DiskMon-Mail Release Statement

Version 0.2.0 - 2025-07-06

Major Release: Cross-Platform SMART Status Support

We're excited to announce the release of DiskMon-Mail version 0.2.0, which brings comprehensive disk health monitoring capabilities to both Windows and Linux systems. This release represents a significant milestone in our mission to provide reliable, cross-platform disk monitoring with advanced health detection.

What's New

Enhanced Disk Health Monitoring

• Windows SMART Status Support: Full production-ready SMART status monitoring for Windows systems using PowerShell and WMI
• Linux SMART Status Support: Complete SMART status monitoring for Linux systems using hybrid approach (smartctl + kernel interfaces)
• Cross-Platform Compatibility: Consistent SMART status monitoring across Windows and Linux platforms
• Zero External Dependencies: No external packages required, but will use smartmontools if available for enhanced accuracy

Technical Improvements

• WMI Integration: Proper mapping of logical drives to physical drives using Windows Management Instrumentation
• Drive Mapping: Accurate mapping between drive letters (C:, D:, etc.) and physical drives on Windows
• Mount Point Mapping: Accurate mapping between mount points and device names on Linux
• Hybrid Detection: Uses smartctl if available, falls back to kernel interfaces (dmesg, fsck, /proc/diskstats) or WMI

User Experience Enhancements

• Loading Indicator: Added "Loading information, please wait..." message during disk information gathering
• Performance Notes: Updated documentation to mention that initial startup may take 2-5 seconds
• Health Check Configuration: New health_check_enabled option to disable disk health checks if needed
• RAID System Warnings: Automatic detection and warnings for RAID systems where health information may be unreliable

Configuration Updates

New configuration option available in config.yaml:

:::yaml
# Health Check Configuration
health_check_enabled: true # Enable/disable disk health checks (default: true)

This option allows users to disable disk health checks entirely, which can be useful in environments where: - SMART status is not needed - Performance is critical - Running in virtualized environments where SMART data may not be reliable

System Requirements

• Windows: Windows 7 or later
• Linux: Most distributions (glibc-based)
• ARM: Raspberry Pi, ARM servers, embedded systems
• Memory: Minimal (typically < 10MB RAM)
• Network: Internet access for SMTP (if using external email)
• Performance: Initial disk information gathering may take 2-5 seconds, especially on Windows systems with multiple drives

Installation

Download the appropriate binary for your system from the GitHub releases page:

• Windows: diskmon-mail-windows-x86_64.zip
• Linux x86_64: diskmon-mail-linux-x86_64.zip
• Linux ARM64: diskmon-mail-linux-aarch64.zip
• Linux ARM32: diskmon-mail-linux-armv7.zip
• Linux ARM: diskmon-mail-linux-arm.zip

Migration Guide

For Existing Users

• No Action Required: Existing configurations will continue to work unchanged
• Health Checks Enabled by Default: New installations will have disk health monitoring enabled
• Optional Feature: Health checks can be disabled via health_check_enabled: false in config.yaml

For New Users

• Enhanced Monitoring: Get comprehensive disk health information out of the box
• Flexible Configuration: Choose whether to enable health checks based on your needs
• Cross-Platform: Same configuration format works across all supported platforms

Known Limitations

• RAID Systems: SMART status may be unavailable or unreliable on RAID arrays
• Virtual Machines: Health information may be limited in virtualized environments
• Network Drives: Health monitoring is not available for network-mounted drives
• Performance Impact: Health checks may add 2-5 seconds to startup time

Support

For issues, feature requests, or contributions: - Review the example configuration file - Test SMTP settings with the --force-mail parameter - Visit our GitHub repository for more information

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DiskMon-Mail 0.2.0 - Bringing enterprise-grade disk monitoring to every platform.

Released on July 6, 2025