Smartmontools drivedb.h Postprocessor

Background

If you're planning to work on this GSoC project, it's important to gain some foundational knowledge about:

• Storage Devices and Protocols
• SMART Technology
• smartmontools & drivedb.h
• Regular Expressions (Regex)
• C++ Programming
• Postprocessing Techniques

Smartmontools is a tool that collects health metrics from storage devices like HDDs, SSDs, and NVMe drives. It uses a file called drivedb.h to map device attributes (like wear level or temperature) to specific IDs and labels. The problem is that different manufacturers use different labels for the same metrics, making it hard to analyze data consistently. The project aims to clean up these labels using regex to create a common set of names. It also involves adding code to calculate remaining SSD lifespan automatically. For extra credit, the processed data could be sent to a central database for further analysis.

Evaluation Stage

Step 1 - Install smartmontools

• Clone the smartmontools repository from GitHub:

  git clone https://github.com/smartmontools/smartmontools.git
  cd smartmontools

• Install required dependencies below commands for Fedora Linux:
• NOTE: Use the related commands according to your os platform

  sudo dnf update -y
  sudo dnf install -y autoconf automake libtool gcc-c++ make

• Build smartmontools:

  ./autogen.sh
  ./configure
  make
  sudo make install

• Verify installation:

  smartctl --version

Step 2 - Understand drivedb.h

• Locate drivedb.h in the smartmontools source:

  cd smartmontools
  find . -name drivedb.h

• Review the structure of drivedb.h to understand how drive models and attributes are defined.
• Identify common inconsistencies in attribute labels such as "Wear Level", "Lifetime Remaining", or "Available Spare".

Step 3 - Implement Interpretation Primitives

• Modify the C++ code to add new interpretation primitives.
• Create a mapping function that can apply operations such as:
  • Subtract from 100 (for remaining lifetime conversion)
  • Normalize different attribute labels to unified labels

Step 4 - Write the Postprocessor Tool

• Choose a language for the postprocessor (Python).
• Write regex-based patterns to extract attribute labels from drivedb.h.
• Create a dictionary of standardized attribute names.

Step 5 - Test and Validate

• Run the postprocessor on the original drivedb.h.
• Verify the output file contains normalized attribute labels.
• Use smartctl to test different drives and confirm the metrics are correctly interpreted.

Step 6 - Bonus Task

• Write a Python script to format SMART data as JSON and send it via REST API.

Step 7 - Documentation and Final Submission

• Write comprehensive documentation explaining the implementation.
• Submit the code to GitHub and request a code review.
• Participate in the project standup or weekly calls with mentors.

Design Considerations

To ensure the project’s success, we need to focus on modularity, maintainability, and compatibility with smartmontools and existing observability systems.

1. Compatibility with smartmontools

• drivedb.h is actively maintained by upstream smartmontools developers, so changes should avoid breaking compatibility.
• The postprocessor should work without requiring changes to smartmontools itself.

2. Extensible Interpretation Mechanism

• Introduce a structured way to interpret attribute values (e.g., applying mathematical transformations).
• Keep interpretation logic flexible so new transformations can be added easily.

3. Efficient and Maintainable Post-processing

• Use regular expressions (regex) to identify attribute labels in drivedb.h and map them to standardized names.
• Ensure the postprocessor script is lightweight and does not introduce unnecessary complexity.

4. JSON Output for Integration

• Format SMART data in a structured JSON format for easy parsing.
• Ensure the JSON schema is consistent ceph metrics data.

5. REST API Integration

• Implement an API client in Python to send processed data to a remote server.
• Follow best practices for error handling, authentication, and data validation.

Connect

Feel free to reach out to us on the #gsoc-2025-smartmontools Slack channel under ceph-storage.slack.com.
Use slack invite link at the bottom of this page to join ceph-storage.slack.com workspace.