Install Smartctl on Ubuntu 20.04 - Step by step guide ?

An overveiw on the smartmontools
Linux Backup

The operating system has the option of being able to check the hard drive and its current state, automatically notifying the user if the failure rate increases through the Smartmontools. This is a package of 2 programs: smartctl and smartd.

Smartctl allows control to self-monitor, analyze, report on ATA-3 and other hard drives and SSDs.

Here at Ibmi Media, we shall look into how to install smartctl on Ubuntu 20.04.

Steps to install Smartctl on Ubuntu Linux system

1. Perform System Update

To begin, Update the system's packages by running the below command:

$ sudo apt update

2. Install smartmontools

Now, install the smartmontools package with the below command:

$ sudo apt install smartmontools

3. Check System Drive type

Here, check if your drive is SMART type with the below command:

$ sudo smartctl -i /dev/sda

4. Enable smartctl to auto-launch

Now, enable smartctl to auto-launch with the below command:

$ sudo smartctl -s on /dev/sda

How to Uninstall the Smartctl tool from Ubuntu 20.04 ?

To uninstall only the smartmontools package we can use the following command:

$ sudo apt-get remove smartmontools

We can use the following command to remove smartmontools configurations, data and all of its dependencies, we can use the following command:

$ sudo apt-get -y autoremove --purge smartmontools

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Conclusion

This article covers the complete steps to install smartctl on Ubuntu 20.04. In fact, 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 is derived from the smartsuite package, and includes support for ATA/ATAPI-5 disks. It should run on any modern Linux system.

How to Install smartmontools Using apt-get on Ubuntu / Debian system ?

1. Update apt database with apt-get using the following command:

$ sudo apt-get update

2. After updating apt database, We can install smartmontools using apt-get by running the following command:

$ sudo apt-get -y install smartmontools