Apple Workgroup Server 8550 - Manual (Page 60)

Initializing a hard disk
Before you can use a new disk, the disk must be prepared so that the server
knows where to store information on the disk. This preparation is called
initializing (or formatting) the disk.
When do you need to initialize a hard disk?
The hard disk inside your server was initialized at the factory, so you
probably won’t need to initialize it. You need to initialize a hard disk only if
one of the following is true:
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The disk is new and uninitialized. Your internal hard disk and most external
hard disks are initialized at the factory and do not have to be initialized
again. If you are adding a new non-Apple hard disk to your server, check
your owner’s manual to see if it needs to be initialized.
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You’ve experienced repeated errors using this disk. If problems persist after
you initialize the disk, the disk is in need of servicing.
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You want your disk to be partitioned in a different way.
If a hard disk hasn’t been initialized, the disk’s icon does not appear on the
desktop when you start up the server using another disk.
How to initialize a hard disk
You initialize an Apple SCSI hard disk by using the Drive Setup program,
which is available on your server’s hard disk and on the Workgroup Server
Software CD-ROM disc that came with your server. (To initialize a hard disk
from another manufacturer, use the utility software that came with the hard
disk.)
WARNING Initializing a disk erases any information that may be on
it. Before you initialize a damaged disk, try to repair it as
described in “Repairing a Damaged Disk” later in this chapter.
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