[Solved] New v.6 Install of .v5 Array

[MDEnce]

OK, I was running unRAID v.5 for the last year+, with no real problems.

Recently I filled up the whole array (I WAS using (1) 500 GB Cache, (1) 2 TB Parity, and (2) 2 TB and (5) 1.5 TB Data drives [11.5 TB Total]) so I added a 1.5 TB to get some space [13 TB].  Then I picked up (2) 3 TB drives, and was about to add them (1 as a cache) when I decided to update to v.6 

 

I can only get 14 drives in my tower, so I put it together as follows:

(1) 500 GB Cache,

(1) 3 TB Parity,

(1) 3 TB Data

(5) 2 TB Data (including the old Cache, which I don't plan to overwrite until I have 6 up and running)

(6) 1.5 TB Data

[19 TB Total (22 when I add the old cache back into the array)]

 

Meanwhile, I got a deal on (3) more 5 TB drives, so I swapped the 3 TB drive (I'd intended to use for the "new" parity) out for a 5 TB (I'll swap the (2) other 5 TB drives and the (1) 3 TB I'd originally intended as the new parity drive, for 3 of the 1.5 TB drives once I get v.6 up and running, and convert everything to XFS).  Then I got a 2 GB USB drive, put v.6 on it, made it bootable and swapped it in to get a GUID.

 

Next I put the old v.5 USB flash back in and let it rebuild parity on the 5 TB drive, and ran a parity check.

 

Finally I got a new Pro key from Tom.  Copied the "Pro.key" file to the "config" directory, and tried to boot up v.6, but now I can't get anything to come up.  I waited over an hour, and  still had nothing.  I've tried to access by name (I call my server "Unraid" but I also tried the default "tower"), by IP (192.168.1.124 both from a browser and from PuTTY) but nothing is there. I finally powered down.

 

I restarted and after another half hour of nothing, I powered down again.  I read that sometimes you have to run the make bootable file again, so I pulled the USB flash drive, put it in my Win7 PC and ran the make bootable file again. (Yes, I ran "as administrator.")  Still nothing. 

 

I put it back in a couple hours ago, but still no joy.

 

All I can think of is that the 3 TB drives weren't pre-cleared and even though they have never been part of an array, maybe v.6 is pre-clearing them BEFORE it will allow unRAID to come up. 

 

So did I miss something, or do I just need to let everything sit for a day or so, or. . .?

[BRiT]

You need to see what the main screen show when its booting and tell us.

[MDEnce]

You need to see what the main screen show when its booting and tell us.

 

So I can't do this headless?

 

I'd just rather not disconnect the tower and get it out of the closet, and then hook it up where I have both power, a monitor and a wired connection. (I can if I HAVE to, but I'd like to avoid it) 

[itimpi]

You need to see what the main screen show when its booting and tell us.

 

So I can't do this headless?

Not unless your motherboard has IPMI support.    You mentioned that you could not see the main screen - but can you ping the IP address which would at least suggest the boot is starting?

 

When you moved to v6 did you ensure that you had removed all plugins and/or extra packages.  The v5 ones are 32-bit and incompatible with v6 (which is 64-bit).

 

I'd just rather not disconnect the tower and get it out of the closet, and then hook it up where I have both power, a monitor and a wired connection. (I can if I HAVE to, but I'd like to avoid it)

If the system is having booting issues then it would be almost impossible to debug unless you can see the BIOS and startup messages.    For instance it is always possible that the BIOS has lost the setting to boot from the USB drive.

[Frank1940]

You didn't specify what your MB was.  The  Asus M5A78L-M LX Plus motherboard that I have in my Test Bed computer automatically detects any new hard drive attached to the MB and sets it as the ONLY boot drive.  I get exactly the symptoms that you are getting. 

 

If this is the issue, you have to have keyboard-and-monitor access to the computer as it starts the boot process from BIOS to you can get to the BIOS to reset it to boot from your  Flash Drive.

[MDEnce]

Thanks to all who replied.  I think I got it.

 

can you ping the IP address which would at least suggest the boot is starting?

No

 

When you moved to v6 did you ensure that you had removed all plugins and/or extra packages.  The v5 ones are 32-bit and incompatible with v6 (which is 64-bit).

 

N/A.  Like I said: "I got a 2 GB USB drive, put v.6 on it, made it bootable and swapped it in to get a GUID." then "I got a new Pro key from Tom.  Copied the "Pro.key" file to the "config" directory, and tried to boot up v.6"  All of this was on a NEW, formerly blank, and reformatted just to be sure, USB Flash drive that never had v.5 or any 32-bit plugins/extras on it.

 

it is always possible that the BIOS has lost the setting to boot from the USB drive.

 

Apparently THIS is what happened.  I pulled the server from the closet, scrounged up a DVI to HDMI cord, and extra power cord, a LAN cable and an old keyboard, and connected it directly to my media center.  At first it was listing all the drives and dumping me into a shell prompt.  This happened a number of times before I finally went into BIOS config.  BIOS still said that the USB Flash was set first in boot order.  I saved and restarted, and BOOM, it finally booted from the USB Flash and v.6 came up again.  This time, with all 14 drives (instead of the 3 it was limited to before I got the new Pro.key).

 

You didn't specify what your MB was.  The  Asus M5A78L-M LX Plus motherboard that I have in my Test Bed computer automatically detects any new hard drive attached to the MB and sets it as the ONLY boot drive.  I get exactly the symptoms that you are getting. 

 

If this is the issue, you have to have keyboard-and-monitor access to the computer as it starts the boot process from BIOS to you can get to the BIOS to reset it to boot from your  Flash Drive.

 

My MB is an MISA55M-P33.  Like I said above, when I went into the BIOS config, it still said the the USB Flash was 1st in the boot order, but I had to save and reboot for it to finally work. 

 

Not sure why it wasn't booting from Flash before, just happy it is now.

 

Now to read up on the new features of v.6 while the previously unused drives get XFS formatted.