hi,
i'm trying to try out unRaid however i'm very unsuccessful...  

 

After spending the first 30 days trial getting nowhere i got another 15 days and i'm still stuck. At least now i got around to first do a pre clean on all three disks (see end for hardware). After that i added them to the array. The problem is the parity disk is still red, as it has been most of the time. So i ran the extended SMART and it comes back with no errors. I did a read-check which came back with nothing (i think). In the beginning i had the same problem but with the data disk, however at that point the parity disk was green.

Also, during my 30 day trial i got all disks green at one point, i think after I recreated (or what the proper term is) everything. At that point I created some users and some shares (with nothing in them) and i installed a Logitech media server docker image. At this point i shutdown the server and put it in its final place. However, once i started it up again, my parity drive got the rex x. And now it is like it was before more or less. I have tried switching around cables, but no success there.

 

I'm new to all this with NAS so i don't know much of anything really. I guess i first and foremost ask what the steps are i should take from here? Any help is much appreciated. I have downloaded the logs but it seems i cannot add them here when i create the topic?

 

Hardware:
- Intel DH57JG motherboard (intel 1156)
- Intel® Core™ i5 CPU 760 @ 2.80GHz
- 8gb ram.
- 2 6TB seagate ironwolf ST60000VN001 NAS drives (not previously used, bought before the summer).
- 1 SanDisk SDSSDXP120G 120Gb SSD, as cache drive
- The PSU i'm pretty sure is fine though i dont have the spec at the top of my head. It used to power my old desktop (where the cpu and memory for the server comes from) with, at the time, semi-beefy graphics card.

 

Unraid version 6.9.2 with plugins Community applications, Fix common problems and Preclear disks.

If a drive is marked with a red ‘x’ then that means that a write to it failed so Unaid has stopped using it.   If you provide your system’s diagnostics zip file (obtained via Tools->Diagnostics) then you may get better informed feedback on what appears to have happened and the best way forward.

 

in general terms if you think you have rectified whatever caused the write to the parity disk to fail and all the data drives appear fine then the process to re-enable it using the same drive is:

• stop the array
• Unassign the parity drive
• start the array to ‘forget’ the parity assignment
• stop the array
• assign the parity drive
• start the array to commit the change and to start rebuilding the contents of the parity drive based on the current set of data drives.

27 minutes ago, MrManhoso said:

first 30 days trial getting nowhere i got another 15 days and i'm still stuck. ... The problem is the parity disk is still red

Why didn't you ask before now? Nothing can fix disabled disk except rebuild, but we need diagnostics to see if we can see why it was disabled and whether anything might prevent rebuild from succeeding.

I moved my unRaid to a new machine. All the same drives. My Parity drive refuses to be recognized. I have stopped the array. Unassigned the parity drive. Then started the array. Rebooted. Then stopped the array. Assinged the Parity drive. Rebooted. But it always. Always shows the red x. Why? What can I do? My data seems OK as my drives are up. But I want the safety of Parity. I'm happy to format and re-construct parity. But I can't trigger this. Please help.

 

You are likely to get better informed feedback if you attach your system’s diagnostics zip file to your next post in this thread taken after this issue has occurred. It is always a good idea when asking questions to supply your diagnostics so we can see details of your system, how you have things configured, and the current syslog.

24 minutes ago, kteach said:

But I want the safety of Parity. I'm happy to format and re-construct parity. But I can't trigger this. Please help.

 

This:

 

On 9/21/2021 at 5:25 PM, itimpi said:

• stop the array
• Unassign the parity drive
• start the array to ‘forget’ the parity assignment
• stop the array
• assign the parity drive
• start the array to commit the change and to start rebuilding the contents of the parity drive based on the current set of data drives.

 

Thank you for the steps. I did that. Then, I did a clean system. Pulled the disks formatted and tested on my desktop. All good. Now i am trying to rebuild and now, the main disks keep saying "unmountable". Checking and "formatting" does not help. I pulled them, formatted them and tested on my desktop. No problem. Put them back in, and problems. I am happy to blow this system completely away, but I'm not sure why this is just not working.  I have attached my Diagnostics as suggested.

 

kon-minisforum-diagnostics-20241102-1744.zip

I don't see a format attempt ion the syslog, try to format the disks and post new diags.

13 hours ago, kteach said:

Checking and "formatting" does not help. I pulled them, formatted them and tested on my desktop. No problem. Put them back in, and problems. I am happy to blow this system completely away, but I'm not sure why this is just not working.  I have attached my Diagnostics as suggested.

As I recall, formatting on your PC will often have this result.  You need to format the disks on your Unraid server if you want to add the disks to the array.  (Formatting on Unraid only takes a few minutes!  Clearing the disks is the part that takes hours...)

 

IT has been some time since I have set up a new server but I seem to remember that after you assign the disks, and scroll down to the 'Array Operation' section of the MAIN  tab.  You should see a format disk(s) checkbox.

 

You might also want to read this section of the Unraid manual:

 

         https://docs.unraid.net/unraid-os/manual/storage-management/

 

It is possible you may have to do the 'Reset the array configuration'.  The instructions for doing that is here:

 

        https://docs.unraid.net/unraid-os/manual/storage-management/#reset-the-array-configuration

 

 

Thank you both for taking the time to read through my challenges. This confirms a bit of what i was wondering. I have clicked the small box then the format button and waited. At least three times yesturday before sharing this. I have also reset the array or rather used "New Config" under tools. I am now going to try the Dynamix factory reset and go from there. 

 

The problem will be down to me. I'm sure I've set this up wrong. It is my second unRaid server and I'm only using it as a backup to my other one. However, here is where it is user error. I am using a mini pc and my disks are in a USB external box. I'm sure that is not supported. Thank you again for your help here. I have followed all the steps in the thread, hopefully starting from a complete reset will help. If not, again, I'm sure it's me and my USB disks. 

 

Take care,

Just for fyi. After I did the Dynamix Factory Reset and tried to setup the array. The disks still said they were unmountable. So I did full format. Took a long time. When finished it still says unmountable. I'm going to assume, as I said, it's me and trying to do this with external USB.

 

Thanks again.

 

tower-diagnostics-20241103-0953.zip

USB issues:

 

Nov  3 07:07:43 Tower kernel: usb 2-6.4: reset SuperSpeed Plus Gen 2x1 USB device number 34 using xhci_hcd
### [PREVIOUS LINE REPEATED 9 TIMES] ###
Nov  3 07:07:44 Tower root: mkfs.xfs: pwrite failed: Input/output error
Nov  3 07:07:44 Tower root: libxfs_bwrite: write failed on (unknown) bno 0x0/0x100, err=5

 

Thanks. As I was beginning to assume. it is the USB.

 

I have temporarily used USB external drives in my other unraid box without issues. Are USB external boxes allowed or should they work? Could it be this minisforum th80? An unsupported controller? OK if it is just "don't use usb". I am sure that is recommended.

They are recommended in general, since they can cause this and other issues, though some are better than others, and some users do use USB without major issues.

This started with red x parity disk. I'm sorry I went into USB, however, it seemed like a similar problem and now it is resolved. Or at least for now. There was nothing I could do to get unRaid 6.12.13 to read/write to my TerraMaster D4-320 from a minisforum TH80. Everything else seemed to work well, but as noted above, it failed on input/output. I did all the steps above, but that was not my problem. It was the USB i/o. 

 

So, I swaped out this minipc for my wife's minipc. Now, on a BosGame 5700u, I am happily rebuilding my Parity Drive. The Array came up like it should. I had to, stop, forget, start, stop, add, start. And now it says there is 18 hours left after running for 3 hours and a bit.

 

I don't know enough about the actual controllers in each of these. The TH80 is an Intel box with an Intel Core i7-11800H and the BosGame is AMD with and AMD Ryzen 7 5700U. There are obviosly other differences and I wish I knew what they were. Still it's good to know 5700u looks like it will work for me.

 

Thanks again.

It seems like you're having trouble setting up your UnRaid system due to parity disk issues. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot this problem:

Check the cables: Ensure that all SATA data cables (for both power and data) are properly connected at both ends, especially between the motherboard and drives.

Hard drive compatibility: Make sure your hard drives are compatible with UnRaid and have been formatted correctly. You can use GPT partitioning for drives larger than 2TB as MBR is limited to 2TB. Also, check if they support Btrfs file system which is used by UnRaid.

Boot sequence: Ensure that the parity disk's boot order comes after the data disks in BIOS settings.

SMART test: You've already done this, but it doesn't hurt to repeat with different tools like smartctl or GSmartControl to ensure no errors are detected. If there is a consistently failing sector on any of your drives, you may need to replace them.

Check for hardware issues:

Try connecting the parity disk directly into another SATA port on the motherboard.

Use different SATA cables and power connectors (if available) to isolate potential cable or PSU problems.

Check if there are any visible signs of damage like dents, scratches or burn marks on your drives.

Reinstall UnRaid: If none of the above works, consider reinstalling UnRaid with a fresh installation. Make sure you backup any important data before proceeding though.

Check forum discussions and documentation:

Visit unraid.net's forums to search for similar issues others have faced.

Read through UnRaid's official wiki (https://wiki.unraid.net/) which contains detailed guides on troubleshooting common problems like this one.

As for the log files, you can upload them somewhere else (like Google Drive or Dropbox) and share a link here. This will help us pinpoint any specific issues that might be causing your problem.

Lastly, don't get discouraged! Setting up a NAS system takes time and patience to ensure everything works perfectly. Good luck with your setup!