Is it possible / safe to abort a Certify operation? If so, which process? kernel_task seems to be the only one logging disk activity.
I mis-parsed the time estimate for certifying my new 4TB SSD, thought it was estimating 15 minutes, when it was instead estimating 15 hours. It just reached 1TB offset after about 4 1/2 hours... so roughly 15 hours PER PASS seems about right, and as I left it as the default 3 passes, that would be pretty much two solid days. I am too impatient for that.
Yes you can cancel, with command .
or from the utilities menu.
Certify disk avoids 90% of premature failing drives from being put into use, as drives are shipped untested to the user, so you are the initial tester. If there is a weak sector for example, near the middle or end of the disk, you may not encounter it for a year, then it is too late for a new replacement, you will get a refurbished drive from most manufacturers. So it is useful to certify disks, even though this takes a long time.
@softraid-support thanks for the instructions. I notice I need to click on the drive entry for the entry to become active, but I do see it now.
Perhaps I will let one round of testing finish.