I've been running with a couple data drives off the Supermicro for many months now, however I don't recall "INT13".   The only issue I had, although not specific to the controller, was my motherboard storing a backup of the BIOS to multiple drives resulting in their size being off by a few dozen bites.

 

You are referring to HPA, which only affects Gigabyte motherboards.  It has nothing to do with the Supermicro cards.  HPA is nefarious, search the wiki for more info.

 

Is it safe to say if everything is working ok now with 2 drives, that it will be fine with 2 more or might I have just got lucky with the "INT13" ?   I may have done something when I set it up, unfortunately my memory lately lasts 30 seconds ( as my girlfriend can attest to )     Let me be clear its my MEMORY that lasts 30 seconds..nothing else!  lol

INT13 isn't nearly as big of a problem as HPA, as there's no risk of data loss.  With INT13 enabled, any disk on the Supermicro card can be used as a boot disk.  This means that anytime you add a new disk or replace a disk in your server, the boot priority may change so that the motherboard attempts to boot from the new disk instead of the unRAID flash drive.  Disabling INT13 makes it so that none of the disks on that card are bootable.

 

Disabling INT13 is more of a convenience thing than anything else.  It is especially nice for headless servers, so that you don't have to dig out a monitor and keyboard to reset the boot order every time you install a new disk.

Nothing else lasts that long...    You must be very wealthy.

:D

Nothing else lasts that long...    You must be very wealthy.

 

When you leave the door open, someone always is going to walk through it!  Next time I will be sure the staircase is missing! 

 

Ya.. im full of metaphors today!

 

I ordered 2 of the 1.5TB drives as the price was too good to pass up and well...my array is full again.  I still have the better part of a 1000 DVD's to rip on to it.

 

I'll check into the INT13 as I really can't recall if I did anything with it.    My server is at least conveniently beside my spare TV I have the kids use for gaming on, so I leave it plugged into the VGA port on it in case I do need access to the console.

i'm not sure if this has been mentioned anywhere .. what is the plan for the future if advanced format drives are being used in an array without a jumper and unRaid (v5.x) eventually supports them 100%? will the drives need to be reformatted? i wouldnt mind if someone could run through both situations (with/without jumpers) for when unraid natively supports them

i'm not sure if this has been mentioned anywhere .. what is the plan for the future if advanced format drives are being used in an array without a jumper and unRaid (v5.x) eventually supports them 100%? will the drives need to be reformatted? i wouldnt mind if someone could run through both situations (with/without jumpers) for when unraid natively supports them

Nobody knows yet.

 

Best case, you do nothing.

Worst case, you do nothing.

 

Joe L.

So I have a question after reading through this entire thread and the wiki. I tried to follow the below steps:

What should I do if I already have an Advanced Format drive in my array that isn't in compatibility mode (i.e. no jumper)?

 

Below is a simple procedure to rectify this situation. If you are extra paranoid about data loss and if you have the space to spare, it is recommended that you back up all data on the Advanced Format drive before performing this procedure.

 

WARNING !

 

PERFORM THE FOLLOWING STEPS ON ONLY ONE DRIVE AT A TIME, OTHERWISE YOU WILL LIKELY LOSE DATA. Also, this procedure will put your unRAID server in a state without parity protection for the amount of time it takes for a Data-Rebuild to complete.

 

  1. Run a parity check. If there are errors, do NOT proceed, seek help in the forums.

  2. Stop the array, power down the unRAID server.

  3. Put the Advanced Format drive into compatibility mode (take the action specified on the chart above). This may involve physically removing the drive from the server, or it may not, depending on your configuration.

  4. Power up the unRAID server.

  5. Go to the 'Devices' page and unassign the Advanced Format drive. Then go back to the 'Main' page and Start the array. The missing disk will be running in emulated mode, and your array will not have parity protection at this point.

  6. Stop the array, go back to the 'Devices' page, and assign the Advanced Format drive to the missing disk slot.

  7. Go back to the 'Main' page and Start the array. A Data-Rebuild should begin. Let it finish (this will take a long time).

  8. Once the Data-Rebuild is complete, run another parity check. After the parity check completes with no errors, then your parity protection is restored. If the parity check returns errors, seek help in the forums.

 

Rinse and repeat the above procedure for all Advanced Format drives not running in compatibility mode. DO NOT PUT THIS OFF, since the longer you wait, the more likely you are to run into trouble.

 

My problem is that when I remove the HD that was pre-cleared and in my unRAID array, removed and put the jumper on it goes through an endless loop while trying to boot unRAID. The wiki solution does not address this problem that I am having. What is the next step? I removed the 2TB WDEARS from my array and thew in my spare 2TB so I can figure out what to do here. I also have a 1.5TB that is the exact same way.

 

Can anyone help provide my next step to trying to get these to pre-clear and assigned back into my array?

 

 

THANK YOU!

Perhaps try to un-assign the disk from the array before powering down and adding the jumper.  That way it will not be trying to mount it upon reboot.

 

Joe L.

Perhaps try to un-assign the disk from the array before powering down and adding the jumper.  That way it will not be trying to mount it upon reboot.

 

Joe L.

 

Joe,

 

I'm now unable to even boot without a jumper on as it just hangs while it's trying to boot it on my older unRAID server. I guess the next step is to try and boot it on my Windows box and use the WD tool?

Perhaps try to un-assign the disk from the array before powering down and adding the jumper.  That way it will not be trying to mount it upon reboot.

 

Joe L.

 

Joe,

 

I'm now unable to even boot without a jumper on as it just hangs while it's trying to boot it on my older unRAID server. I guess the next step is to try and boot it on my Windows box and use the WD tool?

My first instinct would be to ask you confirm you installed the jumper on the correct pins.  (and also to ask you confirm your drive is one of the advanced format drives that actually could accept the jumper)

 

Second would be to confirm the boot order in the BIOS is still set to boot from the flash drive.  Perhaps your motherboard is attempting to help you by assigning that disk as the boot device.

 

Last as you said you can try the disk in a different PC.  It might not be dead... or it might... Did you use an anti-static strap or take anti-static precautions when handling it?  It is easily possible to zap the electronics, especially in the low winter humidity.

My first instinct would be to ask you confirm you installed the jumper on the correct pins.

 

I just installed two Advance Format Drives and I almost put the jumpers in the wrong spot as when I held the drive in my hand, I first assumed pin 7 and 8 would be furthest to the right, but it's actually the opposite ( as you can see on a little diagram on the drive )

I currently have the 2TB in my Win7 box and using the WD Drive Cleaner tool to write zeros to the drive. I do not have the jumper on as of now. I was planning on writing zeros and then putting the jumper on and bringing it to my unRAID box. Hopefully it will boot and I can pre-clear.

 

Thank you for the advice.

I think you want to have the jumper on it, then write zeros as it will then start at 63 instead of 64 as does unRaid.  That is what I did and it worked out OK.

Joe A

Hello, I will be building my very first unraid server soon.  I am thinking to buy a new WD20EARS(1) and jumpered it to start with and it will be my parity drive. My other HDD are full now and I have no extra HDD space.

 

I have one extra used WD20EARS(2) (un-jumper-ed) which is sitting in my Win7 box currently filled with media files.

 

My question is, can I do the following steps on the un-jumper-ed WD20EARS(2).

 

1. Setup unraid first with the new unused jumpered WD20EARS(1), do I need to setup a parity drive first?  If yes, can I still copy data into that parity drive?

2. Copy everything from the used WD20EARS(2) to unraid in Win7 box.

3. Low Level Format the used un-jumper-ed WD20EARS (2).

4. Insert the jumper for WD20EARS(2).

5. Insert the newly jumper-ed WD20EARS(2) into unraid and setup the array.

 

I am very new to unraid and wish to get some feedback and answer.

 

Thank you guys.

I believe you are on track.  Somebody can correct me if I am wrong but I believe on step 3 put the jumper on then write 0s or pre clear the drive.

Joe A

Hello, I will be building my very first unraid server soon.  I am thinking to buy a new WD20EARS(1) and jumpered it to start with and it will be my parity drive. My other HDD are full now and I have no extra HDD space.

 

I have one extra used WD20EARS(2) (un-jumper-ed) which is sitting in my Win7 box currently filled with media files.

 

My question is, can I do the following steps on the un-jumper-ed WD20EARS(2).

 

1. Setup unraid first with the new unused jumpered WD20EARS(1), do I need to setup a parity drive first?  If yes, can I still copy data into that parity drive?

2. Copy everything from the used WD20EARS(2) to unraid in Win7 box.

3. Low Level Format the used un-jumper-ed WD20EARS (2).

4. Insert the jumper for WD20EARS(2).

5. Insert the newly jumper-ed WD20EARS(2) into unraid and setup the array.

 

I am very new to unraid and wish to get some feedback and answer.

 

Thank you guys.

 

Short answer, no that will not work.  The parity drive cannot hold any data, only parity info.  Once a drive is assigned as parity, you effectively lose it as a storage drive.

 

The upside is that you don't need to assign a parity drive first, you can do it later.  The issue here is that your data will be unprotected from a drive failure until you assign a parity drive.  That means that if one of your drives were to die during the data migration, you would lose the data on that drive.  Still, the data is at no more risk than it would be sitting on a data drive in any regular computer.

 

To play it safe, you will have to start with two new, empty disks.  One for parity, and one as data disk1.  These can both be jumpered WD EARS, that's fine.  You could then copy over your data, then prepare your unjumpered EARS drive for unRAID.  To do this, you'll have to first install the jumper, then preclear the drive (which will erase all data on it), then add it to the array.  Some people have even had to preclear the drive first without the jumper and then again with the jumper.  I'm not sure why some people have to do both steps and others do not, it seems to be hit and miss.

For those who use a Green drive ( 5900RPM ish speed ) for Parity, is their any real noticeable issue with the slower parity drive?

 

I'd like to start buying 2TB drives, however the first one I get will have to be my parity drive.  The Green drives are always much cheaper than the 7200RPM drives of the same size.

 

If their is a noticeable speed decrease, where do you actually see it?

 

At the present, my server only streams content to one device at a time ( ie. I live alone so its either me using it at the computer or the Home Theatre ).    I move content over to the server on a regular basis, however I am rarely in a rush.  I typically rip a bunch of movies, create NFO's for them and move them over in batches.    I don't have a cache drive as honestly, I never found it to be necessary thus far.

For those who use a Green drive ( 5900RPM ish speed ) for Parity, is their any real noticeable issue with the slower parity drive?

 

I'd like to start buying 2TB drives, however the first one I get will have to be my parity drive.   The Green drives are always much cheaper than the 7200RPM drives of the same size.

 

If their is a noticeable speed decrease, where do you actually see it?

 

At the present, my server only streams content to one device at a time ( ie. I live alone so its either me using it at the computer or the Home Theatre ).    I move content over to the server on a regular basis, however I am rarely in a rush.   I typically rip a bunch of movies, create NFO's for them and move them over in batches.    I don't have a cache drive as honestly, I never found it to be necessary thus far.

 

I've used 1.5 TB 7200 rpm drives as parity, but never 2 TB models.  I've also used 2 TB 5400 rpm drives as parity, and I'm currently using a 5900 rpm Seagate LP as parity.  In my use, I haven't noticed any difference between the three.  However, I also use TeraCopy so I'm never transferring multiple things at once, they are always queued.  I often use a cache drive as well, but even without one I haven't noticed any real reason to go for a 7200 rpm parity drive (and yes, I do have one or two 7200 rpm data drives).

 

When reading you will see no difference at all, since the parity drive is only involved in writes, not reads.

When reading you will see no difference at all, since the parity drive is only involved in writes, not reads.

 

Good Point 

 

Of the 10 drives I have in my array, 3 are WD Green drives and 7 are 7200RPM Seagates.  I have 3TB to fill for now, so by the time I rip 3TB worth of movies from DVD to the Hard drive, the 2TB 7200RPM drives will probably be under $100 anyways

I have one 2Tb WD EARS and have had it in use in Windows.

 

Now added the jumper and connected it to my unRAID server, when trying to add it to the array (has the blue dot), it doesn't start to clear the disk?

 

My syslog added.

syslog.zip

You'll probably have to clear its first few sectors.  apparently it is reporting its geometry in a way that is making unRAID's kernel think it is failing.

 

try something like

dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdX count=8

then try rebooting.

 

Make sure you put the correct device name for /dev/sdX.  I hate to see grown men cry when they ask their own server to erase the WRONG disk.

 

I think your drive is /dev/sdo based on the syslog.

 

You may also have to power cycle.  I've seen when these drives stop responding only a power cycle gets them talking again.

 

Joe L.

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.

 

Hi All, I too had problems adding the drive once I jumpered it.  I was getting the "EH complete" loop during boot up.  Someone mentioned using "Kill Disk" earlier, I tried it and it worked very well for me. 

 

What I did was:

1.  Add the jumpered drive to my Windows 7 PC. 

2.  Download and install: http://www.killdisk.com/downloadfree.htm

3.  Ran Kill Disk on it.  Took about 6 hours.

4.  Installed drive back into my UNRAID server.  It booted up fine and was recognized by UNRAID. 

 

I'm currently running parity sync on it as I didn't have a parity drive before.  So far so good.

 

Thanks drealit!

I just have a quick question, read through most of the posts... I have 3 wd10ears drives, but just found out about the jumper.

 

My drives are working fine with no issues, do I need to add the jumper?

 

Is the only difference a small improvement in performance?

 

Thanks!

I just have a quick question, read through most of the posts... I have 3 wd10ears drives, but just found out about the jumper.

 

My drives are working fine with no issues, do I need to add the jumper?

 

Is the only difference a small improvement in performance?

 

Thanks!

There are far more "oh shit" I tried adding the jumper to my drive and caused damage to my server, than "I changed the jumper and everything went so smoothly" posts.

 

It is NOT worth the risk in my opinion.  You are far too likely to cause problems by dislodging a cable, or zapping a drive with a static discharge.

Most of the time a drive needs to be forcibly cleared AND then power cycled before it will even respond properly after the jumper is changed.

 

You will probably only notice the difference if you are constantly writing hundreds of small files.  For a single small file, who cares if the disk revolves twice (.022 seconds) or four times (.044 seconds) to write it. 

You'll certainly not notice the extra 2 hundredths of a second when saving a file from your PC.)

 

Joe L

Thanks Joe!

 

I have had a huge problem with cables wiggling loose. I couldn't even open my case, or tilt it on it's side without a cable wiggling loose.

 

Also I've had weird problems powering on/off, sometimes after powering on a drive shows as removed, yet by simply rebooting it, it appears again.

 

When the system boots and a drive is not detected the drive name sda, sdb, sdc etc, change, I think it's my pci-sata adapter's fault, if one drive shows as missing, the system re-orders the drive names.

 

The other day I hot-glued all of my sata connectors and so far the hot-glue has stabilized everything!

after reading these 15 pages thread, its not clear to me

some say not, some must

 

maybe make this a sticky and be clear guys

 

- For brand new 20ears drives (not used before, no format before): Use jumpers yes or no?

- For used 20ears drives (has been used in pc before, so formatted before): Use jumpers yes or no? , if yes, how to do? just put it on, or is there a path to follow?

 

What does jumpering actually do? i've read its accessing part 63 (but in real its part64) but, what does that mean?

just  slower speed reading the drive?

 

If you jumper used unjumpered drives, what will happen in the worst case scenario?