6.11.5 - Parity disk upgrade procedure (chatGPT response)

[Datrox]

Hello,

 

Just wanted to start off by saying I've been running a pair of Unraid servers for a couple of years now.  This forum, and SI1's videos, have been extremely helpful with regards to setup and troubleshooting!  Kudos to this community!

 

I picked up a few factory new 14TB disks recently and wanted to upgrade my parity drive from 8TB to 14TB, so I can add the other 14TB drives to the array.  I leveraged chatGPT to generate a procedure for upgrading the parity drive, as well as adding the old parity drive to the array.  After several prompts, the following procedure was provided.  Looking to see if this procedure is accurate before I proceed.  Any and all feedback is appreciated!

 

---chatGPT response---

 

1. Backup Data: Before making any changes, it's crucial to back up your important data. While the process should be safe, there's always a risk when dealing with storage configurations.

2. Preclear the New 14TB Drive: Connect the new 14TB drive to another computer and perform a preclear using the Unraid Preclear plugin. This process involves writing zeroes to the entire disk, followed by a read verification pass. This helps identify any potential issues with the drive before it is put into active use.

3. Power Down: Once the preclear is complete and you've verified that the new 14TB drive is in good condition, shut down your Unraid server properly.

4. Replace Parity Drive: Physically remove the old 8TB parity drive and install the new 14TB drive in its place.

5. Boot Up: Power on the server.

6. Access Web Interface: Access the Unraid web interface from a computer on the same network.

7. Assign New Parity Drive: Go to the 'Main' tab in the web interface. You should see the new 14TB drive listed as an "Unassigned Device". Click on it and assign it as the new parity drive.

8. Start Parity-Sync: After assigning the new drive as the parity drive, Unraid will automatically start a parity-sync operation. This will take some time, during which the data on the new drive will be synchronized with the data on the other drives.

9. Verify Parity-Sync Completion: Wait for the parity-sync process to complete. You can monitor the progress in the Unraid web interface.

10. Add Old Parity Drive to Array: Once the parity-sync is complete and you've verified that the new parity drive is working correctly, you can add the old 8TB drive back to the machine.

 - Physically install the old 8TB drive back into the server.

 - Go to the 'Main' tab in the web interface.

 - You should see the old 8TB drive listed as an "Unassigned Device". Click on it and assign it as a data drive (not as parity).

1. Start Array: After adding the old drive to the array, click the 'Start' button to start the array.

2. Data Rebuild: Unraid will now start a data rebuild process, where it will redistribute the data across all the drives, including the newly added 8TB drive.

3. Verify Array Operation: Once the data rebuild process is complete, verify that all your data is accessible and that the array is functioning as expected.

[itimpi]

Why not simply follow the process that is documented here in the online documentation accessible via the ‘Manual’ link at the bottom of the GUI or the DOCS link at the top of each forum page rather than relying on ChatGPT to get it right.
 

The Unraid OS->Manual section in particular covers most features of the current Unraid release.