Configuration questions, guidance would be appreciated


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Hi Everyone,

 

I've been using Unraid (quite happily) for about 16 months now, after a lot of tinkering and tweaking the time has come to hit the reset button.  Another configuration change I would like to make is, adding in a dedicated GPU for Unraid to use exclusively as I had been using one of the two RX 580's as primary for Unraid/VM. So with that here are my questions:

 

  1. When doing a clean install of Unraid as described in the starting over wiki, what should I be aware of that may not have been stated or clearly stated? In other words I just want to keep my data on the array, so besides making sure my parity, data and cache drives are reassigned correctly and the file system eg. xfs is the same, are there other pointers or pitfalls that can be shared by others that have done this before?
  2. The BIOS dump that I've been using when configuring the RX580's with VM's was dumped from one card and is being used for both, does this make a difference seeing as it is the exact same brand/model card? I'll be using an old nvidia G210 for unraid to hook, is there a way to ensure Unraid hooks this card on every boot up and not one of the other cards? Can it be stubbed within unraid so that it doesn't show as a device that can be assigned?
  3.  Since last year when installing new Radeon drivers, the VM's are black screening.  Reading posted threads on the forum about this is disconcerting to say the least. Any solid work arounds for this yet? As the solution (only one that I found posted by a user) did not work for me. And it's going to suck big time if this becomes a kind of deal breaker with a system I've been using without a hitch for a while...

 

Thanking you for you're input/comments/suggestions in advance.

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  1. No pitfall that I can remember. It went super smooth for me but then it was a very long time ago.
  2. I recommend redumping the BIOS again for each card. It may be the exact same brand and model but might very well be on different BIOS and/or different revision, etc. A lot of variables to deal when having issues.
    When you say "hook" you mean having Unraid to use it as primary GPU? In that case, I am not aware of any way to do it other than whether your motherboard BIOS supports it. My Gigabyte for example has a BIOS option to pick which PCIe slot to use as my primary display (which Unraid will then use by default). I don't think there's any option within Unraid to tell it which card to use. If your motherboard BIOS doesn't have that option then you really have no choice but to put the G210 on the 1st PCIe slot.
  3. Sorry, not aware of any solution.

 

A key question though: why do you need to hit the reset button?

If your system is running smoothly then you should look to build on existing working config and not attempting a do-over.

Edited by testdasi
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8 hours ago, testdasi said:
  1. No pitfall that I can remember. It went super smooth for me but then it was a very long time ago.
  2. I recommend redumping the BIOS again for each card. It may be the exact same brand and model but might very well be on different BIOS and/or different revision, etc. A lot of variables to deal when having issues.
    When you say "hook" you mean having Unraid to use it as primary GPU? In that case, I am not aware of any way to do it other than whether your motherboard BIOS supports it. My Gigabyte for example has a BIOS option to pick which PCIe slot to use as my primary display (which Unraid will then use by default). I don't think there's any option within Unraid to tell it which card to use. If your motherboard BIOS doesn't have that option then you really have no choice but to put the G210 on the 1st PCIe slot.
  3. Sorry, not aware of any solution.

 

A key question though: why do you need to hit the reset button?

If your system is running smoothly then you should look to build on existing working config and not attempting a do-over.

 

8 hours ago, Squid said:

3.  I've seen on the forums that you need to try older drivers (ie: Oct 2018)

Thanks for you're helpful reply testdasi, well the main reason would be I've changed so many things under the hood and a few things aren't even working correctly anymore I would just like a clean slate.

 

Hi Squid, love your work! Yes I'm aware that the Oct drivers are the last to work without issue but being unable to keep one's display drivers up to date is like buying a Ferrari and driving it in first gear, so my question is, is this now our fate when it comes to AMD drivers within KVM VM's or is this being worked on by AMD/KVM communities?  If this is more of a permanent situation, i'll have to be looking at other options unfortunately.

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@whatdoesthisbuttondo Couple people reported using the newer Q35 as machine type fixed it for them. Newer driver revisions worked with this and I think how you boot unraid also made a difference. Switching between Legacy and UEFI boot, can't remeber which one is working. You can find your current status under Main if you click the Unraid flash device.

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