Server Building > Hard Drives and Controllers
Clearing Confusion on AF Drives
hunter69:
If this is a networking issue, I am not sure how. I am running a gigabit switch (HP Procurve 1400-8g). My Mobo is an approved server quality Mobo (SUPERMICRO MBD-X8SIL-F-O) with gigabit nics. Cat5e cabling. I am streaming the blu-ray's with both Sagetv HD300 and HD200. I have posted before on the board about this issue but I did not seem to get much help resolving this issue. I realize it is something about my setup because there are a lot of people with unraid and streaming movies and they do not have any issues. I am to the point of desperation hoping to find the issue, otherwise I might have to figure out a different way for storage and steaming.
My sage tv server records HD tv and the extenders stream the HD video without a hiccup. I can even stream blu-ray's from my WHS without a hiccup. I am really stumped as to what could causing the freezing.
I wanted to update people on this issue in case someone is having a similar problem. My problem was sagetv related. Some plugin (I have not had time to figure which one) was causing the freezing. I uninstalled all plugins and my streaming stopped freezing.
Thanks for taking the time to help.
Lacehim:
I've searched a fair bit but I'm not getting anywhere! Maybe it's just me worrying, but I want to get it right first time!
I'm currently running unraid 4.7 on a HP N40L. I've currently got 1xSamung HD103UJ as my parity drive and data drives are 1xSamsung HD103UI & the 250Gb Seagate drive that came with the N40L. I precleared all of them WITHOUT the -A and they are currently set as MBR-unaligned in settings.
So, my issue is that I need more space. This set up was originally a test rig to see how unraid would go, and I liked it! :) and it's now running just the way I like it with all the extra bits I wanted running smoothly. I just purchased a Seagate ST2000DM001 http://www.seagate.com/internal-hard-drives/desktop-hard-drives/barracuda/?sku=ST2000DM001 because it seemed better than the WD Greens, and only $120AU. I hoped to preclear this drive, then use it as a new parity drive, and use the 1Tb parity drive as a data drive but I checked on the forums & wiki first and now I'm more confused than ever! I'll be adding more 2Tb drives as I need the space so I want to get it right now and not have to fix up a mistake later. I've also got a 120Gb WD drive as a apps drive mounted with SNAP (not sure if you need that info)
So, do I preclear this new AF drive with a -A or without? I'm confused, and if I change MBR to 4K Aligned undersettings with my current drives install will it all go BOOM. My data is all backed up on my PC, and an external drive, so if I have to start with a clean slate, I suppose I will have to. I do hope to upgrade to 5.0 when it goes final.
Thanks in advance for your help. ;D
Joe L.:
--- Quote from: Lacehim on May 29, 2012, 04:43:40 AM ---I've searched a fair bit but I'm not getting anywhere! Maybe it's just me worrying, but I want to get it right first time!
I'm currently running unraid 4.7 on a HP N40L. I've currently got 1xSamung HD103UJ as my parity drive and data drives are 1xSamsung HD103UI & the 250Gb Seagate drive that came with the N40L. I precleared all of them WITHOUT the -A and they are currently set as MBR-unaligned in settings.
So, my issue is that I need more space. This set up was originally a test rig to see how unraid would go, and I liked it! :) and it's now running just the way I like it with all the extra bits I wanted running smoothly. I just purchased a Seagate ST2000DM001 http://www.seagate.com/internal-hard-drives/desktop-hard-drives/barracuda/?sku=ST2000DM001 because it seemed better than the WD Greens, and only $120AU. I hoped to preclear this drive, then use it as a new parity drive, and use the 1Tb parity drive as a data drive but I checked on the forums & wiki first and now I'm more confused than ever! I'll be adding more 2Tb drives as I need the space so I want to get it right now and not have to fix up a mistake later. I've also got a 120Gb WD drive as a apps drive mounted with SNAP (not sure if you need that info)
So, do I preclear this new AF drive with a -A or without? I'm confused, and if I change MBR to 4K Aligned undersettings with my current drives install will it all go BOOM. My data is all backed up on my PC, and an external drive, so if I have to start with a clean slate, I suppose I will have to. I do hope to upgrade to 5.0 when it goes final.
Thanks in advance for your help. ;D
--- End quote ---
You will be using your new disk as the parity disk. Since 4k-allignment is compatible with ALL drives, use it. Odds are your new drive does not care. The ONLY drive affected by alignment was one model of a seagate drive. All others wok fine regardless of where the partition starts. (Some unRAID users are anal about having everything configured identically... in this case, it does not matter, the array will not blow up, or lose data if you have a mix of drive partition alignment.)
So.... preclear... (only to exercise the drive and ensure it does not die an early death) then replace the parity disk with it and let parity get re-constructed onto it.
Once you know it is working fine (give it a week or two) you can re-use the old 1TB disk as a data drive.
Joe L.
dwoods99:
--- Quote ---All others wok fine regardless of where the partition starts. (Some unRAID users are anal about having everything configured identically... in this case, it does not matter, the array will not blow up, or lose data if you have a mix of drive partition alignment.)
--- End quote ---
Running 4.7, I pre-cleared two x 2TB WD green drives but (mistakenly) used -a option.
My unRAID setting is MBR-4k aligned and I realize now that I should have simply not used -a or -A on command line.
These new drives show up as MBR-unaligned, but now also contain some real data.
So to be anal ;) can these drives be set to MBR 4k-aligned without re-formatting or pre-clearing again?
If not, can I simply replace drive with properly set drive (and pre-cleared [30+ hours]) and then let unRAID
rebuild that disk and re-check parity?
I have a third drive as MBR-unaligned that I want to use to replace a dying MBR 4k-aligned drive.
Can this currently unused drive be reset to MBR 4k-aligned, or would it have to be pre-cleared again.
Joe L.:
--- Quote from: dwoods99 on October 04, 2012, 09:50:19 PM ---These new drives show up as MBR-unaligned, but now also contain some real data.
--- End quote ---
Good, then do nothing. You'll be fine.
--- Quote ---So to be anal ;) can these drives be set to MBR 4k-aligned without re-formatting or pre-clearing again?
--- End quote ---
No. Sorry, not possible
--- Quote ---If not, can I simply replace drive with properly set drive (and pre-cleared [30+ hours]) and then let unRAID
rebuild that disk and re-check parity?
--- End quote ---
It would work, but it would leave your data un-protected for the length of time needed to do a re-construction. Since you have a copy elsewhere, you can afford to be anal.
--- Quote ---I have a third drive as MBR-unaligned that I want to use to replace a dying MBR 4k-aligned drive.
Can this currently unused drive be reset to MBR 4k-aligned, or would it have to be pre-cleared again.
--- End quote ---
If never assigned to the array you can use
preclear_disk.sh -C 64 /dev/sdX
to change it. If not still in the precleared state (if you have ever assigned it to the array), this will not work.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version