Add Hardware monitoring section

content/docs/computer/maintenance-peripherals.md

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ For this reason, the sections in this guide focus on the following tasks:
    1. [#Bluetooth](#bluetooth) controller
    2. [#Printer and scanner](#printer-and-scanner)
    3. Additional encrypted [#Storage](#storage)
+3. [#Hardware monitoring](#hardware-monitoring)
 
 ## Maintenance
 
@@ -457,6 +458,69 @@ And I re-plug my storage device to proceed as usual in Thunar [using removable m
 
 {{% /steps %}}
 
+## Hardware monitoring
+
+A crucial task is to monitor the health of your hardware to prevent data loss and guarantee system performance. For example, hard disk drives and solid state disks unnoticely wear off over time and can fail. Depending on your usage and product quality, this may happen sooner or later. However, there are tools to query health information for planning and aquiring substitutes.
+
+### Disk health
+
+Modern storage devices provide S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology)[^7] to query the health of their operation. I install the [smartmontools](https://archlinux.org/packages/?name=smartmontools) package including some tools for interaction:
+
+```bash
+sudo pacman -S smartmontools
+```
+
+Assuming that the disk to test is `/dev/sda`, I check for SMART support using the command:
+
+```bash
+sudo smartctl --info /dev/sda | grep 'SMART support is:'
+```
+
+{{< callout type="info" >}}
+  Some USB bridges of external drives are blacklisted since they are known to use a buggy firmware. If the aforementioned command does not show SMART support, follow instructions in [this forum post](https://forum.openmediavault.org/index.php?thread/43669-smart-with-external-usb-drives/&postID=350452#post350452). However, be aware that there are reasons that your USB bridge may be an [unsupported USB-devices](https://www.smartmontools.org/wiki/Unsupported_USB-Devices).
+{{< /callout >}}
+
+If SMART is available but not enabled, I can turn it on using:
+
+```bash
+sudo smartctl --smart=on /dev/sda
+```
+
+#### Run a test
+
+The smartctl command can run four different tests (all are safe to user data). Refer to the [smartctl man page](https://man.archlinux.org/man/smartctl.8#t) to learn more about their characteristics. In general, I run a *short* test invoked by:
+
+```bash
+sudo smartctl --test=short /dev/sda
+```
+
+In addition, a *conveyance* test may identify damages due to transportation:
+```bash
+sudo smartctl --test=conveyance /dev/sda
+```
+
+The test results can be viewed by running:
+
+```bash
+sudo smartctl --log selftest /dev/sda
+```
+
+And with further information, such as temperature, power cycles, etc., by invoking:
+
+```bash
+sudo smartctl --all /dev/sda
+```
+
+The value for the overall-health self-assessment test result should be `PASSED` and is shown via:
+
+```bash
+smartctl --health /dev/sda
+```
+
+{{< callout type="warning" >}}
+  A failing health status means that the device has already failed or is about to fail very soon. In this case, [#backup](#backup) your data off the disk as soon as possible and replace the device.
+{{< /callout >}}
+
 Proceed with the configuration of basic [multimedia and web](../multimedia-web) 
 capabilities or go back to the overview and follow instructions for specific
 [use cases](../#use-cases).
@@ -469,4 +533,5 @@ Wikipedia
 Wikipedia
 [^5]: [Forum post](https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=1585788#p1585788) discussing the command
 [^6]: [USB flash drive](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_flash_drive) in the
-Wikipedia
+Wikipedia
+[^7]: [Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-Monitoring,_Analysis_and_Reporting_Technology) in the Wikipedia