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Problems adding drive to R8 [solved]
http://forum.linhes.org/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=23708
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Author:  cahlfors [ Sun Mar 10, 2013 2:07 pm ]
Post subject:  Problems adding drive to R8 [solved]

I thought adding a new drive would be simple, although this is my first "big" drive in the Linux context (4K blocks, 3TB), but I seem to foul up big time. Adding it (with the add_storage.py script) went well and I copied over my media files and were just about to put my new R8 system in production, when I "just" did a reboot and the drive was gone! There are traces of it in /etc/fstab, but the partition does not get mounted. There are also traces in /dev/disk/by-id, but not in /dev/disk/by-uuid. The disk is there, but not the partition.
This is probably the reason:
Code:
[root@fido by-id]# gdisk /dev/sda
GPT fdisk (gdisk) version 0.8.5

Caution! After loading partitions, the CRC doesn't check out!
Warning! Main partition table CRC mismatch! Loaded backup partition table
instead of main partition table!

Warning! One or more CRCs don't match. You should repair the disk!

Partition table scan:
  MBR: protective
  BSD: not present
  APM: not present
  GPT: damaged

****************************************************************************
Caution: Found protective or hybrid MBR and corrupt GPT. Using GPT, but disk
verification and recovery are STRONGLY recommended.
****************************************************************************

I have successfully repaired it twice with gdisk and running add_storage.py and it comes back with the data still intact, but it just does not survive a reboot.
What on earth am I doing wrong? :(

Thanks for any pointers,
/Chris

Author:  RacerX [ Sun Mar 10, 2013 2:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Problems adding drive to R8

Adding a GPT format disk is fine as long as it's not the boot partition. I have successful added a 3tb drive to my master backend R7.4 and it works fine so I don't see any reason it won't work in R8. I'm only running a test on r8 on one of my frontends right now.

Basically use GPT FDISK to format the GPT partition. Forget about the add_storage thing. You can then use Fdisk to check and it will show the partition as GPT tyoe. Next setup UUID for the drive in FSTAB and you should be able to reboot.

Then you can add it to your storage group and it should be fine...

Author:  cahlfors [ Mon Mar 11, 2013 1:03 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Problems adding drive to R8

Thanks RacerX!
I will try to do it manually tonight then. Unless there is something good on TV... :lol:

Oh, yes and I should have mentioned that it is indeed not a boot disk. :oops:

/Chris

Author:  cahlfors [ Mon Mar 11, 2013 1:43 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Problems adding drive to R8

Hm. Didn't help. :?
This is how it's partitioned - have I done something that consistently wrecks the partition table? Remember, I'm a noob on this new big disk sector alignment stuff.
Code:
Command (? for help): print
Disk /dev/sda: 5860533168 sectors, 2.7 TiB
Logical sector size: 512 bytes
Disk identifier (GUID): 897DEA06-BDF9-4FCB-9547-C33D175C5685
Partition table holds up to 128 entries
First usable sector is 34, last usable sector is 5860533134
Partitions will be aligned on 8-sector boundaries
Total free space is 3838 sectors (1.9 MiB)

Number  Start (sector)    End (sector)  Size       Code  Name
   1            1953      5860531215   2.7 TiB     0700 


I don't understand the start sector value. I specified 1 to get some sort of alignment when I created the partition. 0 was not allowed.

Still puzzled
/Chris

Author:  cahlfors [ Tue Mar 12, 2013 11:02 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Problems adding drive to R8

I think I found it!
I was using an old RocketRaid controller for the new disk. Connecting it directly to the motherbord solved the problem and it now survives reboots without errors.
Googling around gave me others with the same problem and it was suggested that the kernel needs to be compiled with GPT support explicitly. Of course this could not be the case here, since it works for others. Instead, I suspect that if large disk support of any kind is missing anywhere in the chain, my error is what happens. Interesting, though, that the partition table gets corrupted during a reboot. Something actually writes to it, then. :shock:

Thanks,
/Chris

Author:  jams [ Tue Mar 12, 2013 11:24 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Problems adding drive to R8

Glad you found it, tracking down hardware problems can be a bit of a pain at times.

I suggest you go ahead add use add_storage as it will create the dir structure, add storage groups as needed and auto share the disk (if enabled).
Nothing you can't do on your own, but it's tedious work.

Author:  cahlfors [ Wed Mar 13, 2013 12:47 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Problems adding drive to R8 [solved]

Thanks, will do that. :D
/Chris

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