thelastman@gmail.com (Blake Golliher) writes
I don't belive spares_zero acutally overwrites data, or initalize all disks (option 4 at 22/7 menu). That's why the sanitize commands were created in the first place.
spares_zero definitely zeroes the disks, or at least those parts of them that would take part in a raid array (remembering "right sizing" and so on). As it's a single write pass with predictable data it's certainly not erasing to military security standards [*], but it may well be good enough in many situations, e.g. decomissioned discs being passed around within a single organisation.
_Way_ back, before there was even a spares_zero command, I used to boot from floppy and build a new filing system on the filer from scratch, and then add _all_ the disks to it (no hot spares!). The disks are zeroed as they are added to the raid arrays. That method will still work as well.
[*] ... but tehn the algorithm used by "sanitize" would probably not be considered secure enough by the truely paranoid, either!