Advanced Format Drives - WD10EARS WD15EARS WD20EARS

[Joe L.]

EDIT:

Ok if found out that screen is part of unRAID 4.5.4 so got it working.

What is utmpter

 

if you have screen working, you don't need the other package.

He probably will need it, unless he downloads a "screen" package that does not need it.

 

The package in unMENU required it, and it is part of it, so all you should have to do is click on the "download" button and both will be downloaded.

 

If he can already type "screen" and have it not complain, then it is not needed as an additional install.

[theone]

The package in unMENU required it, and it is part of it, so all you should have to do is click on the "download" button and both will be downloaded.

 

If he can already type "screen" and have it not complain, then it is not needed as an additional install.

 

to clear things up - It seems that unMenu 1.3 which I am using together with unRAID 4.5.4 (first version of both I am using on a new server) comes pre-installed with screen working "out of the box".

 

nothing needed to be installed.

 

[Joe L.]

The package in unMENU required it, and it is part of it, so all you should have to do is click on the "download" button and both will be downloaded.

 

If he can already type "screen" and have it not complain, then it is not needed as an additional install.

 

to clear things up - It seems that unMenu 1.3 which I am using together with unRAID 4.5.4 (first version of both I am using on a new server) comes pre-installed with screen working "out of the box".

 

nothing needed to be installed.

 

Well... that's not entirely correct.  It has a package.conf file that allows you to download and install it an the affiliated utempter package.

 

You clicked on the button to download it, and you clicked on the button then to install it.

 

And then it worked.... "out of the box"

[WeeboTech]

Well... that's not entirely correct.  It has a package.conf file that allows you to download and install it an the affiliated utempter package.

That explains it! had me going for a moment.

[theone]

Well... that's not entirely correct.  It has a package.conf file that allows you to download and install it an the affiliated utempter package.

 

You clicked on the button to download it, and you clicked on the button then to install it.

 

And then it worked.... "out of the box"

 

see attached picture of my packages menu.

It is clearly written "screen... Installed, Not Downloaded"

 

I don't remember downloading it because I only heard about it today - I have the server running for ~2 weeks now.

 

For example, something I did download and install is Clean Powerdown which also states: "Currently Installed. Will be automatically Re-Installed upon Re-Boot."

 

I don't think I am that forgetful...  

[Joe L.]

I'm sure that it is not included on 4.5.4 unrAID, you probably installed it. ???

[theone]

I'm sure that it is not included on 4.5.4 unrAID, you probably installed it. ???

 

lets leave it a mystery ... 

[purko]

I just rebooted to stock unRAID 4.5.4 and confirm that there is no screen in it.

 

[theone]

I just rebooted to stock unRAID 4.5.4 and confirm that there is no screen in it.

 

 

Then either there is a bug with the indication (see my screen-shot above) or some other package installed it.

 

[lensman]

Just wanted to let everyone know that I had the problem where I forgot to jumper my WD20EARS and put it in as a data disk in my array. I then decided to jumper it and had all sorts of problems. I checked and there weren't any partitions on it, but newly jumpered, I still couldn't start the array with it added.

 

I tried using the WD diagnostics program (the Windows version). I couldn't write zeros with the drive jumpered (got errors). So I wrote zeros unjumpered.

 

Then I jumpered the drive and put it back into my unraid server. No nice. Same problem where the array would not start. Got the same errors in the log as someone way above me in this thread. When I removed the jumper, I could start my array and the drive appeared as unformatted. I did not want to use it that way for the performance reasons that people are quoting.

 

So as a last-gasp effort, I ran pre_clear.sh on it with the jumper on.

 

This seems to have worked! It ran for 36 hours or so and pre-cleared successfully. I just added it to my array and formatted it (jumper still on).

 

Have my fingers crossed, but I'd like to hear if this method works for anyone else.

[kizer]

Precleared with Jumper and its been running just fine as my parity drive.

[robertwallace]

Well on the weekend I added the Jumper to my Drive. All data lost but expected.

I then used my usb and found the drive.

I then used HDD Low Level Format Tool ver.2.36 build 1181... Might not be truly low level but I wanted to give it a try.

I then Created a Partition on Windows 7 with Ntfs and did High level format. When finished I installed in to Unraid box.

 

I did a preclear, With no errors.

I added the drive as parity drive and have not seen a single error.

 

On preclear I was getting 117MBs throughput....

 

Will post if any errors come up.

 

 

Thornwood, you never had jumper problem with that particular drive.  You "fixed" a problem you didn't have.

Most EARS drives work perfectly well after adding that jumper.  Aparently, your drive was one of those.

Some EARS drives had buggy firmware and have problems if you install the jumper after the drive has been used.  That wasn't your case.

Joe L.'s preclear script does exactly the same thing as that so called "low-level format" -- writes zeros to every sector of the drive.

 

Perhaps he really didn't have a problem, but I have 3 out of 5 WD20EARS drives that work without the jumper, but show I/O errors with the jumper in place.  UnRaid hangs on boot, eventually coming up.  Preclear_disk.sh just flashes I/O Error and refuses to try to clear the disk and Windows XP wouldn't even recognize the drive to partition it.  My fault, I guess, for testing my incoming new drives by first using Windows quickly put a partition on them.  According to another post in this thread, the drives will not work with a jumper after Windows has a go at the unjumpered drive.  This appears to be true in my case - how else to explain 3 out of 5 drives DOA (with the jumper).

 

I'd already RMA'd one drive for this problem and it's replacement was doing the same thing.  Yet I already have two AF drives in my array working just fine.  Maybe I didn't bring them up on Windows first - can't remember.

 

Rather than RMA three more drives, I used the low-level format tool Thormwood used and ran it against one of the bad disks with the jumper in place.  I skipped all the rest of his process -- creating a Windows partition and formatting -- just popped it back into my NAS, and it's working great!  Preclear_disk.sh is running on it now - to exercise it and get it ready for the array.

 

It took around 6 hours to do the low-level format (or whatever it's doing - perhaps just writing zeros to the entire drive), but it saved me yet another RMA for an AFD drive and I'm a happy camper for that.

 

Perhaps all I had to do was use WD Diagnostics tool to write zeros to the first and last parts of the drive - I'll try that first on the next "bad" drive in my inventory, but it's nice to know that I can "fix" my non-problem and save myself some considerable time, postage and ill feelings from Amazon and NewEgg.  Thanks, Thormwood!

 

Robert

[Thornwood]

No problem I am happy it helped you.

[cj0r]

I like so many others was using my 2TB WD EARS drive unjumpered.  After reading through this thread and slowly losing hope I was on the verge of just RMAing back to Amazon since I had just picked up a new drive anyway.  I saw some hope when someone successfully precleared their drive and was able to reuse afterwards.  The problem in my case was that I could boot... but could not actually get the drive recognized in the system aka I couldn't preclear it because of this.  Someone said bringing it into Windows wouldn't help so I looked to other methods.

 

I then had the bright idea of running an all out KillDisk session on the drive... completely zeroing it out.  I proceeded to follow through with this and a bit under 24 hours later I had a completely clean/clear drive.  I put it back inside the server and booted up... still couldn't get it to mount inside my array (I was using it as my cache drive), however the drive was there and I was able to mess with it.  At this point I decided to run the preclear script on it, skipping the testing and only doing 1 pass.

 

I got home an hour ago and everything was all done... I replaced my current cache with it and found some strange behavior in that it still thought my old cache drive was in the machine.  I restarted - BANG there it was in full form and ready to go.  Right now I have my old cache drive transferring to the new cache (torrents). SUCCESS.

 

So yes if you can't seem to get in any other way... just KillDisk the thing and run with it.

[nsutherland]

Hey guys,

 

So like the rest of us here I bought a bunch of these WD EARS drives.  I have 2 x 2TB and 2x 1.5TB EARS drives.

 

I only read about this issue with the sectors about a week ago and I had already written data to them without the compatibility jumper installed.

 

I put the jumper on my drives and got a whole bunch of the errors in the log (READ DMA EXT) upon boot.  The box would still boot, it just took a long time for it to display all of these messages before it got to the login prompt. 

 

I've fixed 3 of them so far (no more of these errors spamming on boot or in the syslog after the final step below) and I am working on the 4th as we speak. 

 

Now when I fixed my disks my array had already been wiped recently so I just ran the preclear script on all of the drives at the same time because I didn't have to worry about saving my data.  In some peoples case here I imagine you'll need to do this on one drive at a time.  Here is what I did to fix my drives:

 

1. Run the preclear script on the drive without the jumper placed on 7 and 8. (This may not actually be required but this is a step that I did to fix mine so I won't leave it out).

2. Remove the drive and install the jumper on pins 7 and 8.

3. Re-insert the drive into your box

4. Boot your box (you may have to wait like 10 minutes or so for it to boot due to the errors but it WILL boot eventually so be patient).

5. Run the preclear script on the drive with the jumper on pins 7 and 8.

 

When I had completed the 5th step, the errors had stopped spamming my syslog so this should be something you should check to verify that it has fixed your disks to run with the jumper installed.

 

 

[cwr]

advanced format drives have had support in linux since 2.6.31 with 2.6.34 having the most thorough support

 

is it possible to get a 4.5.x release with 2.6.34? this might solve everyones problems

[BRiT]

No it won't. It's not quite that simple.

 

It's more than just a kernel revision required. There has to be some revisions done on the actual unRAID driver 'md' inside the kernel and/or emhttp.

 

Currently Limetech is focusing on the 5.0 series.

 

Please read from the first post linked (page 7) entirely to the last post linked (page 9)

http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=5384.msg66177#msg66177

http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=5384.msg66351#msg66351

[heffneil]

I hate to dig up this issue but I just found it.  I am currently in the process of pre-clearing my 3 WD20EARS.  They do not have the jumper on.  Should I bother and if so do I need to pre-clear afterwards?

[Joe L.]

I hate to dig up this issue but I just found it.  I am currently in the process of pre-clearing my 3 WD20EARS.  They do not have the jumper on.  Should I bother and if so do I need to pre-clear afterwards?

yes, yes.

[heffneil]

I was hoping you would say no no

 

No where do I get some jumpers from

 

Can I stop the pre clear in the midst of it?

 

Thanks,

 

Neil

 

[BobPhoenix]

No where do I get some jumpers from

I bought mine on ebay. 2.54mm is what worked for me on my WD EARS drives.

[heffneil]

Just ordered 20 on ebay. Thanks! I used to have containers of those things and since I went mac they went in the trash

 

[Compass]

Just want some clarification, do EACS drives need jumpering? I have one that I'd like to add to my unraid.

Thanks

[olympia]

Is there any way to check whether if the jumper is on or off without having a look on the drive itself?

 

e.g. the following line in system log:

Tower kernel: md: import disk0: [8,48] (sdd) WDC WD20EARS-00S WD-XXXXXXXXXXXX offset: 63 size: 1953514552

 

Given the "offset: 63" part, is that mean the jumper is on?

 

Thank you!

[Joe L.]

Is there any way to check whether if the jumper is on or off without having a look on the drive itself?

 

e.g. the following line in system log:

Tower kernel: md: import disk0: [8,48] (sdd) WDC WD20EARS-00S WD-XXXXXXXXXXXX offset: 63 size: 1953514552

 

Given the "offset: 63" part, is that mean the jumper is on?

 

Thank you!

no