Cannot Start Array

[dogdog]

I trying to use an old Dell PC as an unRAID server.

 

I have placed files extracted from unRAIDServer-6.0-beta15-x86_64.zip onto a USB flash drive and successfully booted the Dell PC from the flash drive.

 

I have accessed the unRAID GUI from my MacBook (running Yosemite).

 

The Dell PC has 2 internal hard drives that are both 320GB. I have assigned the devices (the 2 HDD's) to the Array.

 

However when I go to Array operation I cannot click Start.

 

It shows "Stopped.  Invalid configuration"

"Too many assigned devices or too many attached devices. Please consider upgrading your registration."

 

My understanding is that there should be no problem using the free unRAID software with my configuration.

 

Please advise.

 

Many thanks.

[SSD]

I trying to use an old Dell PC as an unRAID server.

 

I have placed files extracted from unRAIDServer-6.0-beta15-x86_64.zip onto a USB flash drive and successfully booted the Dell PC from the flash drive.

 

I have accessed the unRAID GUI from my MacBook (running Yosemite).

 

The Dell PC has 2 internal hard drives that are both 320GB. I have assigned the devices (the 2 HDD's) to the Array.

 

However when I go to Array operation I cannot click Start.

 

It shows "Stopped.  Invalid configuration"

"Too many assigned devices or too many attached devices. Please consider upgrading your registration."

 

My understanding is that there should be no problem using the free unRAID software with my configuration.

 

Please advise.

 

Many thanks.

 

It sounds like drives were already assigned to slots previously, and you are trying to assign them differently now.

 

If you are trying to start over, you would need to do a "New Config", which is an option on the unRAID "Tools" screen (on recent 6.0 betas). If running 5.0, I think it was on a tab called "Utilities". If not, hunt around and you will find it. Once you do that, all drive slots will be empty and you can assign your drives.

[dogdog]

Went to Tools -> New Config and Applied

 

-> Main -> Array Devices

all the assigned slots in Array Devices were cleared

assigned my 2 disks - one to Parity and one to Disk1

BUT under Array Operation still:

 

It shows "Stopped.  Invalid configuration"

"Too many assigned devices or too many attached devices. Please consider upgrading your registration."

 

and "Start" is greyed out.

 

Further thoughts??

 

Many thanks

[SSD]

Take a screenshot and post.

 

Also, how many non-array drives are in the server?

[dogdog]

Screenshot is attached - further up at the top of Array Devices I have one disk assigned to Parity and the other disk assigned to Disk1. To the left of the two assigned places are blue dots. On the right all the entries are blank other than "auto" under FS for Disk1.

 

I have tried reducing the number of slots under Array Devices to 2 and the number of slots under Cache to 0 - it makes no difference.

 

There are no there HDD's in the server.

On my LAN are other PC's, an iPad and a Synology NAS.

 

On the display attached to server I have not logged in but following messages are displayed:

 

 

 

Your help is much appreciated.

[SSD]

I can't see the entire screen. I need to see from the very top (which will show the version number and the assigned devices.

 

If you reduce the slots from 24 to 4 or 5, you'd likely be able to get in a single screenshot.

[trurl]

That screenshot doesn't seem to be showing everything. As suggested, reduce the slots and maybe try Settings - Display Settings - Page view: Tabbed and post again.

 

You can attach jpg, gif, png files directly without zipping them if they are smaller than 192KB. Zipping doesn't typically save much space for those file types anyway.

[dogdog]

Screenshot attached. Bottom of screen would not fit (in terms of attachment size) but this is the same as the previous screenshot.

 

I have a display attached to unRAID server. Not logged in but the following messages displayed:

 

awk: Towerfatal: cannot open file '/var/local/emhttp/smart/disk1' for reading (No such file or directory)login:

awk: fatal: cannot open file '/var/local/emhttp/smart/parity' for reading (No such file or directory)

awk: fatal: cannot open file '/var/local/emhttp/smart/disk1' for reading (No such file or directory)

 

Under the Dashboard tab under Array Status there are two blue dots against "Unassigned" Parity 0 & Data 1.

 

Thanks again

 

[trurl]

Post a complete syslog with Tools - System Log - Download

[dogdog]

System log attached

[JonathanM]

I trying to use an old Dell PC as an unRAID server.

If there is an internal USB media card reader in the system, disconnect it and try again.

[dogdog]

There is a card reader - I will have to look to see how it is connected inside. How would this be a problem??

 

There are also 2 DVD drives - one read/write the other read only - are these also potential problems??

 

 

[trurl]

There is a card reader - I will have to look to see how it is connected inside. How would this be a problem??

 

There are also 2 DVD drives - one read/write the other read only - are these also potential problems??

Probably the card reader is connected to a USB header on the mobo. The DVD drives are probably on SATA ports. Probably a good idea to eliminate all of these just to simplify the system for debugging. You aren't likely to be using the DVDs anyway unless you pass them through to a VM.

[dogdog]

If the card reader is connected to mobo why does this cause a problem??

 

Any other generic items I should look at considering I am trying to use old Dell PC as unRAID server??

[trurl]

If the card reader is connected to mobo why does this cause a problem??

 

Any other generic items I should look at considering I am trying to use old Dell PC as unRAID server??

I think the suggestion for disconnecting the card reader may have been based on another users experience in another thread.

 

I think it's also possible that the DVD drives may be confusing unRAID about the number of devices you are trying to use.

 

As for other things, don't know what else you have, but probably anything that is not IDE, SATA, USB, or NIC will just be ignored by unRAID.

[dogdog]

Was there anything specific in the System Log that I posted??

[jonp]

If the card reader is connected to mobo why does this cause a problem??

 

Any other generic items I should look at considering I am trying to use old Dell PC as unRAID server??

 

This is a bug that we will be addressing.  unRAID 6 has a 3 attached-device limit (not assigned; attached).  Card readers show up as block devices to the OS regardless of whether or not their is media inside them.  We have a way to fix this and will be addressing in an upcoming release.  This EXACT scenario (even the brand tower you are using) was an example I used yesterday in describing this to Tom.  Were you bugging my office or something, because it's uncanny that you would post this right after we just discussed it internally ;-)

[dogdog]

My Dell has 2 internal hard drives and one card reader. So between them they conform to limit of 3. Hence there should be no problem??

 

I also have two DVD drives - would these also show up as block devices even though there is no media inside them?? Hence taking me over the limit of 3??

 

I also have display and keyboard attached - presumably these are not a problem??

 

Would these problems disappear if I bought an unRAID basic licence??

 

Apart from device limit does paid licence provide any features not available on free version??

[trurl]

Apart from device limit does paid licence provide any features not available on free version??

New "Basic" Registration Key available & changes to "Free" version for unRAID-6

 

 

[dogdog]

My HDD's are 320 GB. Does this mean that they will not work with trial version that limits disk size to 250 GB??

 

My Dell has 2 internal hard drives and one card reader. So between them they conform to limit of 3. Hence there should be no problem??

 

I also have two DVD drives - would these also show up as block devices even though there is no media inside them?? Hence taking me over the limit of 3??

 

I also have display and keyboard attached - presumably these are not a problem??

 

Would these problems disappear if I bought an unRAID basic licence??

[trurl]

My HDD's are 320 GB. Does this mean that they will not work with trial version that limits disk size to 250 GB??

 

My Dell has 2 internal hard drives and one card reader. So between them they conform to limit of 3. Hence there should be no problem??

 

I also have two DVD drives - would these also show up as block devices even though there is no media inside them?? Hence taking me over the limit of 3??

 

I also have display and keyboard attached - presumably these are not a problem??

 

Would these problems disappear if I bought an unRAID basic licence??

I don't think anyone has any experience with the 250GB limit yet, just some discussion about it in that thread which I don't remember.

 

Don't really have any definitive answer to your other questions either, maybe someone else will chime in.

 

As I said before I don't think you are going to be using the DVD drives anyway. If you are really just trying to get things working for now until you decide to buy a license then it shouldn't be any problem to disconnect them and the card reader.

[itimpi]

My HDD's are 320 GB. Does this mean that they will not work with trial version that limits disk size to 250 GB??

The 250GB limit is not implemented in a release outside LimeTech yet, although it could well be in the next release/beta.  It is definitely planned to be in place by the time v6 goes final. The way it has been described is not that it limits the size of the drive that you can attach, but how much of any attached drive can be used for data.  You could attach a 8TB drive, but only be allowed to put 250GB on it under the free license.  When a license key is added the full size of the drive immediately becomes available for data.

[dogdog]

I also have two DVD drives - would these also show up as block devices even though there is no media inside them?? Hence taking me over the limit of 3??

[garycase]

As noted above, the size of the drive doesn't matter at all => the 250GB limit is on the partition UnRAID will create and use in the absence of a license.    The 3 device limit is another issue -- I don't THINK that optical drives will count against this, but am not certain.  You're correct, however, that if the # of attached devices is too high the array won't start.  Displays and keyboards don't count.

 

The 250GB limit isn't being enforced during the Beta phase -- but that part of this release cycle is very nearly over.  Note that if you're using the trial version, you'll lose all of your data when you boot to a capacity-limited trial, as it will repartition the drive and create a 250GB partition for the trial.

 

You can eliminate all of these potential issues by simply buying a Basic license.

 

 

 

[trurl]

My HDD's are 320 GB. Does this mean that they will not work with trial version that limits disk size to 250 GB??

The 250GB limit is not implemented in a release outside LimeTech yet, although it could well be in the next release/beta.  It is definitely planned to be in place by the time v6 goes final. The way it has been described is not that it limits the size of the drive that you can attach, but how much of any attached drive can be used for data.  You could attach a 8TB drive, but only be allowed to put 250GB on it under the free license.  When a license key is added the full size of the drive immediately becomes available for data.

I did remember that part from the thread, but don't remember what happens if you already have drives larger than 250GB with data on them. Does it really repartion them as gary says? That doesn't seem very nice. Hope it just refuses to start and gives an explanation.

 

As for the DVD drives, you might want to remove them anyway to make room for more disks in the future.