With a current kernel (on a Spacstation IPC), I get this:

  sd2 at scsibus0 target 2 lun 0: <SEAGATE, ST12400N SUN2.1G, 8720> disk fixed
  sd2(esp0:0:2:0):  Check Condition on CDB: 0x00 00 00 00 00 00
      SENSE KEY:  Not Ready
       ASC/ASCQ:  Logical Unit Not Ready, Initialization Command Required
       FRU CODE:  0x1

  sd2: drive offline
  sd2: sync (200.00ns offset 15), 8-bit (5.000MB/s) transfers, tagged queueing

When first accessed after the boot is completed, e.g. by disklabel(8),
the drive is spun up and everything is fine.

Is this verbosity intended?


On the same machine there's another disk, which now probes like so:

  sd0 at scsibus0 target 3 lun 0: <MAXTOR, LXT-213S SUN0207, 4.17> disk fixed
  sd0: fabricating a geometry
  sd0: 202 MB, 202 cyl, 64 head, 32 sec, 512 bytes/sect x 415436 sectors
  sd0: async, 8-bit transfers

Note the `fabricating' nonsense. Previously, the kernel was able to
extract a `native' geometry just fine, as the message logs show:

  sd0 at scsibus0 target 3 lun 0: <MAXTOR, LXT-213S SUN0207, 4.17> disk fixed
  sd0: 202 MB, 1310 cyl, 7 head, 45 sec, 512 bytes/sect x 415436 sectors
  sd0: async, 8-bit transfers

-pk