standards (as measured at the device)
The MTBF specification for the drive assumes the operating environment is designed to maintain nominal drive temperature and humidity.
Occasional excursions in operating conditions between the rated MTBF conditions and the maximum drive operating conditions may occur
without significant impact to the rated MTBF. However continual or sustained operation beyond the rated MTBF conditions will degrade the drive
MTBF and reduce product reliability.
5.2.2 Hot plugging the drive
When a disk is powered on by switching the power or hot plugged, the drive runs a self test before attempting to communicate on its’ interfaces.
When the self test completes successfully, the drive initiates a Link Reset starting with OOB. An attached device should respond to the link reset. If
the link reset attempt fails, or any time the drive looses sync, the drive initiated link reset. The drive will initiate link reset once per second but
alternates between port A and B. Therefore each port will attempt a link reset once per 2 seconds assuming both ports are out of sync.
If the self-test fails, the drive does not respond to link reset on the failing port.
It is the responsibility of the systems integrator to assure that no temperature, energy, voltage hazard, or ESD potential hazard is presented during
the hot connect/disconnect operation. Discharge the static electricity from the drive carrier prior to inserting it into the system.
Nonrecoverable read errors 1 per 1015 bits read, max
Load unload cycles 600,000 cycles
Maximum Rated Workload Maximum rate of <550TB/year
Workloads exceeding the annualized rate may degrade the drive MTBF and impact product
reliability. The Annualized Workload Rate is in units of TB per year, or TB per 8760 power on
hours. Workload Rate = TB transferred * (8760 / recorded power on hours).
Warranty To determine the warranty for a specific drive, use a web browser to access the following web
page: www.seagate.com/support/warranty-and-replacements/.
From this page, click on the “Is my Drive under Warranty” link. The following are required to be
provided: the drive serial number, model number (or part number) and country of purchase.
The system will display the warranty information for the drive.
Preventive maintenance None required.
Caution The drive motor must come to a complete stop prior to changing the
plane of operation. This time is required to insure data integrity.

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5.2.3 S.M.A.R.T.
S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym for Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology. This technology is intended to recognize conditions that indicate
imminent drive failure and is designed to provide sufficient warning of a failure to allow users to back up the data before an actual failure occurs.
Each monitored attribute has been selected to monitor a specific set of failure conditions in the operating performance of the drive and the
thresholds are optimized to minimize “false” and “failed” predictions.
Controlling S.M.A.R.T.
The operating mode of S.M.A.R.T. is controlled by the DEXCPT and PERF bits on the Informational Exceptions Control mode page (1Ch). Use the
DEXCPT bit to enable or disable the S.M.A.R.T. feature. Setting the DEXCPT bit disables all S.M.A.R.T. functions. When enabled, S.M.A.R.T. collects
on-line data as the drive performs normal read and write operations. When the PERF bit is set, the drive is considered to be in “On-line Mode Only”
and will not perform off-line functions.
Users can measure off-line attributes and force the drive to save the data by using the Rezero Unit command. Forcing S.M.A.R.T. resets the timer so
that the next scheduled interrupt is in one hour.
Users can interrogate the drive through the host to determine the time remaining before the next scheduled measurement and data logging
process occurs. To accomplish this, issue a Log Sense command to log page 0x3E. This allows the user to control when S.M.A.R.T. interruptions
occur. Forcing S.M.A.R.T. with the RTZ command resets the timer.
Performance impact
S.M.A.R.T. attribute data is saved to the disk so that the events that caused a predictive failure can be recreated. The drive measures and saves
parameters once every one hour subject to an idle period on the drive interfaces. The process of measuring off-line attribute data and saving data
to the disk is interruptible. The maximum on-line only processing delay is summarized below:
Reporting control
Reporting is controlled by the MRIE bits in the Informational Exceptions Control mode page (1Ch). An example, if the MRIE is set to one, the
firmware will issue to the host an 01-5D00 sense code. The FRU field contains the type of predictive failure that occurred. The error code is
preserved through bus resets and power cycles.
Determining rate
S.M.A.R.T. monitors the rate at which errors occur and signals a predictive failure if the rate of degraded errors increases to an unacceptable level.
To determine rate, error events are logged and compared to the number of total operations for a given attribute. The interval defines the number
of operations over which to measure the rate. The counter that keeps track of the current number of operations is referred to as the Interval
Counter.
S.M.A.R.T. measures error rates. All errors for each monitored attribute are recorded. A counter keeps track of the number of errors for the current
interval. This counter is referred to as the Failure Counter.
Error rate is the number of errors per operation. The algorithm that S.M.A.R.T. uses to record rates of error is to set thresholds for the number of
errors and their interval. If the number of errors exceeds the threshold before the interval expires, the error rate is considered to be unacceptable.
If the number of errors does not exceed the threshold before the interval expires, the error rate is considered to be acceptable. In either case, the
interval and failure counters are reset and the process starts over.
Note The drive’s firmware monitors specific attributes for degradation
over time but can’t predict instantaneous drive failures.
Maximum processing delay
Fully-enabled delay DEXCPT = 0
S.M.A.R.T. delay times 75 ms

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Predictive failures
S.M.A.R.T. signals predictive failures when the drive is performing unacceptably for a period of time. The firmware keeps a running count of the
number of times the error rate for each attribute is unacceptable. To accomplish this, a counter is incremented each time the error rate is
unacceptable and decremented (not to exceed zero) whenever the error rate is acceptable. If the counter continually increments such that it
reaches the predictive threshold, a predictive failure is signaled. This counter is referred to as the Failure History Counter. There is a separate Failure
History Counter for each attribute.
5.2.4 Thermal monitor
Exos X18 drives implement a temperature warning system which:
1. Signals the host if the temperature exceeds a value which would threaten the drive.
2. Saves a S.M.A.R.T. data frame on the drive which exceeds the threatening temperature value.
A temperature sensor monitors the drive temperature and issues a warning over the interface when the temperature exceeds a set threshold. The
temperature is measured at power-up and then at ten-minute intervals after power-up.
The thermal monitor system generates a warning code of 01-0B01 when the temperature exceeds the specified limit in compliance with the SCSI
standard.
This feature is controlled by the Enable Warning (EWasc) bit, and the reporting mechanism is controlled by the Method of Reporting Informational
Exceptions field (MRIE) on the Informational Exceptions Control (IEC) mode page (1Ch).
5.2.5 Drive Self Test (DST)
Drive Self Test (DST) is a technology designed to recognize drive fault conditions that qualify the drive as a failed unit. DST validates the
functionality of the drive at a system level.
There are two test coverage options implemented in DST:
1. Extended test
2. Short test
The most thorough option is the extended test that performs various tests on the drive and scans every logical block address (LBA) of the drive.
The short test is time-restricted and limited in length—it does not scan the entire media surface, but does some fundamental tests and scans
portions of the media.
If DST encounters an error during either of these tests, it reports a fault condition. If the drive fails the test, remove it from service and return it to
Seagate for service.
5.2.5.1 DST failure definition
The drive will present a “diagnostic failed” condition through the self-tests results value of the diagnostic log page if a functional failure is
encountered during DST. The channel and servo parameters are not modified to test the drive more stringently, and the number of retries are not
reduced. All retries and recovery processes are enabled during the test. If data is recoverable, no failure condition will be reported regardless of
the number of retries required to recover the data.
The following conditions are considered DST failure conditions:
• Seek error after retries are exhausted
• Track-follow error after retries are exhausted
• Read error after retries are exhausted
• Write error after retries are exhausted
Recovered errors will not be reported as diagnostic failures.