👋 Hey folks, first time poster!

 

tldr; After a USB failure and replacement (restoring from backup), Unraid isn't automatically assigning my array disks. My DISK_ASSIGNMENTS.txt from my latest backup (May 15th) was last modified April 8th, 2023, and is outdated. I think I've correctly reassigned drives manually, but Unraid shows "All existing data on this device will be OVERWRITTEN when array is Started" next to my parity drive.

My questions are:

 

a. Is there a file within the /config backup (other than DISK_ASSIGNMENTS.txt) that would definitively show my disk assignments as they were just before the USB failure?

 

b. Critically, is it normal to see the "All existing data on this device will be OVERWRITTEN" message next to my existing, correctly assigned parity drive after restoring the /config folder? This is my biggest concern.

 

 

Long Description of Steps Taken & Current Situation:

 

1. USB Failure: My ~5-year-old USB stick failed, causing file corruption errors. I've purchased a new Samsung Bar USB.

 

2. Backup: I was unable to perform a new backup after the failure, but I have an Unraid daily backup from my server that ran within 24 hours before the failure (backup taken May 15th).

 

3. Initial Restore Attempt: I used the Unraid USB Creator to flash the entire backup zip onto the new USB. When I tried to boot, I received a "no default or ui configuration directive found" error.

 

4. Second Restore Attempt (as per forum guides):

- I used the Unraid USB Creator to install a fresh copy of Unraid 7.0.1 (what my server was on).

- I then copied the entire /config folder from my May 15th backup zip, overwriting the contents of the /config folder on the new USB stick.

 

5. Boot Up & Current State:

- Unraid booted successfully.

- My SSD and NVME cache pools were identified correctly with their assigned drives.

- However, all my array disk slots were unassigned.

- The DISK_ASSIGNMENTS.txt file within the restored /config/ is mostly the same, but:

  - Disk 1 was replaced about a year ago (from an 8TB WD to a 14TB Seagate).

  - I had an additional spare/unassigned drive in the system.

- I've tried to manually assign all drives to their correct slots based on my memory and deduction. I believe my parity drive(s) and data drives are in their original positions.

- To identify the new 14TB drive (former Disk 1) vs. the spare, I SSH'd into the server, mounted /dev/sde1 (one of the two unassigned drives I was unsure about) and checked its usage:

root@Tower:/dev# df -h /mnt/temp_disk_check
Filesystem      Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/sde1        13T   12T  1.8T  87% /mnt/temp_disk_check
root@Tower:/dev#

 

 

So Im 99% sure I have all the drives in the correct positions but still seeing next to my parity drive "All existing data on this device will be OVERWRITTEN when array is Started". Is that expected for my situation? Is there anything else I should be doing?

 

DISK_ASSIGNMENTS.txt

Edited May 18, 20251 yr by imnickdev
Clarity and formatting

18 hours ago, imnickdev said:

So Im 99% sure

If you are not 100% certain, assign parity as a data drive also, then start the array, the disk that doesn't mount will be parity, if there's more than one, post the diags, more info below:

https://docs.unraid.net/unraid-os/manual/changing-the-flash-device/#what-to-do-if-you-have-no-backup-and-do-not-know-your-disk-assignments