Setting up Array with drives that already have data

[Anhedoni]

I just discovered Unraid and I really like the sound of it. Getting started, I've got the OS running and was trying to setup the array. All my drives, with the exception of the drive I am planning to use as my Parity drive (which I already offloaded and wiped), have data on them. I don't want to lose this data but all the drives show up as Unmountable: Unsupported Partition Layout. At least 4 of the drives were split partitions due to being over 2TB (and older platforms I was using were unable to support larger than 2TB at the time). So I am trying to fix this and have run into a few snags I can't seem to figure out how to fix.

 

1: Is there a way to format only one drive at a time instead of "all unmountable"? Even when the array is stopped, I don't see an option, I only see the format all option while the array is running.

 

2: Assuming I can't, and would have to rebuild the array, how do I clear/reset the array/parity drive so that I can remove each of the unmountable drives and slowly add them back in one at a time as I move the data between them?

 

3: As kind of a side issue, my old Windows OS is running on the drive I plan to use as the cache pool, is it enough to tell the array to use the file type XFS on that drive to have it formatted for use? Or is it only formatted with that Format all button?

 

4: A combination of 2 and 3; moving data back and forth between the drives leaves a kind of gap in my knowledge of Unraid so far, once I do get a single drive formatted, and assuming I no longer have Windows useable at the moment due to formatting it for the cache, how do I get data that is on an "unmountable drive" moved over to a properly formatted drive running on the array?

 

For reference for how far I got into setting things up, my Unraid is setup as is out of the box with the exception of having assigned all my drives to the array/cache and hitting start.

Edited April 16, 2020 by Anhedoni

[trurl]

Tools - New Config will let you assign or unassign any disks, and optionally (by default) rebuild parity.

 

Unraid must format any disk it will use in the array or cache pool. At least one data disk is required in the array before you can start it, but you don't have to have a parity disk, so you could wait and add that later after you have freed up a disk.

 

Unraid only supports XFS and btrfs filesystems in the array or cache pool (also the obsolete ReiserFS for legacy purposes).

 

The Unassigned Devices plugin will let you access data on disks outside the array or cache pool, and you can read/write several filesystems that way, including NTFS.

 

It is also possible to use the Unassigned Devices plugin to format a disk outside the array and then New Config to put it in the array already formatted as XFS or btrfs.

 

When disks are already in the array, format will format any of those disks that don't already have a compatible filesystem.

[Anhedoni]

Thanks for the quick reply, Unassigned Devices sounds like the thing I need first and foremost. If I remove and reformat the parity drive, I'm guessing that would allow me to more easily free up each drive as needed to move files if I don't need a parity to start the array?

Edited April 16, 2020 by Anhedoni

[trurl]

New Config, reassign parity as disk1, and unassign all other disks. Then you will be in a position to use Unassigned Devices to copy data from the other disks and then they can be added to the array.

 

But, I have to ask. Do you have backups of anything important and irreplaceable? You must have backups before beginning this and you must have backups even after you get it done and have parity. Parity can help you recover from a drive failure, but there are plenty of other, more common ways to lose data, including user error. You must always have another copy of anything important and irreplaceable.

[Anhedoni]

Yes, anything important/irreplaceable is backed up offsite/cloud (in most cases both) and sometimes even duplicated on multiple drives, just in case. I just have about 15TB of less important stuff that would take a really long time to start completely over with