Hi, 

 

I've been using UNRAID in trial mode for around 3 weeks with no problem. Really really enjoying it actually. I eventually decided to purchase a license and once I've installed the .key it said that my usb has been blacklisted and I need to contact support. Just before asking for help, I tried the standard "restart" the whole server option, but for my surprise, now the server doesn't boot and shows a kernel panic.

 

My hardware is a HP Microserver G8 and as a USB key I use a Kingston DataTraveler R3.0 G2 32gb. 

 

The pendrive is not very old and it has been barely used but to discard the broken pen drive option I connected it to my computer, and initially, I can see the pendrive and navigate through the files properly. I backed everything up in my computer to see if I could get any reading error or similar, but nothing popped up. Because I've been installing some plugins during the last weeks, I've also tried to boot in safe mode, but same result: kernel panic. 

 

I attach a screenshot of the kernel panic I'm getting. 

 

I'd appreciate any help because I don't know how to procede from here... 

 

Thanks in advance
 

That flash drive must not have a unique GUID.

Also, there is no benefit to USB3 for the Unraid flash and USB3 ports can sometimes cause problems with the boot flash.

I read a few posts about pendrives not having unique GUID but (correct me if I'm wrong) those users experience problems installing the trial key already. I've used the trial for almost 3 weeks with no problems with the same pen drive. Can it be blacklisted after getting a valid trial key?

 

About the USB that should be 2.0 that's something I didn't pay much attention tbh. I've watched Spaceinvaders video about which pen drive is best and he recommends even 3.1 so I just assumed that any pen drive would be okay. I'll take it into consideration. 

 

Thanks

Just now, plexus said:

Can it be blacklisted after getting a valid trial key?

When you install a new version of Unraid you get the most recent list of blacklisted GUIDs.

If the GUID doesn't look random then it likely isn't unique.

Another possibility of course is that it is a valid GUID, but the license for that GUID has already been transferred to another flash drive so that original GUID gets blacklisted.

Thanks for all your replies @trurl but the issue wasn't related with the GUID of the pendrive after all. Anyway, all fixed now. 

 

I talked with UNRAID support and apparently my installation got corrupted. Maybe it was a random thing, or maybe it's my pendrive that is not as reliable as I thought. 

 

Anyway, I'm gonna post what I did just in case it helps someone in the future: 

 

1. My problem wasn't related with a cloned GUID or not unique one. The pendrive got corrupted and couldn't boot anymore, hence the kernel panic. 
2. Because I could read the content of the pendrive I backed all the files and folders on my computer.
3. I wiped the pendrive clean and check that the MBR partition was alright. Also a surface check to see if I could get any read error. All good. 
4. Reinstalled a clean UNRAID in the same pendrive and copied JUST the config folder from the backup of point 2.
5. Boot the server normally. All the configurations and everything were intact. Even the key I just purchased was already validated and installed.

 

My theory is that the installation of the new key and the corruption of the system were not related. I hadn't restarted the server for 3 weeks to see if the pendrive was working alright so I think that I'd have got the same issue just restarting the server without purchasing a new key. 

 

If it happens again, I will replace the pen drive with another one and transfer the key. Currently I've set up a backup system so every day a copy of the pendrive is saved in a backup share in the array and then uploaded to my gdrive (just in case the pendrive dies completely and I can't read the content on my computer). 

 

 

 

Edited December 8, 20205 yr by plexus

4 hours ago, plexus said:

my installation got corrupted. Maybe it was a random thing

15 hours ago, trurl said:

USB3 ports can sometimes cause problems with the boot flash