[SOLVED]Preclear old drives in a new 6.8.3 UnRAID build


peppingc

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I am in the process of building a new UnRAID server using v6.8.3.  I have pulled some of the drives from my previous UnRAID server and am not concerned with retaining any existing data on them.  The official documentation seems to suggest a preclear operation is not required but seeing as it's a new build with a mix of old and new drives I thought it might be prudent to clear all the drives before use, plus it would allow me to stress test all the drives before loading live data on to them.

 

It's been a while since I have built an unRAID box so I need some help with locating the Preclear plugin and locating instructions on how to use it.  Please point me in the right direction, all help appreciated.

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Thanks JorgeB!  I have installed the plugin via community apps but I note it says you also need to separately install the script.  Where can I find the script?

 

Edit:  Have just reread the 1st post on that thread and note the following "A) the bjp999 script is now included by default.".  I can see a preclear.sh file under /boot/config/plugins/preclear.disk/ so I assume the script is included with the plugin install.

 

Also, I note one of my unmountable drives went to XFS format when I formatted it, the other drives are all reiserfs.  I'm assuming XFS is the new default filesystem.  Since I don't care about the existing content of the drives I'm assuming it's okay just to zap them with a preclear and then format to XFS.  Is that correct?

Edited by peppingc
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4 hours ago, peppingc said:

That's okay, I'm going to clear the drives and reformat them anyway.  Obviously I need to stop the array before I do this, I'm assuming I also need to unassign the drives.

No need to unassign the drives.   The procedure to follow is covered here in the online documentation you can access using the ‘Manuak’ link at the bottom of the Unraid GUI.

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22 hours ago, itimpi said:

No need to unassign the drives.   The procedure to follow is covered here in the online documentation you can access using the ‘Manuak’ link at the bottom of the Unraid GUI.

The Preclear tool would not allow me to select the drive for wiping until I unassigned it.  In any event it's done now, 2 drives done and 2 to go.

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1 hour ago, peppingc said:

The Preclear tool would not allow me to select the drive for wiping until I unassigned it.  In any event it's done now, 2 drives done and 2 to go.

That is true, but why do you need to use preclear if all you want to do is reformat the drive to a new file system?   Unless you suspect the drives might be failing so you need to stress test them it seems like a waste of time and puts extra wear on the drives.

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On 11/21/2020 at 4:13 PM, itimpi said:

That is true, but why do you need to use preclear if all you want to do is reformat the drive to a new file system?   Unless you suspect the drives might be failing so you need to stress test them it seems like a waste of time and puts extra wear on the drives.

It was more than just a case of changing the file system.  2 of the drives came out of a previous unRAID server that had failed drives.  I was just making sure these 2 drives were still good prior to putting them back into service as the old box had been sitting idle for some time.  The other 2 drives were new drives and my understanding is it's good practice to stress test them at least once before putting them into service.

 

It's all good, the drives precleared just fine and I have a functioning unRAID server again.

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  • peppingc changed the title to [SOLVED]Preclear old drives in a new 6.8.3 UnRAID build
On 11/20/2020 at 10:42 PM, peppingc said:

Preclear tool would not allow me to select the drive for wiping until I unassigned it.

You can't write directly to any disk (sd device) in the array without invalidating parity. That is what the md devices are all about. Writing to the md devices includes updating parity. Preclear works on the sd devices. Also, preclear is trying to save you from making a mistake and clearing a disk you didn't mean to.

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