Need help? Read me first!


RobJ

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You need help?  We've got lots of helpful people!  So take a deep breath, and try to relax.  If you are worried about data loss, we can reassure you that it's very rare here.  Many problems turn out to be simple issues, like a loose or bad cable or connector.  NEW!  Try the Fix Common Problems plugin!
 

But first, some guidelines that will both help us help you and help you get the help you need sooner!
 

  • Almost always, the most important thing you need to do is capture your complete syslog, BEFORE YOU REBOOT!  We usually need to see what went wrong BEFORE the reboot, because once you reboot, it's lost!

    [For Unraid v6.0-rc4 or later] If networking is working, browse to the Unraid webGui, go to the Tools tab, click on the Diagnostics icon, then click on the Download button (Collect button if v6.0).  After the diagnostic data collection is complete, it will save a diagnostics zip file to your computer, to the download location you specify or is configured in your browser.  This zipped file is ready to attach to a forum post.  It contains a copy of your syslog with DOS friendly line endings, copies of SMART reports for all drives present, copies of your system and share config files, and a technical file describing your array, including all of the content on the Main screen.  Once you obtain this diagnostic dump file, you can skip the next paragraph because you already have the syslog, and you can skip capturing the SMART reports below, because you already have them too!
     
    If networking is not working (and you have Unraid v6.0-rc4 or later), then if you can login at the console command prompt, you can type diagnostics, and you will get the same diagnostics.zip file in the /boot/logs folder.  You can then shut down with powerdown and take the flash drive to another computer.
     
    [For v6.0-betas through -rc3, OR if you only want the syslog] If networking is working, browse to the Unraid webGui, go to the Tools tab, click on the Syslog icon, then click on the Download button.  (Prior to v6.0-beta15, it's at the bottom.)  After clicking the Download button, it will save syslog.zip to your computer, which is a zipped file containing syslog.txt, which is a copy of your syslog with DOS friendly line endings.  The zip file is ready to attach to a forum post.  (Since syslogs are highly compressible, we appreciate them being attached as zip files!)
     
    If no network, then you will have to capture the syslog from your server console.  Please see Capturing your syslog, and use the 'All Unraid versions' method.  Move the flash drive containing the syslog to your workstation, where you can attach it to a support post.
     
  • Is it a problem with a hard drive?  Then we will probably need to see a SMART report for each drive giving errors.
     
    If you don't have the diagnostic dump file from above, please do so via Tools-> Diagnostics, and make sure each SMART report is available to be attached with the syslog.
     
    In some problem cases, a drive is not responsive, so you cannot request a SMART report until AFTER rebooting.  Just remember to get that syslog before you reboot!
     
  • Time to create a new support topic!  A new one please, don't hijack someone else's topic.  Browse to the unRAID forums, and go to the General Support board in the unRAID V6 section, or other board as appropriate, such as Docker, KVM, hardware build, etc.  (Make sure you did not go to the General Support board in the v5 section!)  Click on the New Topic button in the upper right.  Enter a descriptive subject that summarizes the problem.  Remember, we have seen a lot of problems, many very similar, so your subject should try to be a little different.
     
    First, tell us the exact version of Unraid, the plugins and addons you have loaded, and what hardware you are using.  You can tell us about your hardware either here in the post, or in your signature.
     
    Now describe the problem, what exactly goes wrong, what errors you saw (exact words please!), what you were doing at the time, what steps you have taken to fix it, anything that helps us fully understand the problem.  The sooner we understand what the real problem is, the sooner you get the right help.
     
    If you have it, attach your diagnostics zipped file.  If not, attach your syslog and SMART reports (if any), preferably zipped.  If it's too big, you MUST zip it.  If it's useful, attach any screen captures or pictures you have made.  You may wish to zip everything into one file, or if too big, into separate zip files.

 

         Preview it, then post it.

 

  • If you've been asked to post a diagnostics file (or anything in addition), DO NOT add it to a previous post: Please create a new post with the requested information!
     
    Yes, we've asked for a lot of information, but it's to help you.  Please don't make us beg!  We're just volunteers, with limited time and lives of our own!

 

  • Do you believe you have found a bug?
    Create a support thread in Bug Reports, and describe the problem according to the guidelines above, and tell us why you believe it is a bug in unRAID.  
     
  • Some additional guidelines -
    * Syslogs need to be complete if possible, not just excerpts.  We often need to see where the errors start, and we may need to see how the drives and subsystems are set up.
    * Please don't process the syslog in any way.  We do not want syslogs in a .rtf, .doc, or .pdf format.  We want it intact in its original raw text form, just the way you captured it.
    * Make sure you have upgraded to the latest version, if possible.  It's frustrating to spend time helping someone, only to discover it was a problem long fixed.
    * Please don't ever say "latest version", of anything!  Always specify the exact version number of whatever software you are referring to.  We can't know which versions you were aware of, and we don't know if you are referring to the latest official version, or the latest beta or RC.  And in a month or 2, or worse a year from now, no one will know which version you were referring to.
    * Try starting in Safe Mode, without any plugins or other addons.  Does the problem still occur?  Then repeat testing with and without various plugins and addons.
    * Are you overclocking?  Don't!  Try restoring all CPU and memory timings and voltages to their stock settings, then see if the problem still occurs.
    * If you take a picture, make sure it's viewable, no glare.
    * If you try to capture part of the webGui screen, temporarily drag the browser borders in, to make a much smaller picture.
    * Is the problem repeatable?  We need to know that, so please test, and if repeatable, report the steps that cause a repeat.
    * If the system crashes completely and there is no way to capture a final syslog, then start a tail on the unRAID console or Telnet session (tail -f /var/log/syslog).
    * Once the problem is solved, modify your original post, and insert [solved] at the beginning of the Subject line.  Moderators: feel free to lock a solved topic.
     
  • PLEASE do not privately ask the moderators or other users for personal support!  Helpful moderators and users are just users like yourself, unpaid volunteers, and do not provide official support, so it is better to ask support questions on the forum instead.  That way, you get the benefit of having answers from the whole community, instead of just one person who may or may not know, or may be wrong, or may be unavailable.  Plus, you will probably get faster help.  And, other users in the community can benefit by learning from your problem and its solution.

 

Moderators: please feel free to edit this post.

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  • 1 year later...

  Troubleshooting and tweaking tools

      Here are a few tools to help you, when something isn't working correctly on your unRAID server.

      We assume you are already aware of the Diagnostics collection and download tool!  (Tools -> Diagnostics)

  • Fix Common Problems is a plugin with a suite of tests and detections, to make sure your unRAID server is configured correctly.  It checks for common mistakes and defects.  And more checks keep being added.  You may be surprised by the things it finds.
    The Fix Common Problems plugin has a Troubleshooting mode, for those times the system is crashing or locking up at random times, with no way to save the diagnostics.  It periodically runs diagnostics and other tests, and maintains a live tail of the syslog to the flash drive, until crash or reboot.  PLEASE use this if your system is crashing unexpectedly!  Then grab the saved diagnostics and syslog.txt (from the live tail) and post them.
     
  • The Tips and Tweaks wiki page is a collection of the various troubleshooting and performance tips, tweaks, and fixes scattered in multiple places around the forum.  It's new, may change often as new tips are found and old ones are no longer needed or are incorporated into new unRAID releases.  Please check it, especially if you are having issues with your system, and provide feedback here about what works for you, and what doesn't.  We're hoping the results and your feedback may help LimeTech.  Plus, we hope to add many more tips and tricks to the page, as users suggest them.
     
  • The Tips and Tweaks plugin is a companion tool for interactively implementing some of the tips and tweaks from the Tips and Tweaks wiki page, and a few that haven't made it to the wiki yet.  Should make it easier to try some of them out.  Again, we want feedback on what helps and what doesn't.
Edited by RobJ
remove powerdown
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