Im about to change my Adaptec 1430SA for an AOC-SASLP-MV8 card. I am currently running 4.5.3 with no issues and just wanted to confirm the best way to go about this.

 

Current spec - 12 Drive array

 

Gigabyte GA-MA74GM-S2H - 6 Drives

Adaptec 1430SA - 4 Drives

SIL3132 - 2 Drives

 

Here's my propesed steps

 

1. Print out the device map from unraid

2. Check parity

3. Down server

4. Remove 1430SA and install AOC-SASLP-MV8

5. Start up server

6. Reassign drives

7. Check all drives present and not showing unformatted

8. Start array

9. Check parity

 

Anything i've missed or should add?

 

Looks good to me.

Thanks. I'll update when it's done.

Well you use Gigabyte MB. Check your BIOS to see if you have an option to disable the "dual BIOS" implementation - aka HPA that can cause trouble.

 

If you do not have this option - check the Gigabyte support section for a newer BIOS and flash it - pay attention here to the hardware revision of your motherboard.

Then disable this "feature"

 

Scan your log to see if any of your 12 HDs are running with HPA.

 

The reason for that is as you are changing your hardware configuration and do not have this disabled your motherboard can decide to store an extra copy of his BIOS somewhere  - and in my case it went to the first HD on the new controller...

 

Thanks for the advice. I have disabled HPA. I do have it on one drive and need to fix it at some point. I'll probably take that drive out of the array when I add a new drive soon. Then remove HPA and put it back in the array.

 

Just booting with the new controller as we speak so I might be tearing my hair out soon.

 

Should I be worried about these?

 

Apr 28 18:10:47 Tower ata_id[2753]: HDIO_GET_IDENTITY failed for '/dev/block/8:64'

Apr 28 18:10:47 Tower ata_id[2768]: HDIO_GET_IDENTITY failed for '/dev/block/8:48'

Apr 28 18:10:48 Tower ata_id[2814]: HDIO_GET_IDENTITY failed for '/dev/block/8:32'

no.

I'm back with another question.

 

I am in the prcoess of adding a 2Tb Samsung HD203WI to my array to replace the parity. When I connect the drive to the MV8 I am getting these errors

 

May 10 19:56:23 Tower kernel: ata5: translated ATA stat/err 0x51/04 to SCSI SK/ASC/ASCQ 0xb/00/00

May 10 19:56:23 Tower kernel: ata5: status=0x51 { DriveReady SeekComplete Error }

May 10 19:56:23 Tower kernel: ata5: error=0x04 { DriveStatusError }

 

I also tried it with a Fujitsu 2.5" drive and get the same errors. Should I be worried? I am currently running a preclear.

I have resolved the issues above . I had an Adaptec 1210sa card in the machine that was not being used. I have removed this card and no longer get the errors for drives connected to the second port on the AOC-SASLP-MV8.

 

My machine now has 6 drives connected to the MB and SIL3132 adn an AOC-SASLP-MV8 giving a 16 drive capacity.