Abstract: A self-testing storage system apparatus and method uses pre-recorded test sequences at a designated location within a storage system, so that a user interface task, residing in the controller of the storage system responds to a signal to initiate testing sent through a user interface device coupled to the controller. The user interface task causes the test sequences to be transferred into the controller. The user interface task also disables communications through the host interface, determines from parameters sent over the user interface which tests are to be run, and causes them to be executed as manufacturing self-test tasks from within the controller, using the controller's microprocessor and memory. Depending upon the parameters provided through the user interface device, each manufacturing self-test task executes sequential and random read/write/compare tests, data or command saturation tests, RAID evaluation tests, or other tests within the storage system.