How to assign old disks on new array

[SliMat]

Hi All

 

I'm sure this is simple... but would just like some advice on getting My UnRAID server to recognise my existing disks.

 

My server was using a hardware RAID card, which presented the disks to UnRAID as logical volumes and so each disk had a 'logical' serial number.

 

I have connected my disks using an HBA, so UnRAID now sees the actual disk - but of course all the serial numbers have changed and so it wont start as there are too many errors. I have made sure that the correct disks are in the correct order (lots of photographs of disk serial numbers & screen shots 😉). To overcome this can I erase the old disk config and assign the right disks in the right positions so the UnRAID array will be accessible again? If so, how?

 

Attached is a screenshot of the disks in the correct assignments.

 

Many thanks in advance.

Edited July 9, 2019 by SliMat
Added screenshot

[JorgeB]

Tools -> New config.

 

Note that disk won't work if the RAID controller dind't use a standard partition, in that case disks will be unmountable with "invalid partition" and only way to fix is by rebuilding each disk one by one (or two by two if you have dual parity).

[SliMat]

I might have just answered my own question... just looking at the screenshot I spotted that the cache drive is not showing as wrong. When I fitted this I only inserted one disk (the cache), changed the assignment to the 'new' serial number and then powered off - inserted ALL the other disks in one go powered it on and assigned them. Thats where I am now... do I need to do them all one at a time and power cycle the machine?

[SliMat]

5 minutes ago, johnnie.black said:

Tools -> New config.

 

Note that disk won't work if the RAID controller dind't use a standard partition, in that case disks will be unmountable with "invalid partition" and only way to fix is by rebuilding each disk one by one (or two by two if you have dual parity). 

Thanks Johnnie - only 1 parity disk... the issue I fear is that I cant mount some disks on the RAID controller and some on the HBA controller as the controller is one and the same... so cant rebuild the one at a time. Its a P420i RAID card in a Proliant DL380p G8 which I have just switched to HBA mode to try and sort out some other on-going issues.

 

Any advice on where to go from here?

Edited July 9, 2019 by SliMat

[SliMat]

OK impatiently rebooted to see if it would accept the new disk assignment and it shows none assigned again... so it looks like I might need to re-install UnRAID on my USB key to delete all the config data (which I didnt really want to do) so I can assign the disks again... I'll let you know what happens!

[JorgeB]

You need to start the array after the new config, if the disks are unmountable (invalid partition) don't format.

[JorgeB]

And if there's a need to rebuild, it should still work with all the disks on the new HBA, and can easy be tested by emulating one disk and checking if it mounts, this assuming you snow which disk is parity.

[SliMat]

1 hour ago, johnnie.black said:

**** Tools -> New config ****

I completely missed the first line of your initial reply 😵

 

So am just running through this now and will hopefully let you know its worked in a few mins... thanks for all the hand-holding!

[JorgeB]

Also don't forget to check "parity is already valid" before starting the array.

[SliMat]

30 minutes ago, johnnie.black said:

You need to start the array after the new config, if the disks are unmountable (invalid partition) don't format.

OK - assigned and started... got this;

 

 

[SliMat]

Just now, johnnie.black said:

Also don't forget to check "parity is already valid" before starting the array. 

Did remember that 🙂

[JorgeB]

Stop the array, unassign one of the data disks (set to none), start array, see if that disk mounts, if yes you can rebuild on top of the old one, then repeat for the other ones.

 

For the cache drive you can unassign it, then mount with UD to copy any important data elswehre, it will need to be formatted.

[SliMat]

34 minutes ago, johnnie.black said:

You need to start the array after the new config, if the disks are unmountable (invalid partition) don't format. 

So... if I dont format, what now... I think I've got empty disks and have to format 😞

 

 

[SliMat]

2 minutes ago, johnnie.black said:

Stop the array, unassign one of the data disks (set to none), start array, see if that disk mounts, if yes you can rebuild on top of the old one, then repeat for the other ones.

 

For the cache drive you can unassign it, then mount with UD to copy any important data elswehre, it will need to be formatted. 

OK - will try now... thannks

[SliMat]

5 minutes ago, johnnie.black said:

Stop the array, unassign one of the data disks (set to none), start array, see if that disk mounts, if yes you can rebuild on top of the old one, then repeat for the other ones.

 

For the cache drive you can unassign it, then mount with UD to copy any important data elswehre, it will need to be formatted.

OK, when I unassign and restart it shows as disk missing... stop, re-assign & start? Or will I have to format the whole lot?

 

 

[SliMat]

Interestingly I just noticed that considering it says all the disks are unmountable... its managed to retrieve disk 1's data usage... so is there a way to rebuild from this state?

 

 

[JorgeB]

2 minutes ago, SliMat said:

Or will I have to format the whole lot?

Formatting will delete all the data, since the emulated disk mount you can re-assign disk and rebuild, after it finishes repeat for the other disks one at a time.

[JorgeB]

Just now, SliMat said:

so is there a way to rebuild from this state?

Yes, that's the point of doing this, as already mentioned above.

[SliMat]

Wow - thanks thats great - I'll mount disk 1, rebuild and repeat... fingers crossed. The cache drive only had my active VMs on which I have backed up - so that should be OK.

 

Many thanks for the help and as lond as the rebuild starts I'll come back and let everyone know that this works!

 

Thanks

[SliMat]

👍👏

 

 

[JorgeB]

8 minutes ago, SliMat said:

The cache drive only had my active VMs on which I have backed up - so that should be OK.

If needed you can mount old cache with UD to access the data, copy to array, then format cache and copy data back.

[SliMat]

2 minutes ago, johnnie.black said:

If needed you can mount old cache with UD to access the data, copy to array, then format cache and copy data back.

Thanks - not sure how to do this... but will rebuild the data disks, which will take a little while and then have a look at this in a day or two when all 6 other disks are correct.

 

Many thanks for your help - I spent a day copying 1.75Tb of important data off before starting, on the assumption I would probably lose everything... so I am in a better position than I thought I'd be at this stage

[SliMat]

1 hour ago, johnnie.black said:

Formatting will delete all the data, since the emulated disk mount you can re-assign disk and rebuild, after it finishes repeat for the other disks one at a time. 

I'm sure I know the answer to this... but I thought I'd ask... during the disk rebuild, does it matter which order you remove and re-assign the disks? I ask because given how long it takes I was hoping to get my 2Tb disk rebuilding overnight rather than starting another 500Gb one and have it finish at 2am and the machine sit idle for 8 hours. I assume that after disk 1 is done I could choose disk 4 to be the next re-build?

[JorgeB]

8 minutes ago, SliMat said:

I assume that after disk 1 is done I could choose disk 4 to be the next re-build?

Correct, order doesn't matter.

[SliMat]

Thanks