Hi there!

I thought I might add my first experience with unRAID.

I read a lot and made several plans to migrate my actual "file server" (under WinXP pro and 3 RAID1 + 2 single disks) to an unRAID solution. Unfortunately I'm currently out of luck, I can't stay without file server for too long (without risking a WAF* crisis) so I had to reverse to the original system as I failed to correctly make unRAID work with my hardware.

 

First of all here's a list of what's working and what's not from a hardware point of view :

- USB key Transcend JF110 2Gb is NOT working - FAT32 won't boot (displays SYSLINUX header and die on it) - FAT16 boots but doesn't recognise /boot even though unRAID is correctly set up in the flash name. No /boot means no network config, no ident, no nothing.

- USB key Memory Corp 512Mo is working correctly in FAT16

- SATA RAID PCI card Adaptec 1210SA is working like a dream, gets recognised without any trouble.

- ATA RAID PCI card SiL0680 (ATA/133) Medley V3.2.04 is also working like a dream, no problem at all.

- MB chipset Uli (Ali?) M5289 V1.10A is NOT working (the biggets issue) unRAID doesn't recognise any disk connected to it. As I have 2*320Go I can't afford to work without them (will totally blow the WAF*)

- Network card Realtek RTL8169/8110 family is recognised and working correctly.

 

Do you have any idea if it is possible to add a chipset compatibility to unRAID? 

 

For more info, here's a summary of the so said file server :

MB : Asrock 939 Dual SATA2

CPU : AMD 64 3000+

Ram : 2* 512 Mb DDR 266

IDE1 - Master : IBM/Hitachi 80Gb

SATA : On Uli (Ali) chipset RAID1 : Western Digital 320GB

 

Contoller : PCI RAID IDE/ATA133 SiL0680

RIDE1 - Master : IBM/Hitachi 250Gb

RIDE1 - Slave : RAID 1 Western Digital 200GB

RIDE2 - Slave : RAID 1 Western Digital 200GB

Rack : Icy Dock MB454 SPF

Controller : PCI SATA Adaptec 1210SA

RAID1 : Western Digital 320GB

GPU : ATI 9550

PSU : Seasonic Synergy80+ 600W

LAN : Realtek PCI RJ45 gigabit

 

I hope this may help

 

 

* Wife Acceptance Factor

Welcome to the board.

 

Looks like it's all good until you get to the SATA : On Uli (Ali) chipset RAID1 : Western Digital 320GB

 

However am I reading this correctly that you also have a Controller : PCI SATA Adaptec 1210SA with one RAID1 : Western Digital 320GB on it?

 

Your other Contoller : PCI RAID IDE/ATA133 SiL0680 works with three IDE drives so that's fine.

 

For this situation, why not put the Western Digital 320GB that's on the Uli chipset that's not working on to your PCI SATA Adaptec 1210SA with the other WD 320GB HD?  The PCI SATA Adaptec 1210SA can have 2 SATA Drives right?

 

http://www.adaptec.com/en-US/support/sata/sata/AAR-1210SA/

 

 

 

 

Hi Mola!

Maybe I wasn't that clear with my previous post, the following :

Controller : PCI SATA Adaptec 1210SA

RAID1 : Western Digital 320GB

Should be read as : RAID1 (mirror) of 2 disks WD320GB on Adaptec controller, so I'm full on that part, no free port

 

I have a total of 8 disks in that server, 6 of them are in 3 RAID1 arrays :

2*320 on motherboard chipset Ali

2*320 on PCI Adaptec 1210SA

2*200 on PCI SiL0680

1*80 on motherboard (IDE don't know if it's on the same Ali chipset, quite easy to check I might do that eventually)

1*250 on PCI Sil0680

Except the first line I should be able to use unRAID (V4.2.1 by the way) on that machine but I can't afford to lose the 640GB I have connected on the Ali chipset. By the way, I found the reference in the motherboard's manual : ULi® M1567 chipset.

 

Anyway, as Sil chipset seems to work I'm thinking of buying this kind of card to replace the MB Uli chipset, what do you think about it?

I'm looking for info to see if anyone has this board working. Did yours function okay in the end?

Hi fitbrit!

I'm sorry I didn't post anymore on this project the reason is that when I bought the SATA2 card on eBay I also bought a 500Go HDD to have it as my parity drive... That one took over a month to come and an eBay claim because the guy didn't send it after all. Now it's supposed to be on it's way but I'm waiting till I have it to drop the claim... By the way ppl I'd like you to know this seller is not serious and should be avoided at all cost.

On another hand, if you want to buy a SATA card for your mobo, I can recommend this seller he has very good prices, ships from Hong Kong to Brussels in one week and his PCIE SATA2 cards are working like a dream with unRAID

Anyway, I can tell you that the SATA2 port on the mobo is recognised by unraid and is also working like a dream.

 

I'll be able to tell you more about this project by next wekk when (if?) I receive the HDD...

 

Is there anything else I can help you with?

 

 

EDIT >> Heads up! I received te HDD today! I'll test it tonight and let you know; if it's working correctly I'll begin the migration maybe this WE or next week.

 

EDIT2 >> By the way, if you try to plug a PCIE 1x card on the 16x port it'll work Knowing that you can imagine the number of addon card for hard drives you can add on this mobo

 

EDIT 3 >> OK, the migration is scheduled somewhere next week, it'll have 6 data disks & 1 parity. Wish me luck