SG_UNMAP(8)

NAME
sg_unmap - sends a SCSI UNMAP command

SYNOPSIS
sg_unmap [--anchor] [--grpnum=GN] [--help] [--in=FILE] [--lba=LBA,LBA...] [--num=NUM,NUM...] [--timeout=TO] [--verbose] [--version] DEVICE

DESCRIPTION

Send a SCSI UNMAP command to DEVICE to unmap one or more logical blocks. This command was introduced in SBC-3 revision 18 under the broad heading of "logical block provisioning" or more specifically "thin provisioning". Logical blocks may also be unmapped by the SCSI WRITE SAME (16 and 32 byte cdbs); see sg_write_same. The unmap capability is closely related to the ATA DATA SET MANAGEMENT command with the "Trim" bit set.

Logical blocks to be unmapped can be specified in one of two ways to this utility. One way is by supplying the (start) LBAs to the '--lba=' option and the corresponding number(s) to unmap to the '--num=' option. The other way is by putting (start) LBA and number pairs in a file whose name is given to the '--in=' option. All values are assumed to be decimal unless prefixed by "0x" (or "0X") or have a trailing "h" (or "H") in which case they are interpreted as hexadecimal.

When the '--lba=' option is given then the '--num=' option must also be given. If one has a comma separated list as its argument then the other must have the same number of elements in its list. The arguments can use a single space as a separator but need to be in quotes or escaped to not be misinterpreted by the shell.

With the '--in=FILE' option an even number of values must be found and are interpreted as pairs: the first value in each pair is a starting LBA and the second value is the number to unmap from that LBA. Everything from and including a "#" on a line is ignored as are blank lines. Values may be comma, space and tab separated or appear on separate lines.

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

-a, --anchor
    sets the 'Anchor' bit in the command (introduced in sbc3r22).

-g, --grpnum=GN
    sets the 'Group number' field to GN. Defaults to a value of zero. GN should be a value between 0 and 31.

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

-I, --in=FILE
    where FILE is a file name containing pairs of values. The first member of each pair is a starting LBA and the second member of the pair is the number of logical blocks to unmap from and including that starting LBA. Values are interpreted as decimal unless indicated otherwise. This option cannot be present with the '--lba=' option.

-l, --lba=LBA,LBA...
    where LBA,LBA... is a string of comma (or space) separated values that are interpreted as starting logical block addresses. Each number is interpreted as decimal unless prefixed by '0x' or '0X' (or it has a trailing 'h' or 'H'). An argument that contains any space separators needs to be quoted (or otherwise escaped). When this option is given then the '--num=' option must also be given and they must contain the same number of elements in their arguments.

-n, --num=NUM,NUM...
    where NUM,NUM... is a string of comma (or space) separated values that are interpreted as a number of logical blocks to unmap. Each number is interpreted as decimal unless prefixed by '0x' or '0X' (or it has a trailing 'h' or 'H'). Note that 0 blocks is acceptable. An argument that contains any space separators needs to be quoted (or otherwise escaped). When this option is given then the '--lba=' option must also be given and they must contain the same number of elements in their arguments.

-t, --timeout=TO
    where TO is a timeout value (in seconds) for the UNMAP command. The default value is 60 seconds.

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

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

NOTES
Some limits: an LBA can be up to 64 bits, a NUM up to 32 bits (imposed by structure of UNMAP SCSI command parameter data). The NUM is further constrained by the MAXIMUM UNMAP LBA COUNT field in the BLOCK LIMITS VPD page (0xb0). The maximum number of LBA,NUM pairs is limited to 128 by this utility and may be further constrained by the MAXIMUM UNMAP BLOCK DESCRIPTOR COUNT field in the BLOCK LIMITS VPD page.

Since it is unclear how long the UNMAP command will take to execute a '--timeout=" option has been provided. The default timeout period is 60 seconds. If all the logical blocks on a logical unit (e.g. a disk drive) are to be unmapped then the FORMAT UNIT SCSI command (see the sg_format utility) may be considered as an alternative.

Support for thin provisioning is indicated by the TPE bit in the response to the SCSI READ CAPACITY (16) command (see the sg_readcap utility).

In the examples directory of the sg3_utils package there is a sg_unmap_example.txt file that shows the format that the '--in=' option accepts.

EXIT STATUS
The exit status of sg_unmap 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 © 2009-2010 Douglas Gilbert
This software is distributed under a FreeBSD license. There is NO warranty; not even for MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

SEE ALSO
sg_format,sg_get_lba_status,sg_readcap,sg_write_same(sg3_utils)