I've been running Unraid for only a couple of months, with a setup consisting of three 14TB hard drives. Everything was working smoothly until I attempted to add a new 14TB drive to the array. I followed the proper procedures to add and format the drive.

Although the array appears to be functioning correctly, with all files accessible, I noticed that the new drive was empty. Initially, I didn't think this was a problem. However, later that day, I discovered that I couldn't write to the array. Further testing revealed that Unraid also couldn't write to the array.

I removed the drive from the array, and everything returned to normal, with full access and writing capabilities restored. I'm currently backing up all data on the server and running xfs_repair -v on the problematic drive. However, I encountered an error message: "Sorry, could not find valid secondary superlock." I've since switched to running xfs_repair -L on the same drive. The new drive is empty. I'm unsure if the best course of action would be to reformat the drive and try adding it to the array again. My ultimate goal is to add this drive to the array to expand my storage capacity.

 

Key Points:

• Added new 14TB drive to Unraid array
• Drive was empty, but seemed to cause issues with writing to the array
• Removed drive, and issues resolved
• Running xfs_repair commands to troubleshoot
• Goal: Add drive to array for increased storage

s1-diagnostics-20240614_1005.zip

Edited June 14, 20242 yr by denyson

Please post the diagnostics.

Just added the diagnostics. Thank you for the heads up.

Quick update: I've been running xfs_repair -L on the new 14TB hard drive (sdc) that I previously attempted to add to expand storage. The drive is currently not mounted and not part of the array (marked as "not installed" with a red X). Unfortunately, I'm back to being unable to write to the array. The screenshot bellow is what I get from disk log information.  

Edited June 14, 20242 yr by denyson

There are constant ATA errors for all 4 disks, since they use two different controllers it should not be that, could be a power problem, any power splitters? Unlikely that there are 4 bad SATA cables.

I don't have the necessary equipment to test this at the moment, but I've ordered a new power supply that should arrive overnight and will be here by morning. Should I cancel the ongoing xfs-repair operation?

I would not recommend trying any repairs without first fixing that issue.

I've replaced the power supply and all cables, and I'm no longer seeing ATA errors. I'm currently running xfs_repair -v on the new 14TB drive I plan to add to the array. If everything goes smoothly, I'll proceed with adding it to the array. 

Make sure you are running xfs_repair from the GUI, or using the correct command.

The disk is currently showing up under Unassigned Devices, and I'm unable to use the GUI to run xfs_repair. Instead, I'm using the command xfs_repair -v /dev/sdc in the terminal. I've followed the instructions in the Unraid documentation  https://docs.unraid.net/legacy/FAQ/check-disk-filesystems/. Please review my progress and advise if there are any additional steps I need to take. 

 

I'm also concerned that the repair process is taking a very long time, but I suppose it's to be expected given the large size of the disk.

Edited June 15, 20242 yr by Denyson

3 minutes ago, Denyson said:

xfs_repair -v /dev/sdc

You are looking at obsolete documentation!   That command is incorrect as you need to add the partition number (/dev/sdc1).

Still do the -v but add the partition number?  Like this: xfs_repair -v /dev/sdc1

Just now, Denyson said:

Still do the -v but add the partition number?  Like this: xfs_repair -v /dev/sdc1

Yes.

 

If I understand this correctly, it's telling me to add the disk to the array?

Edited June 15, 20242 yr by Denyson

No, it is telling you to rerun adding the -L option.

This is what I got. Can I add this back to the array or what are the next steps that I need to take. 

Edited June 15, 20242 yr by Denyson

I've added the drive back to the array. It says the array is rebuilding but the drive still shows up under Historical Unassigned Devices. Im also concern on the Size Used Free says "Unmountable: Unsupported or no file system" Please advise if there are any additional steps I need to take. 

 

Did you use the New Config tool to add the drive which is what you needed to do to keep the data on the drive intact. If not then Unraid will be clearing (zeroing) the drive to avoid invalidating parity.

No I did not. What I did its stopped the array and added the drive as disk 3 from the drop down menu. Started the array back up. I don't think there was anything on it. Is there any documentation on how to use this new config tool? I'll need that procedure to add another drive in the future.

1 hour ago, Denyson said:

No I did not. What I did its stopped the array and added the drive as disk 3 from the drop down menu. Started the array back up. I don't think there was anything on it. Is there any documentation on how to use this new config tool? I'll need that procedure to add another drive in the future.

If there was nothing on it then you do not need to do anything, but when the Clear finishes you will need to reformat the drive to get it ready for use.   If you did not want the data I have no idea why you were trying to run xfs_repair as the rebuild process deletes any existing content.

 

The New Config tool is covered 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. The Unraid OS->Manual section in particular covers most features of the current Unraid release.

Looks like you are rebuilding on top of the old disk, this will rebuild the emulated disk, not the repaired filesystem from the actual disk, so this was not the best option.

 

When the rebuild finishes, don't format, and see if you can repair that filesystem, hopefully it will also be repairable.

1 hour ago, JorgeB said:

When the rebuild finishes, don't format, and see if you can repair that filesystem, hopefully it will also be repairable.

Earlier the OP said that the drive had no data (which was why I queried why xfs_repair was  used in the first place.).

Oh, missed that, in that case he can just format it now, or once the rebuild is done.

I attempted the repair by following the Unraid documentation from the link above, which I now know is inaccurate. Moving forward, after completing the zeroing operation, the plan is to not format the drive and see if it gets added back to the array. However, if it doesn't get added to the array and still shows as 'Unmountable: Unsupported or no file system', what steps should I take next?

1 hour ago, Denyson said:

I attempted the repair by following the Unraid documentation from the link above, which I now know is inaccurate. Moving forward, after completing the zeroing operation, the plan is to not format the drive and see if it gets added back to the array. However, if it doesn't get added to the array and still shows as 'Unmountable: Unsupported or no file system', what steps should I take next?

Any time you add a new drive to an existing parity protected Unraid array it will show as unmountable until you have formatted it from within Unraid after adding it.