My system will not boot and I need to replace it. I don't have a copy of the drive locations. If I boot up the first time with only my parity drive attached ( I physically know which is my parity) will the data volumes be ok anywhere on the list or do they need to exactly where they were? any way to tell where they should be from a log on the USB boot drive?

any way to tell where they should be from a log on the USB boot drive?

 

If you still have a copy of syslog in your USB drive, then look for key words "Device Inventory" like following example.

Start from "Device Inventory" look for keyword "import", the import list is your assignment of disk starting from parity disk.

 

Sep  5 22:44:13 Tower emhttp: Device inventory:

Sep  5 22:44:13 Tower emhttp: pci-0000:01:00.0-scsi-0:0:0:0 host0 (sda) ata-ST31500341AS_9VS0GCZ0

Sep  5 22:44:13 Tower emhttp: pci-0000:01:00.0-scsi-1:0:0:0 host1 (sdb) ata-ST31500341AS_9VS0DFGQ

Sep  5 22:44:13 Tower emhttp: pci-0000:01:00.0-scsi-2:0:0:0 host2 (sdc) ata-ST31500341AS_9VS0PHR1

Sep  5 22:44:13 Tower emhttp: pci-0000:01:00.0-scsi-3:0:0:0 host3 (sdd) ata-SAMSUNG_HD103UJ_S13PJ1DQ205313

Sep  5 22:44:13 Tower emhttp: pci-0000:02:00.0-scsi-0:0:0:0 host4 (sde) ata-SAMSUNG_HD154UI_S1XWJDWZ707284

Sep  5 22:44:13 Tower emhttp: pci-0000:02:00.0-scsi-1:0:0:0 host5 (sdf) ata-WDC_WD5000KS-00MNB0_WD-WMANU1124229

 

Sep  5 22:44:13 Tower kernel: md: import disk0: [8,0] (sda) ST31500341AS                       9VS0GCZ0 offset: 63 size: 1465138552

Sep  5 22:44:13 Tower kernel: md: import disk1: [8,16] (sdb) ST31500341AS                     9VS0DFGQ offset: 63 size: 1465138552

Sep  5 22:44:13 Tower kernel: md: import disk2: [8,32] (sdc) ST31500341AS                      9VS0PHR1 offset: 63 size: 1465138552

Sep  5 22:44:13 Tower kernel: md: import disk3: [8,48] (sdd) SAMSUNG HD103UJ               S13PJ1DQ205313       offset: 63 size: 976762552

Sep  5 22:44:13 Tower kernel: md: import disk4: [8,64] (sde) SAMSUNG HD154UI               S1XWJDWZ707284       offset: 63 size: 1465138552

Sep  5 22:44:13 Tower kernel: md: import disk5: [8,80] (sdf) WDC WD5000KS-00MNB0       WD-WMANU1124229 offset: 63 size: 488386552

 

Got it, once I booted the system without the drives I could ID the S/N's from the last boot.

Got it, once I booted the system without the drives I could ID the S/N's from the last boot.

 

There is a small bar code label on each disk with S/N. also make sure double check the list you got from log is same as those you find from disks, especially for parity disk since you mentioned you know physically which one is parity disk.