Dell Command | Monitor Version 9.1 User's Guide

A user receives read error messages while trying to access certain files on the client-system hard drive. The user reboots the system and the files now appear to be accessible. The user disregards the initial problem because it appears to have resolved itself. Meanwhile, Dell Command | Monitor queries the hard drive with the problem for a predicted failure and passes a Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology (SMART) alert to the management console. It also displays the SMART error to the local user. The alert indicated that several read/write errors are occurring in the hard drive. The IT department of the company recommended that the user must make a backup of critical data files immediately. A service technician is dispatched with a replacement drive.

The hard drive is replaced before it fails, preventing user downtime, a help desk call, and a technician trip to the desktop to diagnose the problem.