AlphaOmega.DeviceIoControl 1.2.4

DeviceIoControl assembly

Wrapper around the Windows DeviceIoControl Win32 API providing strongly-typed access to common IOCTL and FSCTL control codes (volume, disk, storage, SMART, filesystem statistics, etc.). Primary purpose is reading S.M.A.R.T. data and low-level device characteristics from physical drives.

Original SMART C++ source (by Andrew I. Reshin, 11.02.2001) is preserved in S.M.A.R.T.rar.

Install

NuGet:

dotnet add package AlphaOmega.DeviceIoControl

Targets: .NET 8, .NET Standard 2.0, .NET Framework 3.5

Quick usage

using AlphaOmega.DeviceIoControl;

using(var device = new DeviceIoControl(@"c:\")) // Path to a logical drive or volume root
{
    bool isOn = device.IsDeviceOn;
    Console.WriteLine($"Device is {(isOn ? "on" : "off")}");

    // DISC SMART version & capabilities
    var version = device.Disc.Version?.Value;
    if(version != null)
    {
        Console.WriteLine("Capabilities: " +
            string.Join(", ", new [] {
                version.IsAtaSupported ? "ATA" : null,
                version.IsAtapiSupported ? "ATAPI" : null,
                version.IsSmartSupported ? "SMART" : null,
            }.Where(x => x != null)));
    }

    // SMART data
    var smart = device.Disc.Smart;
    if(smart != null)
    {
        Console.WriteLine("=== INFO ===");
        Console.WriteLine($"Model: {smart.SystemParams.ModelNumber}\n" +
                          $"Serial: {smart.SystemParams.SerialNumber}\n" +
                          $"Firmware: {smart.SystemParams.FirmwareRev}\n" +
                          $"User LBA capacity: {smart.SystemParams.ulTotalAddressableSectors:n0} sectors");
    }
}

Additional examples

Enumerate disk extents of a volume:

using(var device = new DeviceIoControl(@"c:\"))
{
    var extents = device.Volume.DiskExtents; // IOCTL_VOLUME_GET_VOLUME_DISK_EXTENTS
    foreach(var e in extents.Extents)
        Console.WriteLine($"Disk #{e.DiskNumber} offset {e.StartingOffset} length {e.ExtentLength}");
}

Query storage device number:

using(var device = new DeviceIoControl(@"c:\"))
{
    var devNum = device.Storage.DeviceNumber; // IOCTL_STORAGE_GET_DEVICE_NUMBER
    Console.WriteLine($"DeviceType={devNum.DeviceType} Number={devNum.DeviceNumber} Partition={devNum.PartitionNumber}");
}

Safely eject removable media:

using(var device = new DeviceIoControl(@"e:\"))
{
    device.Storage.MediaRemoval(true); // Prevent removal lock
    device.Storage.EjectMedia();       // IOCTL_STORAGE_EJECT_MEDIA
}

Supported structures / control codes

• IOCTL_VOLUME
  • GET_VOLUME_DISK_EXTENTS
  • IS_CLUSTERED
• IOCTL_DISC
  • PERFORMANCE / PERFORMANCE_OFF
  • IS_WRITABLE
  • SMART_GET_VERSION
  • SMART_SEND_DRIVE_COMMAND
  • SMART_RCV_DRIVE_DATA
  • GET_DRIVE_GEOMETRY_EX
• IOCTL_STORAGE
  • CHECK_VERIFY / CHECK_VERIFY2
  • MEDIA_REMOVAL / EJECT_MEDIA
  • GET_MEDIA_TYPES_EX
  • GET_MEDIA_SERIAL_NUMBER
  • GET_HOTPLUG_INFO
  • GET_DEVICE_NUMBER
  • PREDICT_FAILURE
  • QUERY_PROPERTY
• FSCTL
  • LOCK_VOLUME / UNLOCK_VOLUME / DISMOUNT_VOLUME
  • IS_VOLUME_MOUNTED
  • FILESYSTEM_GET_STATISTICS
  • GET_NTFS_VOLUME_DATA
  • GET_VOLUME_BITMAP

Error handling

Each property method internally calls DeviceIoControl. If the underlying API returns an error (GetLastError) it surfaces via thrown IOException / Win32Exception. Some properties can be null when not supported by device / OS.

Security / permissions

Most queries require only read access. Operations like locking, dismounting, media removal or eject need elevated privileges and exclusive access. Always ensure handles are disposed before performing sensitive tasks.

Performance notes

SMART queries may spin up sleeping disks. Cache results externally if invoked frequently. Methods avoid unnecessary allocations and pinvoke marshaling is minimized.

Building

Clone and build with .NET SDK 8+ (for multi-targeting). Legacy .NET Framework 3.5 build may require VS with older targeting packs installed.

Disclaimer

Low-level device operations can cause data loss if misused (e.g. improper locking/eject). Use read-only APIs unless you understand the implications.