Attention: Formatting a diskette destroys any existing data on that diskette.
You can format diskettes in the diskette drive specified by the Device parameter (the /dev/rfd0 device by default) with the format and fdformat commands. The format command determines the device type, which is one of the following:
The sector size is 512 bytes for all diskette types.
The format command formats a diskette for high density unless the Device parameter specifies a different density.
The fdformat command formats a diskette for low density unless the -h flag is specified. The Device parameter specifies the device containing the diskette to be formatted (such as the /dev/rfd0 device for drive 0).
Before formatting a diskette, the format and fdformat commands prompt for verification. This allows you to end the operation cleanly if necessary.
For example, to format a diskette in the /dev/rfd0 device, enter:
format -d /dev/rfd0
For example, to format a diskette without checking for bad tracks, enter:
format -f
For example, to format a 360KB diskette in a 5.25-inch, 1.2MB diskette drive in the /dev/rfd1 device, enter:
format -l -d /dev/rfd1
For example, to force high-density formatting of a diskette when using the fdformat command, enter:
fdformat -h
See the format command in the AIX Version 4.3 Commands Reference for the exact syntax.