RAID-1 migration to larger disks failure - why?

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goshi
Posts: 6
youtube meble na wymiar Warszawa
Joined: Thu Jul 23, 2020 12:12 am

Re: RAID-1 migration to larger disks failure - why?

Post by goshi »

Antonios wrote:See step 13. Deals with this 'new hdd seems as inactive and not rebuilding' issue. Switch tabs momentarily to FORCE screen refresh. The NAS has already start rebuilding after new hdd spin-up, but the screen does not show that automatically.
I have switched a lot of time back/forward, etc. - unfortunatelly, it has the "Inactive" status.

BUT! Guys, I have found a great solution, how to avoid this sh**t.:

1. Buy something like Agestar SATA docking station (3UBT6-6G). I have found it on the OLX platform for $18. It is important to have USB3.0 format due its speed.
2. Do not use disk duplication tool of the docking station - new disk will not recognized by NAS (this is crazy again :lol: )
3. Place ONE NEW disk to Agestar HDD1 slot.
4. Connect Agestar to USB3 port of the NAS
5. NAS will found new EXTERNAL disk. Format it
6. Start to create Backup of the ALL content to External disk (it took about 6-7 hours for me, the speed was ~ 160MB/s).
7. Backup NAS settings (it will backup users, quotas, directory structure) to you computer
8. On the end of the backup - eject OLD disks from the NAS and place ANOTHER new disk to its HDD1 slot (so - backup disk still placed in the Agestar and connected via USB to NAS)
9. Start the NAS and make initial setup as new (dont worry - you have backup of the settings) with SINGLE volume (so -only one disk needed).
10. Install all apps
11. Restore settings from backup (it is simple! You should waiting ~ 20 seconds, then refresh page or close tab in browser and open new)
12. Copy all data from BACKUP disk to the restored folders (one by one, you can open simultaneoucly up to 3 file managers on NAS)
13. When all data have been restored - check, if NAS restarting well and you can logging to it again and again.
14. Turn off NAS.
15. Place BACKUP disk into its HDD2 slot
16. Turn on NAS and go to Volume setting
17. Select Management -> RAID -> Migrate to RAID1
18. BINGO! It will sync to RAID1 for about 18-24 hours. Do not heavy use your RAID during sync (because all IOPs are on the RAID-syncing)


BTW. I have place one of the old disks to Agestar and connect it to NAS, Windows, MacOS - no one could read the FS from the disk! they see 4 volumes on it, but, all of the unreadable :D. Even NAS could not determine the data on the particions as External storage. So - be VERY careful with all operations.
goshi
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Jul 23, 2020 12:12 am

Re: RAID-1 migration to larger disks failure - why?

Post by goshi »

New information from "support":
Thank you for the update.
We are working on changes for the process of the migration.
ETA next coming ADM will cover this up.
tech17
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed May 31, 2017 12:40 am

Re: RAID-1 migration to larger disks failure - why?

Post by tech17 »

Antonios wrote:Continuing NAS recover procedure from last post.
34. NAS now is in a default state, passwords are reset to default and NAS appears un-initialized.
35. DON'T PANIC.
36. Locate the exact current firmware file you used for the NAS or go download it manually if you haven't kept it in some safe place
37. Once you have the firmware file proceed with manual firmware installation, DON'T LET NAS DOWNLOAD ON ITS OWN ANYTHING
Thank you! To be able to manually install firmware, I need probably first to initialize my NAS via standard WEB interace, right?
So should I proceed with "one-click" initialization or custom initialization or what?

BTW, in the past I had an incident when I needed to replace one of my 3TB disks with a new one. Interestingly, as for now, my NAS is able to start-up from any of these disks (when only one of them is installed and whichever slot, 1 or 2 they are installed). So somehow in the past I was able to create a "normal" mirrored 3TB disk and while I am just playing with my two old 3TB disks (one of which was rebuilt some 2 years ago), all looks reasonable and user-frienly. It's only now when I try to migrate from 3TB to 10TB, my 10TB copy looks not to be able to startup by itself.
Last edited by tech17 on Sun Aug 23, 2020 12:25 am, edited 1 time in total.
tech17
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed May 31, 2017 12:40 am

Re: RAID-1 migration to larger disks failure - why?

Post by tech17 »

goshi wrote: BUT! Guys, I have found a great solution, how to avoid this sh**t.:
The problem I discuss may have disastrous results when one has a real failure on one of the disks in RAID-1 (and I have no idea whether RAID-5 may be affected as well).
So my concern basically is not only about the migration, it's about the situation that when one of the mirrored disks is removed, the NAS might not be able to startup from the second one (in non-init mode).

For such a situation, data may be simply lost completely, if not backed up before.

I am really considering reinstalling my system on 10TB RAID-1 from the scratch and then getting my files from backup. On the other side after I do it I have no idea how protected would be my system taking into account next disk failures and resyncs might break it again beyond repair because of the same problem discussed above.
ohdan
Posts: 5
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2017 4:18 pm

Re: RAID-1 migration to larger disks failure - why?

Post by ohdan »

Hi,

I have the same issues right from disk 1. The disk shows as "inactive" and doesn't rebuild. Tried refreshing the screen by switching tabs and also closing Storage Manager but the disks doesn't rebuild.

Has anyone found a solution to this?
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orion
Posts: 3482
Joined: Wed May 29, 2013 11:09 am

Re: RAID-1 migration to larger disks failure - why?

Post by orion »

ohdan wrote:Hi,

I have the same issues right from disk 1. The disk shows as "inactive" and doesn't rebuild. Tried refreshing the screen by switching tabs and also closing Storage Manager but the disks doesn't rebuild.

Has anyone found a solution to this?
What's your NAS model? And the new disk size >= the original disk size?
jens.beckers
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2021 8:14 pm

Re: RAID-1 migration to larger disks failure - why?

Post by jens.beckers »

Same issue on my device AS3202T running on ADM 3.5.3.RBH1.

After having tried the uprgrade procedure for several times, the larger HDD #1 either remains inactive, if hot swapped with the system running, or ,if shut down and then switched on again, tries to perform an initial setup for the whole system.
I have spent much time during the past days, waiting for the old smaller HDD #1 (it takes several hours) to restore after each failing attempt to install a larger disk.
Finally I return to a healthy system with one 10TB HDD #2 and the old 2 TB HDD #1. No way to get newly installed 10TB # 1 out of "inactive" state.

But my device is still demanding inserting a larger HDD in bay #1 -no way to interrupt this procedure in storage manager.

Did anyone successfully switched larger HDD #2 into bay #1 and then put "inactive" larger HDD #1 into bay #2 ?

BTW I absolutely agree to tech17's post from Sat Aug 22,2020 - in the actual state of migration to larger HDD's, the situation does not seem to be desperate, as data may be recovered to the old, but working HDD #1 in some way, but imagining such an issue in an emergency situation, with original HDD #1 in a broken state, is worrying me.
I have spent much working time, trying a so-called simple procedure of enlarging my storage capacity back and forth. This can not be called user-friendly.

And the issue seems to be known since July 2020 - and as far as I remember I have updated ADM several times since... But the migration process has obviously not been changed by asustor
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orion
Posts: 3482
Joined: Wed May 29, 2013 11:09 am

Re: RAID-1 migration to larger disks failure - why?

Post by orion »

My NAS is hot-swappable. So I'm not sure about yours.
But did you mean the following procedure failed?
  • Remove NAS covers. And power NAS on. Wait NAS being ready.
  • Remove slot-1 HDD. Your RAID-1 volume should be in degrade mode.
  • Insert a larger HDD into slot-1. RAID-2 volume does not rebuild?! Slot-1 HDD shows in inactive state?!
jens.beckers
Posts: 2
Joined: Sat Jan 16, 2021 8:14 pm

Re: RAID-1 migration to larger disks failure - why?

Post by jens.beckers »

@orion:
absolutely...

As far as I understood, my AS3202T is also hot-swappable, even if it does not have plastic bays for the HDDs and it's necessary to change disks with open NAS cover.
If I shut down my device, before inserting a larger HDD in slot 1, the system tries to make an initial setup, ignoring that there is a second disk with data in slot 2.

That's what I have tried several times....

When I insert my second brandnew 8TB HDD#1 in slot 1, the RAID does not start to rebuild HDD#1 and remains in inactive state for hours insetead.
I also tried procedures described in the posts above, without success. Changing the windows from Volume to HDD-view in storage manager does not change anything at all.
Inserting the "old" smaller 2TB HDD#1 back in slot 1, the RAID starts rebuilding it - as this procedure takes 4-5hrs, I assume, that the system is overwriting the data on the disk.
When I am back to this point, my device assigns a "healthy" system with 2TB HDD#1 and 8TB HDD#2 and then it's demanding me to put a larger HDD into slot 1......
Then I can go to "RAID" tab in storage manager and start the assistant to change HDD#1 - but after having inserted the large HDD, it will remain in inactive state.

Regards,
Jens
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orion
Posts: 3482
Joined: Wed May 29, 2013 11:09 am

Re: RAID-1 migration to larger disks failure - why?

Post by orion »

mm... I don't know what's the problem. I think you should send a support request to asustor directly. They should be able to check it remotely. https://support.asustor.com/
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