SCSI Start Stop Unit Command

The SCSI Start/Stop Unit command is used to control the motor in a rotary device such as a SCSI disk-drive. It is also used to load or eject exchangeable media such as a tapes or CDs. It is a frequently-used command and is often the first one issued after initial communication has been established between the initiator and the target.

The CDB structure is:

bit→
↓byte

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0

0

Operation code = 1Bh

1

LUN

Reserved

Immed

2

Reserved

3

Reserved

4

Reserved

LoEj

Start

5

Control

The parameter fields in the CDB have the following meaning:

  • Immed - immediate - if this is one then the target will not wait until the operation has completed before sending back the status code.
  • LoEj (load/eject) and Start - these two bits are used together:
    • 00 - Stop motor
    • 01 - Start motor
    • 10 - Eject media
    • 11 - Load media