Hey all, not sure if this is the right location for this topic, if not please move.

 

I am building my first unRAID server (I have a topic in hardware) and I am up to the preclear stage....on both my drives first phase is done and it is copying zeros.  One drive seems to be going fine it is 20% done but the other never passed 0% and keeps showing this error:

 

./preclear_disk.sh": line 641: let: bw=(B/s * 100): division by a 0 (error token is "* 100)")

 

Is this an error running the script or is does this mean the drive is bad?  Any help appreciated.

Hey all, not sure if this is the right location for this topic, if not please move.

 

I am building my first unRAID server (I have a topic in hardware) and I am up to the preclear stage....on both my drives first phase is done and it is copying zeros.  One drive seems to be going fine it is 20% done but the other never passed 0% and keeps showing this error:

 

./preclear_disk.sh": line 641: let: bw=(B/s * 100): division by a 0 (error token is "* 100)")

 

Is this an error running the script or is does this mean the drive is bad?  Any help appreciated.

There is an issue for sure.  I'd stop that preclear and see if the disk responds at all to a smartctl report request.

smartctl -a /dev/sdX

Could be it died, or stopped responding, or a cable to it came loose.

 

Joe L.

 

 

Sorry for this dumb question, how do I stop the preclear..I am new to linux so I don't know any commands

 

Edit:

 

Well I just went back to it and now it is not doing the error anymore..and it is at 23% ...both drives are at 23% and proceeding now..should I let it continue?

Sorry for this dumb question, how do I stop the preclear..I am new to linux so I don't know any commands

 

Edit:

 

Well I just went back to it and now it is not doing the error anymore..and it is at 23% ...both drives are at 23% and proceeding now..should I let it continue?

A "Control-C" will stop a process currently running.

 

You might look in the system log for any error messages.  Otherwise, I cannot give you any other advice.

(attach the syslog, or a zipped copy, to your next post)

I was going to do that but unfortunately I ran out of time..was running late for work.  Since I ran out of time I just let it keep going. 

When I get home tonight I will create a system log and attach it..and of course will see if the preclear completed (or still going).

 

Thanks for your help I appreciate it.

 

Also, funny CTRL-C..same as DOS...that's what I would have tried

 

Edit:

 

While at work waiting to go home and see how the  preclear ended up..I had some questions I would like to try to get answered before then.

 

How exactly does the cache drive work?  My sole intent is media storage and running SABNZB+Sick Beard+Couch Potato....so my question is..will Sick Beard automatically move (during the SAB processing) to the array drives or does it go into the cache drive then only move to the array once per day?  I have never even used raid so arrays and all this is quite new to me.

 

I know on my main PC right now, Sick Beard and SAB will grab, rename and move files to the appropriate folder on my PC's data drive.  So I am trying to learn if it will work the same way on the Server or if there are more steps (When I google I find such about "moving" files from the cache to the array)

 

Sorry for lack of explanation..doing best I can with the knowledge I have.

 

New files written to a share with caching enabled will be written to the cached drive. As far as the share is concerned, you nor applications will be impacted by this as it appears to all be the same location even though the files are spread out on different physical drives.

 

If files are being updated or replaced, it is written to the data drive instead of the cache drive. You will need to delete the existing files if you want new versions of the file to be written to the cache drive.

New files written to a share with caching enabled will be written to the cached drive. As far as the share is concerned, you nor applications will be impacted by this as it appears to all be the same location even though the files are spread out on different physical drives.

 

If files are being updated or replaced, it is written to the data drive instead of the cache drive. You will need to delete the existing files if you want new versions of the file to be written to the cache drive.

 

Okay, so basically when I set up Sick Beard and SAB appropriately..all I need to know is the system is moving files as it should (caching and to array) so I don't actually have to manually do anything.  One thing that confuses me the most is I am used to my libraries just being in a Windows folder...drag and drop movement..etc..

 

Now I won't have that so a little unsure how all that works..guess I will learn as I go and as I learn how Linux and the server functions...

 

I am sure I make it more complicated in my own mind just because it's new to me

 

Hoping it works basically the way my current main PC works the only difference is files will of course be on the server.  Can I still go manually browse files on the server and move/delete them as I would in windows?  Can you even see the NAS in a networked windows computer in Explorer or only viea the web interface (//tower) ?\

 

Thanks for your help I appreciate the patience!

Just got home, both are still preclearing..they are on the post read in (or was it write in? sorry having to flip flop one monitor as I don't have a separate screen)

 

Steps 1-10 all say DONE..not sure if it would show me errors up to this point or does it only show them at the end or in the log?

 

7% currently on this step..more waiting.

Also, funny CTRL-C..same as DOS...

 

Yes, Microsoft have copied a lot of features from other environments over the years.

I am sure I make it more complicated in my own mind just because it's new to me

 

I do believe you are.

 

Hoping it works basically the way my current main PC works the only difference is files will of course be on the server.  Can I still go manually browse files on the server and move/delete them as I would in windows?  Can you even see the NAS in a networked windows computer in Explorer or only viea the web interface (//tower) ?\

 

Thanks for your help I appreciate the patience!

 

If you're browsing the share itself and not one of the disk? shares, then yes - it will function identically in Windows Explorer as if you were browsing a Windows Share that exists in just one physical place. You may drag&drop files in, out, copy/paste, etc. and sideways and it will function exactly as you would expect it to function. While the files for the share may exist on more than one physical drive, UNRAID will present the files as one unified list.

I am sure I make it more complicated in my own mind just because it's new to me

 

I do believe you are.

 

Hoping it works basically the way my current main PC works the only difference is files will of course be on the server.  Can I still go manually browse files on the server and move/delete them as I would in windows?  Can you even see the NAS in a networked windows computer in Explorer or only viea the web interface (//tower) ?\

 

Thanks for your help I appreciate the patience!

 

If you're browsing the share itself and not one of the disk? shares, then yes - it will function identically in Windows Explorer as if you were browsing a Windows Share that exists in just one physical place. You may drag&drop files in, out, copy/paste, etc. and sideways and it will function exactly as you would expect it to function. While the files for the share may exist on more than one physical drive, UNRAID will present the files as one unified list.

 

Thanks for that explanation.  It helps a lot.  Still waiting on my preclears..man it takes forever!  88% on the Read part..almost there!  Got my HTPC in the living room all ready set up (minus some customizing) and right now I have it pointing to my old files on my main PC...once the drives are done will continue setup and see if I can successfully move it to the server and install SB+SAB and all that (after I get a drive for cache/apps and a license)

 

 

So they finally finished..they took 46 hours to complete..but I have 0 errors or any issues according to the report..I saved the log just in case because of that issue I had early on.  I will attach.

 

 

One question I had is my motherboard only has 1 Sata 6Gb port.  Would it be best to put my Parity drive there or my Cache drive?  And lastly..how long should format take...all the guides so 1 minute but it just shows tons of reads and writes and still formatting.

 

Edit://

Nevermind it completely right after I said that..now back to Sync which I can tell is going to take many days lol.

 

So now I am just waiting on the parity sync.

 

So questions to ask for when it is done, I know I should run the parity scan (or something, forgot what it was called) after the sync is complete, then I can create my user shares.  My question then is, how do I copy over existing files to the array?  Can I use windows explorer as I normally would to copy.  Forgive my dumb question I am learning as I go

preclear.txt

If your UNRAID machine is still named the default "tower" and you created a share called "Movies", then in Windows Explorer you would browse to \\tower\Movies and copy whatever files you wish to copy.

 

If you have a cache drive enabled, be sure to don't copy more files than what your cache drive will hold. After you copy the files, the cache drive (\\tower\cache) will contain a "Movies" directory with the new files you copied over.  After the mover process runs, you will have a "Movie" directory on one or more of the disk? drive shares based on how you configured the share and the "Movies" directory would be gone from the cache directory.

 

But no matter where UNRAID places the files on the different drives, you will still see all of them when you browse \\tower\Movies

If you have a cache drive enabled, be sure to don't copy more files than what your cache drive will hold.

Why would you say that? If you continue to copy files after the cache drive is full, subsequent files will just be written directly to the protected data drive(s) based on your allocation and split levels, just like what will happen when the mover runs. You probably wouldn't even notice much difference, just a little slowdown after the cache drive was full.

If you have a cache drive enabled, be sure to don't copy more files than what your cache drive will hold.

Why would you say that? If you continue to copy files after the cache drive is full, subsequent files will just be written directly to the protected data drive(s) based on your allocation and split levels, just like what will happen when the mover runs. You probably wouldn't even notice much difference, just a little slowdown after the cache drive was full.

 

The min-free-space setting on the cache drive must be set correctly for this to work.

Just got home from work, all data copied and I am ready to purchase a license and put in my cache drive.

 

Problem..how do I properly shut down the server?

 

I keep reading about a shutdown script but all the directions are different I have found and none explain step by step for a newbie like myself.

 

Thanks in advance.

Can you get to the unRAID web interface?  The recommended way to close down is using the options on the main page (the one listing the drives) of the web interface.

Yes I have access to the normal web interface and the other one (unMenu I guess? //Tower:8080)

 

I've been looking there but not found the option.  I know how to stop the array but not reboot... I feel stupid..but have to start somewhere..learning

If you look at the bottom of the page you use to stop the array then there are two options - one to shutdown the server and one to reboot them.    To avoid accidents they both have a two stage process where you have to tick a checkbox and then click the button that is then activated.

If you look at the bottom of the page you use to stop the array then there are two options - one to shutdown the server and one to reboot them.    To avoid accidents they both have a two stage process where you have to tick a checkbox and then click the button that is then activated.

 

Ah, you have to stop the array before those options show up..no wonder I didn't see them.

 

Okay next question, I bought a new smaller Flash drive to use instead of the ancient large one I had...if I shut down and just copy my old flash to the new one..will that work?  Didn't know if because of the Flash GUID if that would cause a problem (I have not bought license yet, that's next after I switch the flash drives)

 

Then secondly..where is the Flash GUID?  The website says click devices but I see no devices page.

 

Thanks for the help!

Well I made an assumption that changing the flash drive would be ok...I stopped array, shut down... copied old flash to new flash..system said there was no boot device...reset made sure it was set in bios and was...put old flash back in and reset..

 

Now can't get it to boot at all..just keep saying there's no boot device?

Did you run make_bootable.bat on the new flash?

 

Once you get it booting again just click on Flash from the main page and it will take you to the Flash Settings page where the GUID is displayed.

Oh I forgot about the make_bootable thing on the flash.

 

However now I cannot even get my old flash to work...it keeps saying no boot device..if I manually select the flash in the bios to boot I see it flash Linux then it says "Machine Check Error" in big letters and reboots

 

Similar issue to this guys:

http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=27001.0

 

Also I have an ASRock board..strange though as I changed nothing ..have restarted many times without issue til now.

Hrm..changed some settings for UEFI and Legacy in Bios to "UEFI First" and now ti boots..with new flash drive.  Not sure if that was issue but I rememered reading something about Legacy messing up system...

 

Also checked for loose cables..but doubt that was cause.