[6.9.2] 3U 12 Bay server unable to boot from USB w/ 12th HDD installed.


Go to solution Solved by PsyCl0ne,

Recommended Posts

Hey everyone,

 

Recently I purchased some WD Reds 4 TB WD40EFZX drives to fill up the last slot I have on my server but when I have the drive inserted into the hot swap bay the server displays an error "Reboot and Select proper boot device or Insert Boot Media in selected Boot device and press a key"

 

When I remove the new HDD the server boots fine. When Unraid is fully booted, and I insert the drive, it doesn't get detected, at least from what I can tell. I have tried the two internal USB ports as well as the two USB ports on the rear IO panel of the motherboard.

 

I have no idea if this is an issue with the new drives, or maybe a configuration setting that I just don't know about. Currently, the server boots with 11 drives ( 2 SSD cache, 9 4TB mix between Seagate, HGST, WD). 

 

For more in formation I have attached the diag zip but if there is anything else I can provide please let me know!

 

 

tower-diagnostics-20220227-2303.zip

Link to comment
5 minutes ago, zoggy said:

its because your bios is detecting the hdd and tries to boot off of it. change your bios boot options to not boot off hdd / boot off the usb stick specifically.

 

Fair point, I have the server set to only boot off of the USB stick and nothing else. Even rebooting the server and getting into the boot menu and selecting the USB drive ends up with the same result.

Link to comment

 

if a usb drive isnt booting its generally because its boot loader isnt right.

you can either re-run the unraid usb creator ( https://unraid.net/download ) or just run the make_bootable file with it attached to your machine.

 

now if its really only when that hdd is connected, perhaps its one of those esata/usb ports where they share and only one can be operational at once..   but not clear if your connecting the usb to external port or off usb header on the motherboard (which is whats recommended). if its external, move it to another usb port..

Link to comment
  • Solution

 

10 hours ago, itimpi said:

How are the drives connected?   Some BIOS’s get upset if they see more than 12 drives potentially bootable.   The fix in such a case is normally to go into the BIOS settings for the HBA and turn off the option to be able to boot from HBA attached drives.

 

10 hours ago, Squid said:

Disable Int13h is the HBA's bios (if it's not specifically labelled as disabling boot, this the option you're looking for)

 

Thank you both, I don't have much experience with server hardware and didn't know that there was an option within the HBA to enable drives to boot from but it is sorted now!

 

If anyone else does come across this issue, I have the following hardware: SAS9211-8i + SAS9207-8e.

 

Info for the boot settings was found from https://support.osnexus.com/hc/en-us/articles/212131146-Setting-LSI-SAS-HBA-boot-support

Quote

Setting LSI SAS HBA boot support

Applies to:

Avago/LSI SAS HBAs series 2008 and up

 

There are three modes for boot ROM support in LSI SAS controllers: OS only, BIOS only, and BIOS & OS.

For external LSI SAS controllers, we recommend using the OS only setting. This disables the ability to boot from the controller, but provides faster access to the drives and frees up some memory on the controller. Example model: LSI SAS 9207-8e

For internal SAS controllers, or systems where both the OS and data disks are on the same SAS controller, use the BIOS & OS setting. Example model: LSI SAS 9300-4i4e

The third option, BIOS only, is typically not used. This setting will allow the system to boot from a LUN on the controller, but after boot the disks are hidden from the OS. QuantaStor will fail to boot when using this feature, so you should choose either OS only or BIOS & OS.

 

Instructions:

1. Power on or reboot the system, and wait for the LSI SAS BIOS to load during POST. During initialization, the controller will be scanning the attached disks and enclosures.

2. After the scan completes, you will be presented with a list of devices and an option to enter the controller configuration. Hit CTRL+C to enter configuration.

Note that the timeout for hitting the keys is short, so make sure that your screen says "Please wait, invoking SAS Configuration Utility...". If you do not get this message, you will need to reboot the system and try again.
3. Once inside the SAS configuration utility, the main page will display a list of SAS controllers in the system. If you have multiple LSI SAS controllers you may see the others listed here. Use the arrow keys to select the controller you want to modify, then hit Enter.
4. On the next page, use the arrow keys to highlight the field next to Boot Support. Press the + key (or hold SHIFT and hit = ) to change the value of the field.
5. After making changes, hit Esc to exit and you will be prompted to save changes. Select "Save changes the exit this menu" and hit Enter to commit the changes.
6. Hit Esc one more time from the controller selection page, select "Exit the Configuration Utility and Reboot", and hit Enter to reboot.

 

 

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.