Downsize array and parity drive replacement check, after RFS -> XFS move

[luca]

I just finished changing all my drives to XFS.  This process left me with one drive (disk6) I want to get rid of.  The parity drive also decided to kick the bucket this morning, so the array is running unprotected at this time.

 

Basically I have an array with 12 drives ATM, of which 11 are good and hold all the data, and one (disk6) that has no data and I want to remove.  When I get the new parity drive, I'm thinking I should:

 

- preclear the new drive

- backup the boot/config folder

- stop the array

- unassign disk6, shutdown

- disconnect disk6

- replace the parity drive

- run tools / new config

 

How does this sound?

[garycase]

Since you already have no parity protection, I'd just go ahead and do a New Config now ... assigning the drives you want to keep (all the data drives except #6) and no parity drive.

 

Then your array will be ready to simply Stop and assign a parity drive once you get the new drive.

 

This is, of course, a good time to increase the size of your parity drive, if that's something you've been thinking of doing.    In any event, when you get it, you should test it [either via pre-clear or with the manufacturer's diagnostics on a different PC] ... and once it's passed your testing regimen just add it to the array as the parity drive.    Then let it do the parity sync (many hours) ... and then run a parity test to confirm all went well.

 

Done 

[itimpi]

A small point in the proposed steps - you should backup the boot/config folder AFTER stopping the array - not before.  Doing it before means that if you ever copied those files back, unRAID would assume an unclean shutdown.  The flash share remains available even with the array stopped.

[garycase]

A small point in the proposed steps - you should backup the boot/config folder AFTER stopping the array - not before.  Doing it before means that if you ever copied those files back, unRAID would assume an unclean shutdown.  The flash share remains available even with the array stopped.

 

True -- but not sure it matters on an array without parity.    Interesting question ... what does UnRAID do after a boot from an "unclean shutdown" if there's no parity drive ??

 

[itimpi]

Interesting question ... what does UnRAID do after a boot from an "unclean shutdown" if there's no parity drive ??

I can tell you from my own experience that it ignores the fact there was an unclean shutdown as without parity there would be no automated recovery action that could be taken anyway.

[garycase]

I assumed as much, but have never had the experience, as all of my arrays have parity drives.

 

[luca]

Thank you guys, appreciated.    Interesting point about backing up the boot/config folder AFTER stopping the array, never thought about it.

[garycase]

Agree it's a good idea to maintain a backup of the boot/config folder => in fact, it's a good idea to simply backup the entire flash drive periodically (with the array stopped).

 

But in this specific case, it's not needed, since the first thing you're going to do is a New Config.  AFTER you do that, you shoud backup the flash ... and then get in the habit of doing it periodically.    Just create a folder on a PC (or even on the array) called "UnRAID Flash Backups" and then create subfolders for each backup (I name them with the data ... e.g. "Flash 25 May 2015").