New Drives Coming - What To Do?

[ConnerVT]

Not really a problem, but more of a mental exercise.  I got a good deal on 2 more new OEM HGST 6TB 7K6000 drives, to go with the 3 already in my server (along with an old 3TB Seagate).  Overall, the server is about 50% full, but I have been adding 4k video at an alarming rate, so I likely will need the extra storage by this time next year.

 

It got me thinking.  After I run a preclear on these drives, to determine they will likely not die prematurely (and at the ready for disaster recovery), what should I do next?  Here are some of the possibilities I came up with.  Your thoughts of what to do, and why, are appreciated.

 

-- Pull them out of the server, put back in the packaging, and install them when needed.

-- Leave them in the server, spun down, not added to the array.

-- Add them to the array, and let UNRAID add data when it decides to.

-- Add one to the array, the other as a second parity disk, then claim the parity disk back when everything is maxes out.

[JonathanM]

25 minutes ago, ConnerVT said:

Pull them out of the server, put back in the packaging, and install them when needed.

Ding ding ding! That's my first choice.

25 minutes ago, ConnerVT said:

Add one to the array, the other as a second parity disk, then claim the parity disk back when everything is maxes out.

Distant second place in my opinion.

 

Another option that you didn't list, and possibly for a good reason if you already practice this, but if you don't already have full backups of anything you don't want to lose in a separate physical location from the array, that would be my first choice for all the drives.

 

I don't add capacity until my total array free space is smaller than the size of my largest data drive. I always want the capability to move things around and free up a drive completely. I also don't ever fill my last SATA port, so if I can't accomplish my free space size goal, it's time to start upgrading drive sizes instead of adding occupied slots.

[ConnerVT]

Thank you for your reply.  New to this forum (and Unraid) I can see that this sub-forum is pretty active, and unless a thread catches fire, it quickly falls down a few pages.

 

On 2/8/2021 at 7:46 PM, jonathanm said:

On 2/8/2021 at 7:15 PM, ConnerVT said:

Pull them out of the server, put back in the packaging, and install them when needed.

Ding ding ding! That's my first choice.

 

Ha!  Why is it that doing the right thing is so difficult?  Especially when you have new hardware, calling out to you while it sits in shiny antistatic bags?

 

On 2/8/2021 at 7:46 PM, jonathanm said:

On 2/8/2021 at 7:15 PM, ConnerVT said:

Add one to the array, the other as a second parity disk, then claim the parity disk back when everything is maxes out.

Distant second place in my opinion.

 

Another option that you didn't list, and possibly for a good reason if you already practice this, but if you don't already have full backups of anything you don't want to lose in a separate physical location from the array, that would be my first choice for all the drives.

 

I do have most of the valuable data in cold storage, off site.  More recent data goes first to the server, then off site periodically.  Media files make up most of the rest, and while I would hate to lose them, the cost to store them (time and money) is prohibitive.

 

I am probably going to give in to my need of immediate gratification, and go with deploying them with one as parity, and the other to the array.  I'm already beginning to feel the need for more storage.  Question - After the preclear has completed, I believe that I can assign them as needed (as the array drive is now zeroed), and the system will generate the parity across the (now) two parity drives?  Or would it be better to just deploy the new parity drive first, then add the additional array drive once the parity is refreshed?

 

Looking to the future, what would going from two parity disks to one entail?  I would think unassign the drive, let it rebuild parity (on the now one drive), then add it back as an array drive and format?

 

Sorry for the basic questions, but just wish to wrap my head around things to understand, before I go down the wrong path and find regret.

[JonathanM]

2 hours ago, ConnerVT said:

what would going from two parity disks to one entail?  I would think unassign the drive, let it rebuild parity (on the now one drive), then add it back as an array drive and format?

No need to rebuild parity, each drive is independent. There are several ways to accomplish this depending on risk level vs time to do the procedure.

[ConnerVT]

A quick note to thank you for your replies, and to say all is now upgraded and the server running fine and without issues.

 

After physically rearranging the drives in the server case,  it decided it no longer even power on.  After a few hours of troubleshooting (and stripped down to processor, motherboard, and power supply) it finally decided to power up after removing/reinstalling the CMOS battery (pulled to check voltage).  Sometimes it's the damndest things.

 

So in the abundance of caution (doesn't everyone hate that phrase now?) I took a very long path of checking, adding, rebuilding, and checking again.  The positive take away was I have more understanding and confidence.  So I guess that's a plus.