Clear a drive in unRAID 6.3

[crowdx42]

Hi all,

 so I have a backup unRAID server which I want to change the file system to xfs. Would the fastest way to this be to remove the drive from the array, start the array, thus shrinking it and then add the drive back which would then mean formatting the drive in the default xfs file system. For each drive I would then rinse and repeat.

 All the files on the backup exist on the main server which has dual parity, so I am not too concerned about losing the data on the backup.

Thoughts?
Patrick

[Frank1940]

I would suggest that you start here:

 

 

 

[trurl]

44 minutes ago, crowdx42 said:

Hi all,

 so I have a backup unRAID server which I want to change the file system to xfs. Would the fastest way to this be to remove the drive from the array, start the array, thus shrinking it and then add the drive back which would then mean formatting the drive in the default xfs file system. For each drive I would then rinse and repeat.

 All the files on the backup exist on the main server which has dual parity, so I am not too concerned about losing the data on the backup.

Thoughts?
Patrick

You seem to imply that you would just copy files back from the main server and so don't care that reformatting a disk will mean all the files on the disk are gone. Is that true? If so, then read on.

 

If this is the case, then you might as well just leave all the disks in place, reformat all of them at once, and proceed with the copy from the main server. That is going to be the simplest and fastest, and you don't have to go down that rabbit hole of trying to shuffle things around on one server just so you can empty a drive before formatting it.

 

You don't mention whether your backup server has parity, but it doesn't matter as long as you don't actually do what you originally suggested with shrinking and then expanding again. Formatting a drive with it in the array will maintain parity. If you remove a drive, you would have to rebuild parity, then adding it back you would have to clear it first.

 

So, just leave everything where it is and reformat everything at once, then proceed with the copy from the main server.

[crowdx42]

So yes, I am fine with losing all the data on the backup server as it only stores copies of the files from the main server. From reading the discussion that Frank linked (I had already read the conversion guide link) I think the simplest thing would be just to go ahead an format the drives. I do have a parity drive but I am most likely going to leave it unassigned until the server had all it's files copied back from the main server before adding the parity drive and have it build parity again.

Being that I am starting basically from scratch, I am now thinking I will just delete the usb drive (except of the pro key) and boot from a brand new install. I have used this backup machine for playing with some plugins, so a refresh might be worthwhile

Patrick

[trurl]

Yes, a New Config without parity would make the copying back faster. Do you know how to reformat an assigned drive?

[crowdx42]

Yes, I believe it is simply, stop the array, click the drive you want to edit, then select the drive file system and change to xfs and then restart array, at that point I should have an option at the bellow the list of drives to format the drive to make it usable?

[trurl]

Yes