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How to: Install and setup FlexRAID on your windows storage system.

just a permission thing with windows UAC I think., (windows 8.1)

 

I ran the cmd file with admin rights (am an admin anyway) and no effect, the cmd just calls usermode.exe. 

 

So I ran that as admin and hey presto, drive installed successfully please reboot. 

 

With UAC, being logged on as an admin does not always mean things execute without interference.

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The pool has appeared in windows, but twice, I can't think why that would be;

 

F: and V:

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The pool has appeared in windows, but twice, I can't think why that would be;

 

F: and V:

And they are both identical?

Try a reboot first and then double check these settings again: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/33510-how-to-install-and-setup-flexraid-on-your-windows-storage-system/?p=429023

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They were identical, both the pool, but you guessed it, a restart sorted that. The pool is up and running and looks normal. 

Ok, the learning really starts here, need to learn how to look after this thing so it will be there for me when I need it. 

Enjoy your day ahead there, in Aust cloudy and 28 degrees, 7:47am and I am in at work for the day.

kind regards

DavidR

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Good morning, I've run into a small issue/question.

I've created the raid array 6 by 4tb drives data and 2 by 4tb drive parity. I had about 12tb of data on the drives and it took the raid array 32 hours to build parity.

Fair enough.

Once it was up and stable, I copied another 6tb to it and then ran upate to get parity done. which took the array 30 hours to build parity.

Fair enough.

But once that was finished, it started again, and will it seems take ANOTHER 30 hours to complete.

What I am guessing has happened, I set the array to drive balence, intead of folder priority. Which means as I put the 6TB in and it did parity, after or during that, the array reshuffled the files? And still is? And therefore, parity was out again before it finished? I checked the drives and they are still not level.... meaning, as this SECOND parity pass completes, it will need to start again?

 

Have I created this issue, or is it a known thing?

 

Kind regards

DavidR

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Good morning, I've run into a small issue/question.

I've created the raid array 6 by 4tb drives data and 2 by 4tb drive parity. I had about 12tb of data on the drives and it took the raid array 32 hours to build parity.

Fair enough.

Once it was up and stable, I copied another 6tb to it and then ran upate to get parity done. which took the array 30 hours to build parity.

Fair enough.

But once that was finished, it started again, and will it seems take ANOTHER 30 hours to complete.

What I am guessing has happened, I set the array to drive balence, intead of folder priority. Which means as I put the 6TB in and it did parity, after or during that, the array reshuffled the files? And still is? And therefore, parity was out again before it finished? I checked the drives and they are still not level.... meaning, as this SECOND parity pass completes, it will need to start again?

 

Have I created this issue, or is it a known thing?

 

Kind regards

DavidR

It will not move the existing files only the new ones you add. 

for how long has the current scan been running?

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Oh?

it's been running 1 hour 10 mins at 4percent complete

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So the balencing happened as I added the files only? Interesting.

I am use to Drive bender which dumps the files and then after midnight levels them across the array.

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yes it wont relocate existing files at it will want to keep everything in the same place as you had it without flexraid.

but it should not take long at all to update your array if you dont add much.

for me it never takes more then 45 min when adding around 50 GB

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45min per 50gig....?
If I dumped 6tb or 6,000gig that would be 120 bigger and then 120 * 0.75 hours = 90 hours?
 

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I did the adds, ummm Fri, Sat and Sat night I think started the parity build, it's still running this second stage Mon morning and wont finish till Tue sometime of continious hard running.
The drives have been banging away like crazy, sad if my first attempt at getting some back up with raid, ends up killing them.

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Up to lol, never really checked, I do know it doesn't take 30 hours every time :P

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ok, there is no settings for update is there, just a button to press?
Sounds like I should abort is and look around for issues.....

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Aborted successfuly, verify reports
995 new

308 changes

22 del

0 corrupt.

Doesn't sound many, but they are likely 4 ot 8 gig each. Or to put it another way, even after 40 hours of UPDATE, I think there is still the original 6tb of changes to be made to parity.

 

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I just redid my array with 4 4TB DRU and 2 4TB PPU and it only took like 15 hours.

SSD Firmware Engineer

 

| Dual Boot Linux Mint and W8.1 Pro x64 with rEFInd Boot Manager | Intel Core i7-4770k | Corsair H100i | ASRock Z87 Extreme4 | 32 GB (4x8gb) 1600MHz CL8 | EVGA GTX970 FTW+ | EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 P2 | 500GB Samsung 850 Evo |250GB Samsung 840 Evo | 3x1Tb HDD | 4 LG UH12NS30 BD Drives | LSI HBA | Corsair Carbide 500R Case | Das Keyboard 4 Ultimate | Logitech M510 Mouse | Corsair Vengeance 2100 Wireless Headset | 4 Monoprice Displays - 3x27"4k bottom, 27" 1440p top | Logitech Z-2300 Speakers |

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I use the scheduler to update my array every 24 hours.

And I have not encountered whats happening to you.

My advice would be to run the update, then add a small file and run it again without doing anything else (no reboot, no new drive nothing) that way we can check if the most basic for of update works or not.

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After 33 hours of continuous running... it finished the update and started a "Parity handler process" that started at zero percent again and after an hour errored out and stalled out everything. 

 

A reboot and it seemed ok, ran a quick validate... 

 

995 new, 5044 changed and 22 deleted. 

 

Note from above, the same but now, thousands more "changed".

 

So, I've been trying to build the array now, for 5 days continuously, I don't think it's going to build. 

It shows the drives as Health, they are accessible in a pool and all is good. It just wont, build parity. 

 

I honestly have not a clue what to do. I've changed nothing, just pressed the update button three times now and settled in for a 32 hours wait. 

 

Do I give in I wonder and try another program?

 

Any ideas anyone?

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I'm sorry to say that I cant help you any further with this. :(

I never had this problem, my advice would be to post a topic on the FlexRAID forum and go from there.

http://forum.flexraid.com/

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Groonie said his array took 15 hours, how much data? I have 17tb of data on this one. Can this program handle 17tb of data? 

 

I ran a smart drive tested over all the drives, for now they appear ok, despite their ordeal. (the smart mon software is DISABLED normally)

 

I can't think what's next, it will take a giant leap of faith for me to run the update process again. That's three times for three fails for me.

 

The drives are 8 by 4tb seagate 7200 rpm sata drives in a hotway usb3 enclosure. The computer is barely a few months old a VERY stable purpose built i7 4th gen, running windows 8.1. 

 

I have Drive Bender on the machine, and another array of 8 by 4tb drives, that is mostly off, certainly OFF for this entire "update" process.(To make sure it wouldn't interfere or something).

 

Likewise most everything was off and disabled, though Plex Media Server ran threw out, it is the heart of the house and reason all this exists. I should point out though, new shows and downloads and all things like that, download to 6 internal sata drives. The new array is just static media files, nothing writes to it or changes things on it now the files are there.

 

I am still on a trial license for this thing, so I can't think the authors might help, I am most pleased to buy the software if I can get it to work, or even buy it to see if I can get support. But it seems support is seldom forthcoming from what I read, they concentrate on developing this product. 

 

 

 


 

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ok looney, many thanks anyway, thanks for an awesome post, it gave me the confidence to give this a try. 

 

Enjoy the snitzels!

 

kind regards

DavidR

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I personally never had any problems with their support.

You can also request to extend you trail if you cant get it to work in time.

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  • 3 months later...

So I currently have 6 4TB drives in my pool, 4 as DRU and 2 as PPU.

 

I am starting to run out of space and realized that I have a couple of WD 2TB drives that I could add, rather than buying another 4TB drive.

 

Should I add them as individual DRU, as one combined DRU, or does it not matter?

SSD Firmware Engineer

 

| Dual Boot Linux Mint and W8.1 Pro x64 with rEFInd Boot Manager | Intel Core i7-4770k | Corsair H100i | ASRock Z87 Extreme4 | 32 GB (4x8gb) 1600MHz CL8 | EVGA GTX970 FTW+ | EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 P2 | 500GB Samsung 850 Evo |250GB Samsung 840 Evo | 3x1Tb HDD | 4 LG UH12NS30 BD Drives | LSI HBA | Corsair Carbide 500R Case | Das Keyboard 4 Ultimate | Logitech M510 Mouse | Corsair Vengeance 2100 Wireless Headset | 4 Monoprice Displays - 3x27"4k bottom, 27" 1440p top | Logitech Z-2300 Speakers |

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So I currently have 6 4TB drives in my pool, 4 as DRU and 2 as PPU.

 

I am starting to run out of space and realized that I have a couple of WD 2TB drives that I could add, rather than buying another 4TB drive.

 

Should I add them as individual DRU, as one combined DRU, or does it not matter?

Does not really matter as long as the PPU is bigger then the DRU, personally I would go for a combined DRU?  

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That's what I was thinking too, wasn't sure if there was any hidden pros or cons to either way.

SSD Firmware Engineer

 

| Dual Boot Linux Mint and W8.1 Pro x64 with rEFInd Boot Manager | Intel Core i7-4770k | Corsair H100i | ASRock Z87 Extreme4 | 32 GB (4x8gb) 1600MHz CL8 | EVGA GTX970 FTW+ | EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 P2 | 500GB Samsung 850 Evo |250GB Samsung 840 Evo | 3x1Tb HDD | 4 LG UH12NS30 BD Drives | LSI HBA | Corsair Carbide 500R Case | Das Keyboard 4 Ultimate | Logitech M510 Mouse | Corsair Vengeance 2100 Wireless Headset | 4 Monoprice Displays - 3x27"4k bottom, 27" 1440p top | Logitech Z-2300 Speakers |

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  • 5 months later...

Great Tutoral. Tested in a VM last night, I'm going to use this in my new Home server when I build it.

Our Lord and Saviour Chunt!!!

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