** Summary changed: - smartd needs to be enabled too many times + Debconf question during install should ask if smartd should be started automatically, like in hddtemp package
** Description changed: - To enabled SMART monitoring tool, you need to + It's not easy to find how to enable hard disk S.M.A.R.T. monitoring for + ordinary computer administrator, especially for home computer user. + Almost nobody knows, that he should read + /usr/share/doc/smartmontools/README.Debian, where is information, that + after installation S.M.A.R.T. monitoring isn't working and file + /etc/default/smartmontools should be modified for having working + S.M.A.R.T. monitoring... - * install the package - * run that start-up script on boot - * AND uncomment some lines in /etc/default/smartmontools + So, there should be at least debconf question, asked at package's install time - look for example hddtemp package, which does very similar job - monitors hard disks temperature. + I think we simply could look at hddtemp source package's debian folder and steal needed scripts and debconf templates. - The last step is just too much and completely unintuitive (it took me a - lot of google to find out and from the forums, I am not the only one). - If any, those lines should be uncommented by default. Yet, I would argue - about the usefulness of that configuration file at all when one can - simply not start the start-up script on boot. + It seems most users think, that after installation of smartmontools + package S.M.A.R.T. monitoring works on their system, because in + smartmontools package's description there are no warning, that + monitoring doesn't starts automatically - there is just nice info, that + S.M.A.R.T. monitoring should be on any Linux system: + + control and monitor storage systems using S.M.A.R.T. + The smartmontools package contains two utility programs (smartctl and smartd) to control and monitor storage systems using the Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology System (S.M.A.R.T.) built into most modern ATA and SCSI hard disks. It should run on any modern Linux system. + + Majority of users simply installs smartmontools and don't know, that + this isn't enough for enabling S.M.A.R.T. monitoring, additionally they + need to: + + 1. read the documentation in /usr/share/doc/smartmontools/README.Debian + 2. uncomment some lines in /etc/default/smartmontools + 3. try to start smartd (invoke-rc.d smartd start) + 4. read the log files to find if smartd was started + 5. edit /etc/smartd.conf if there are any errors in log files. + + These steps is just completely unintuitive (it took me a lot of google + to find out and from the forums, I am not the only one). Yet, I would + argue about the usefulness of /etc/default/smartmontools configuration + file at all when one can simply not start the start-up script on boot. ** Tags added: hardy -- Debconf question during install should ask if smartd should be started automatically, like in hddtemp package https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/103681 You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Bugs, which is the bug contact for Ubuntu. -- ubuntu-bugs mailing list ubuntu-bugs@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-bugs
