[SOLVED] Remove 18 data drives and preserve cache pool

[mfwade]

Greeting Everyone,

 

I have just finished swapping out several of my exisitng drives for larger sizes. As a result of this, I have been able to migrate the remaining data with the help of Unbalance to those larger drives thus freeing up 18 no longer needed drives. I would like to remove them from the array. I am 'assuming' I will need to create a new configuration of which will induce a parity check. All good so far. The question comes into play with the new configuration and the 4 member cache pool. I really don't want to have to recreate everything all over again. What have other users done to preserve the contents? Should I simply migrate the shared folders (downloads, transcode, domains, appdata, etc. folders to the array for now?

 

Any help is sincerely appreciated.

 

I have also included the latest diagnostics.

 

Thanks again!

tower-diagnostics-20200518-1621.zip

-Marvin

[trurl]

40 minutes ago, mfwade said:

I will need to create a new configuration of which will induce a parity check

A parity sync (rebuild), which is what you need it to do, so the removed drives are no longer part of parity.

 

No reason at all to do anything with your existing cache.

 

Tools - New Config, preserve all assignments. Then it will let you make any changes you need before starting the array and rebuilding parity. Just unassign the disks you want to remove and start the array. Be sure to NOT check to box saying parity is valid.

 

I didn't actually look at your diagnostics. Is there something there you may be concerned about?

[trurl]

OK, I did briefly look at your diagnostics. You seem to be using a controller that doesn't pass the disk serial number to Unraid. So I don't know if your disks will be identified exactly as before when you remove disks. You may indeed have to reassign everything. Have you had problems with this in the past?

[mfwade]

I am not sure I follow on the serial number. In reviewing past diagnostics on another controller (previous server/controller) and in comparing them with the new server/controller, I see in the SMART settings the make, model, and serial number information. Which specific folder/file are you reviewing in the diagnostics file to come to that conclusion?

 

None the less, I know what order the drives are to be installed/listed in so no biggie there.

 

You mentioned there is nothing needed to be done with cache. It is my understanding that when invoking a new configuration, I will need to configure the 4 member cache pool again of which will cause it to format. Is that not the case?

 

Thanks again for everyones assistance!

 

-Marvin

[mfwade]

Well, the operation was successful. I was able to remove the drives all the while preserving cache.

 

Thanks you all who responded. 

 

-MW

[trurl]

15 hours ago, mfwade said:

I am not sure I follow on the serial number.

Sorry my bad, not your controller, it was the fact you had SAS disks instead of SATA that had me confused.