PREFACE

 

I have this server running perfectly fine using an identical USB flash drive.  That configuration has been running for 4+ months.  I'm moving that USB flash drive to new/migrated build.  If I pop that USB into the same USB slot, my server boots with no issue.

 

STEPS TAKEN

• Chkdsk on the flash drive (clean)
• replaced flash drive with brand new identical model (same as working drive above)
• Tried both 6.8.2 and 6.8.3 with the USB Creator
• Tried with Allow EFI checked and with it unchecked
• Tried booting in bios and UEFI mode
• Tried using DHCP or setting static IP settings

 

ISSUE

 

My server is unable to get an IP address or respect the static IP set using the USB Creator for a brand new install.  It seems like it is not respecting (or even detecting as seen from the last command of the video) the network.cfg file (see below for what the network.cfg file shows when accessing the flash drive on a Windows machine).

 

# Generated network settings
USE_DHCP="yes"
IPADDR=
NETMASK=
GATEWAY=
BONDING="yes"
BRIDGING="yes"

 

Edited April 5, 20206 yr by IamSpartacus

The video seems to show that Unraid is failing to find and mount the flash drive during the second phase of the boot process.     Have you checked that it has a label of “UNRAID”?   You can check if this is the case by logging in on the console and using the ‘df’ command to see if it shows the flash drive mounted at /boot.   

2 hours ago, itimpi said:

The video seems to show that Unraid is failing to find and mount the flash drive during the second phase of the boot process.     Have you checked that it has a label of “UNRAID”?   You can check if this is the case by logging in on the console and using the ‘df’ command to see if it shows the flash drive mounted at /boot.   

 

If I connect it to Windows, yes it's labeled Unraid.  Afterall every test I've done has been using the USB Creator at which point the final product is the drive labeled Unraid before I eject it.

 

This is what the df command returns after login at root.

 

Edited April 5, 20206 yr by IamSpartacus

It has to be UNRAID (I.e. all capitals) or it will not be found.

the ‘df’ command output confirms that the flash drive is not mounted and until that is resolved you will not get your network up as the drivers and configuration need to be loaded from the flash drive.

 

if you have a choice of USB ports then a USB2 one is preferred.    Some BIOS’s seem to not be too reliable in their handling of USB drives during the boot process - particularly when using a USB3 flash drive in a USB3 port.

3 minutes ago, itimpi said:

It has to be UNRAID (I.e. all capitals) or it will not be found.

the ‘df’ command output confirms that the flash drive is not mounted and until that is resolved you will not get your network up as the drivers and configuration need to be loaded from the flash drive.

 

if you have a choice of USB ports then a USB2 one is preferred.    Some BIOS’s seem to not be too reliable in their handling of USB drives during the boot process - particularly when using a USB3 flash drive in a USB3 port.

 

Just doesn't make any sense though.  If I take my other IDENTICAL flash drive that has my current Unraid install on it that I've been running for 4 months and plug it into the same port, the server boots fine.

Well it was indeed the flash drive.  So even though I did a chkdsk on it and there were no issues, something must be wrong with it.  Boots fine using another new identical flash drive.

5 hours ago, IamSpartacus said:

Well it was indeed the flash drive.  So even though I did a chkdsk on it and there were no issues, something must be wrong with it.  Boots fine using another new identical flash drive.

Try reformatting with a more thorough tool, like the HP formatter or rufus

1 minute ago, jonathanm said:

Try reformatting with a more thorough tool, like the HP formatter or rufus

 

I'll give that a try.  Thanks.

Just updating that I did a full long format with rufus and that still didn't help.  So it must be the flash drive.