From owner-freebsd-current@FreeBSD.ORG  Sun Nov  3 06:37:32 2013
Return-Path: <owner-freebsd-current@FreeBSD.ORG>
Delivered-To: freebsd-current@freebsd.org
Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [8.8.178.115])
 (using TLSv1 with cipher ADH-AES256-SHA (256/256 bits))
 (No client certificate requested)
 by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id DE6FD81D;
 Sun,  3 Nov 2013 06:37:32 +0000 (UTC)
 (envelope-from wblock@wonkity.com)
Received: from wonkity.com (wonkity.com [67.158.26.137])
 (using TLSv1 with cipher DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA (256/256 bits))
 (No client certificate requested)
 by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 8D51A2F7C;
 Sun,  3 Nov 2013 06:37:32 +0000 (UTC)
Received: from wonkity.com (localhost [127.0.0.1])
 by wonkity.com (8.14.7/8.14.7) with ESMTP id rA36bOPe035476;
 Sun, 3 Nov 2013 00:37:24 -0600 (MDT)
 (envelope-from wblock@wonkity.com)
Received: from localhost (wblock@localhost)
 by wonkity.com (8.14.7/8.14.7/Submit) with ESMTP id rA36bOgb035473;
 Sun, 3 Nov 2013 00:37:24 -0600 (MDT)
 (envelope-from wblock@wonkity.com)
Date: Sun, 3 Nov 2013 00:37:24 -0600 (MDT)
From: Warren Block <wblock@wonkity.com>
To: Adrian Chadd <adrian@freebsd.org>
Subject: Re: Overriding sector size on disks?
In-Reply-To: <CAJ-VmonDc3QuKKqE6b=FmOy+tz6J8AYpXtHon5EWR_3dTiePww@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <alpine.BSF.2.00.1311030013210.35317@wonkity.com>
References: <CAJ-VmonDc3QuKKqE6b=FmOy+tz6J8AYpXtHon5EWR_3dTiePww@mail.gmail.com>
User-Agent: Alpine 2.00 (BSF 1167 2008-08-23)
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed
X-Greylist: Sender IP whitelisted, not delayed by milter-greylist-4.4.3
 (wonkity.com [127.0.0.1]); Sun, 03 Nov 2013 00:37:24 -0600 (MDT)
Cc: freebsd-current <freebsd-current@freebsd.org>
X-BeenThere: freebsd-current@freebsd.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.14
Precedence: list
List-Id: Discussions about the use of FreeBSD-current
 <freebsd-current.freebsd.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/options/freebsd-current>, 
 <mailto:freebsd-current-request@freebsd.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-current>
List-Post: <mailto:freebsd-current@freebsd.org>
List-Help: <mailto:freebsd-current-request@freebsd.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-current>,
 <mailto:freebsd-current-request@freebsd.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Sun, 03 Nov 2013 06:37:32 -0000

On Fri, 1 Nov 2013, Adrian Chadd wrote:

> Hi!
>
> I have an odd problem. That, honestly, can't be that odd.
>
> I have a bunch of SATA disks that when plugged into the laptop
> directly, show up as 512 byte sectors. But if I plug it in via this
> iomega USB caddy, they show up as 4k sector devices.

ISTR some Hitachi external USB disk enclosures do that.  Since they are 
not a general-purpose enclosure but came wrapped around specific Hitachi 
disks, it's not really their fault.

> Because of this, partitions just plainly don't work.
>
> Has anyone faced this? Is there some trick to do to get these things
> to go back to being 512 byte sector devices so one can use them?

> Similarly, because they show up as 512 byte sector devices on
> macosx/linux, they can read/write NTFS/MSDOS partitions on the thing.
> But if I plug it into freebsd, it shows up as a 4k sector device and
> things plainly don't work.

Is it out of the question to discard the enclosure as too bugged to use?

Otherwise, there is a small chance that the vendor has a firmware update 
that isn't stupid.  Or maybe even a jumper in the enclosure.

Reference:

http://forum.hddguru.com/viewtopic.php?t=21099&start= has some 
information which might help.