I'm getting the following error during the boot process:

 

initramfs unpacking failed - Kernel panic: junk in compressed archive

 

From what I've read, this could be RAM related. I have two 1GB sticks - I tried booting with just one, then just the other - and continue to get the error. When I try to run the memory test I just get a white screen - with one or the other sticks or both.

 

It's hard to believe that both sticks are bad, so I'm thinking something else is causing the memory test not to work.

 

Could this boot error be an issue with a corrupted file on the USB drive?

 

I purchased the server from Lime Tech - with everything in place, so I have no experience with setting up the OS, and have no experience with linux.

 

Any help is greatly appreciated.

So I used the Memtest autoinstaller for USB key - http://www.memtest.org/ -  and created another bootable USB key - and Memtest is running fine. It's been running fine for a few hours now, with no errors so far. It seems like there might be an issue with my unRAID USB key. Does this sound logical?

 

Is there any other info I can provide to help in getting an answer for this issue?

So I used the Memtest autoinstaller for USB key - http://www.memtest.org/ -  and created another bootable USB key - and Memtest is running fine. It's been running fine for a few hours now, with no errors so far. It seems like there might be an issue with my unRAID USB key. Does this sound logical?

 

Is there any other info I can provide to help in getting an answer for this issue?

If the other memory test is running, then it could be your unRAID flash drive, or , perhaps you did not "safely eject" it after loading it.

 

Joe L.

If the other memory test is running, then it could be your unRAID flash drive, or , perhaps you did not "safely eject" it after loading it.

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

Safely eject which one - the original one? The original one came pre-loaded and has been working for a year and a half - issue started on a reboot a few days ago.

 

Is there documentation anywhere on how to replace the USB drive? I can't seem to find anything. I've been able to copy the files from the original USB drive.

If the other memory test is running, then it could be your unRAID flash drive, or , perhaps you did not "safely eject" it after loading it.

 

Thanks for the reply.

 

Safely eject which one - the original one? The original one came pre-loaded and has been working for a year and a half - issue started on a reboot a few days ago.

 

Is there documentation anywhere on how to replace the USB drive? I can't seem to find anything. I've been able to copy the files from the original USB drive.

My mistake. I thought you were loading it initially.

 

Put it in your window's PC and run scandisk on it.

 

Other than that, if you have more than 3 drives you'll need to get a new .key file for the new GUID of the new flash drive.  Send Tom @ lime-technology an e-mail, describe how the flash drive is failing, and get to him a new GUID from a new flash drive. 

 

Unless you added stuff of your own, all you need to copy over is the config folder and everything under it.

 

Joe L.

Awesome. Thanks for the help.

I ran scandisk on the flash drive - no issues.

 

How do I get the GUID of a flash drive if I can't load the unRAID server - is there another way to do this?

Just wanted to follow up - it was a bad USB drive. I got a new license key, a new drive and all seems to be back to normal. Thanks for your help, Joe.

I just went through a similar issue.  See my thread on "my unraid off the air". I easily re-built the USB drive on a windows machine because I had back up copies of the flash drives taken every time I made a significant revision. Not knowing the drives GUID or the algorithm Tom uses to produce the License key I kept seperate back up files for each of the two registered flash drives.  Providing you have a backup that is valid (worked in the past) and the USB drive is not electrically destroyed the process is straight forward  on a windows based PC.

 

You format the drive as fat32 labeling it UNRAID. Uppercase, exactly 6 characters. You then run syslinux with the -ma option to make the drive bootable. You than copy back the working version from your backup onto the drive and you are done. Thete is one file in the set that you will be copying back that is tied to the drives GUID which is what provides the ant-copying protection to insure Limetech's revenue stream.