Hard Drive Fail / Rebuild / Hardware question. PLEASE HELP

[bombz]

Hello, I need some hardware help in regards to UnRAID.

My current setup is as follows:

Parity : 1.5TB

Disks 1 – 6 = 500GB

Disk 7 = 1.5TB

 

At the moment I have had a drive failure (disk 2) (WD 500GB)

I purchased 2x2TB drives ... I know the largest drive in the set is usually for parity. My question is:  Can I replace my disk 2 (500GB) with a 2TB drive, then rebuild my array. Once rebuilt, Replace my PARITY (1.5TB) with a 2TB ? or what is my best method to do, for proper rebuild and upgrade ?

Any response is helpful as I need to recover that drive asap.

Thanks !

 

As well i am going to change motherboards  (Installing BIOSTAR A760G M2+) in the process of adding my new hard drives, will that cause any issues with the rebuild???

 

Should i rebuild my whole array with current hardware?? then swap motherboards and Hard Disks (when i have a valid parity sync) and data is rebuilt?

 

I am going to take a screen shot of my device list, so I hope I can match new hardware port (motherboard) to correct drive serial for the UnRaid software, Correct me if I am wrong but I think that is the proper process

[kizer]

I'm not one of the Gurus, but I wouldn't do any other hardwar swaps until your Bad drive is no longer bad. I'm on my phone and can't send you to it, but I know in the wiki it talks about using a larger drive than the parity to rebuild an array. I know it doesn't help you, but its at least a place to take a look.

 

Back to my PC

 

This should sorta be required reading at least for this.

http://lime-technology.com/wiki/index.php?title=UnRAID_Manual#Disk_configuration_changes

 

It says something about a swap-disable.

Look under failed disk.

 

Now I'm not saying you should do this because the people that really know this will give you better help than I can, but I have been reading the wiki a lot lately and I saw that.

[Joe L.]

I purchased 2x2TB drives ... I know the largest drive in the set is usually for parity. My question is:  Can I replace my disk 2 (500GB) with a 2TB drive, then rebuild my array.

No, you cannot do it that way... 

 

According to the unraid manual, this is the procedure:

You must replace a failed disk with a disk which is as big or bigger than the original and not bigger than the parity disk. If the replacement disk is larger than your parity disk, then the system permits a special configuration change called swap-disable.

 

For swap-disable, you use your existing parity disk to replace the failed disk, and you install your new big disk as the parity disk:

 

  1. Stop the array.

  2. Power down the unit.

  3. Replace the parity hard disk with a new bigger one. 

  4. Replace the failed hard disk with you old parity disk.

  5. Power up the unit.

  6. Start the array.

 

When you start the array, the system will first copy the parity information to the new parity disk, and then reconstruct the contents of the failed disk.

 

In other words, the up-sizing of the parity drive and the replacement of the failed drive are done in one step.  Later, after the data drive is re-constructed, you can stop the array, replace the 1.5TB data drive with a 2TB drive and re-construct onto it.  You'll be able to do that since your parity drive is already at 2TB.

 

As well i am going to change motherboards  (Installing BIOSTAR A760G M2+) in the process of adding my new hard drives, will that cause any issues with the rebuild???

It should not.  But do not change MB until after the current failed drive is resolved as it will complicate things a lot.

I am going to take a screen shot of my device list, so I hope I can match new hardware port (motherboard) to correct drive serial for the UnRaid software, Correct me if I am wrong but I think that is the proper process

The screen shot is easiest when you transfer the hardware to make sure you get the drives assigned correctly.

[bombz]

thanks everyone, that makes sense ! i really appreciate it, keep posting any other suggestions