HI,

 

I'm about to build my first UnRAID server and have read some posts about compatibility issues with some 2TB HDD's.

 

So, my question is as I'll be doing a brand new install on the latest version (V5.0 I think?) can I use the WD/Samsung/Seagate/Hitachi 2TB HDD's without using the "jumpers" mentioned on other posts?

 

I hope that makes sense? And thanks for your help.

M

First sticky in this section.

http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=9865.0

Thanks for responding, I did read the sticky was just a little confused by it. Does it mean if I format the HDD's with the latest version and then use that version as my UnRAID server, no jumpers are necessary?

 

Thanks for your help,

M

Your best bet is to use version 4.7 as that is the last stable. (unless you want some other features or the test some things)

If you set the default setting to MBR 4k aligned then you won't need any jumpers.

 

Josh

So, my question is as I'll be doing a brand new install on the latest version (V5.0 I think?) can I use the WD/Samsung/Seagate/Hitachi 2TB HDD's without using the "jumpers" mentioned on other posts?

 

You're asking a kind of broad question.  WD, Samsung, and Seagate have both Advanced Format (4K/sector) and regular (512/sector) drives out there, so it depends on the model.  Hitachi doesn't have any 2TB SATA AF drives out yet.

Thanks for the responses guys.

 

I guess you can tell I'm new to this 

 

OK, so if I use 4.7 I can use HDD's with 4k sectors is that right? In essence I just want to buy whatever 2TB HDD's will work without jumpers etc that are reasonably priced. I'm from the UK and want to spend up to £90 max per HDD.

 

Thanks again,

 

M

Just to clarify a few things... As of yet there are NO consumer drives that present 4K sectors to the interface. The ones which use physical 4K sectors internally present themselves as logical 512b sectors on the interface. There is a huge effort that needs to take place before Linux itself and the various tools on it can deal with HDDs with physical and logical 4K sectors (internally and on the interface).

 

As of 4.7, yes you can use HDDs with physical 4K sectors that do logical 512b sector emulation (which as of today is all of the consumer AF drives) without performance concerns, save for one, if you elect to use the MBR 4K-Alignment (Sector 64) setting. The one situation where you will see a performance decrease is in using a JUMPERED WD EARS drive with the MBR 4K-Alignment (Sector 64) setting. You can even use the MBR 4K-alignment (Sector 64) setting on drives with physical 512b sectors without any performance concerns. The caveat in using the MBR 4K-Alignment (Sector 64) setting is not being able to readily downgrade to a previous version of unRAID.

 

Also, this is mostly covered in the proper "Which 2TB drive should I buy?" thread.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

M

Keep an eye on disc prices at Scan.co.uk and Dabs.com

 

WD20EARS are going for £69 at Scan, £70 at Dabs. Plus £5 or so shipping.

 

I've had good service from both. Dabs are slightly better at packaging

Thanks Fatboy