Dreaded "Remove inactive volumes" message

Question

Hi,&nbsp;Reading other posts, I am hoping someone is able to help me out with a problem. First the background. I have Readynas 104 with 4 x 4TB disks operating in X-RAID. All was going fine until at the weekend during a tweak I made to the network configuration, the RN104 locked up with a "putname+14" error on the display. Rebooted and it decided it needed to resync, which it did fine over the next two-three days. Completed fine and then yesterday, I got the following error messages:Feb 21, 2024 12:50:52 PM&nbsp;Disk: Disk Model:WDC_WD40EFRX-68WT0N0 Serial:WD-WCC4E5KJ3N1Y was added to Channel 2 of the head unit.Feb 21, 2024 12:43:25 PM&nbsp;Disk: Disk Model:WDC_WD40EFRX-68WT0N0 Serial:WD-WCC4E5KJ3N1Y was removed from Channel 2 of the head unit.Feb 21, 2024 12:40:39 PM&nbsp;Volume: The resync operation finished on volume data. However, the volume is still degraded.Feb 21, 2024 12:38:59 PM&nbsp;Volume: Resyncing started for Volume data.Feb 21, 2024 12:37:57 PM&nbsp;Disk: Disk Model:WDC_WD40EFRX-68WT0N0 Serial:WD-WCC4E5KJ3N1Y was added to Channel 2 of the head unit.Feb 21, 2024 12:34:28 PM&nbsp;Disk: Disk Model:WDC_WD40EFRX-68WT0N0 Serial:WD-WCC4E5KJ3N1Y was removed from Channel 2 of the head unit.Feb 21, 2024 12:31:20 PM&nbsp;Disk: Disk Model:WDC_WD40EFRX-68WT0N0 Serial:WD-WCC4E5KJ3N1Y was added to Channel 2 of the head unit.Feb 21, 2024 12:31:02 PM&nbsp;Disk: Disk Model:WDC WD40EFRX-68WT0N0 Serial:WD-WCC4E5KJ3N1Y was removed from Channel 2 of the head unit.and a degraded message on the display. I suspect the drive had failed (now appears blank and -1rpm in the disk log) because of the stress it got from resyncing. I have a spare available to go in. Made sure all the important data is backed up elsewhere but noting it could just be a dodgy connection, I thought I would power down, remove all drives, get rid of any dust, put them back, power up and insert the new drive. I now get the following screen:&nbsp;It clearly monitors removal and reinsertion even when switched off! I know the drives are back in the correct order. Is there any easy way to remount the array? I appreciate I might lose some data but anything is better than trying to reload 8+TB. Linux commands are not a problem for me and I have previously ssh'd into it.&nbsp;Any help would be gratefully appreciated.&nbsp;Kevin

StephenB · Answer

Start by downloading the full log zip file.
&nbsp;
There will be more clues in the full zip than you see on the screen.&nbsp; But the information can be overwhelming.
&nbsp;
if you'd like, I can take a look.&nbsp; Put the full zip into cloud storage (google drive, drop box, etc), and then PM (private message) me a link, using the envelope icon in the upper right of the forum page.&nbsp; Make sure the permissions are set to anyone with the link can download.
&nbsp;
Also, I suggest testing the disk you think failed.&nbsp; Do that in a Windows PC with vendor tools (Dashboard for WDC, Seatools for Seagate).&nbsp; You can connect the disk to the PC using either SATA or a USB adapter/dock.

ksp100 · Answer

Thanks for the offer but I may not need it. So, this morning I powered it up again to download the logs but this time removed the 'failed' drive before switching on. And it recognised the array straight away, and identified it was back in the degraded state. So, I have put in my spare drive and it is now 8% through a resyncing operation. It appears that powering it up with a drive that was in some way detected, if not working, confused it.

I have checked the original drive and that is definitely passed its best. It once detected in Device Manager but now won't detect there or in the WD Dashboard.

Regards,

Kevin

StephenB · Answer

ksp100&nbsp;wrote:
Thanks for the offer but I may not need it. So, this morning I powered it up again to download the logs but this time removed the 'failed' drive before switching on. And it recognised the array straight away, and identified it was back in the degraded state. So, I have put in my spare drive and it is now 8% through a resyncing operation.&nbsp;

A better path would have been to back up the files before starting the resync.&nbsp; You have no RAID redundancy at the moment, so any issues with the original drives would result in a failed volume.
&nbsp;
After everything is restored, I suggest running the disk test from the volume settings wheel.
&nbsp;
Also, I recommend putting a backup plan in place.&nbsp; RAID isn't enough to keep your data safe.

Sandshark · Answer

Those "removals" are a sign of drive failure since you didn't actually remove it.&nbsp; The NAS cannot monitor drive removals when it's off, it can only see them when on, or at power-on.&nbsp; So if you think your NAS was off at those times, check the NAS clock, especially the time zone.&nbsp;One bad drive can sometimes affect the entire SATA subsystem, which appears to be your case.&nbsp; Once you removed the offending drive, the NAS could then properly access the rest.&nbsp;If the rest of the drives are of the same age, you should probably be prepared to replace others as they fail.&nbsp; Or even replace them before they do, if they are very old.&nbsp; A re-sync puts a lot of stress on drives, and a second failure during a re-sync will truly kill your volume.

ksp100 · Answer

Thank you to you both.&nbsp;I should have mentioned everything that matters is backed up to an Unraid server and real critical stuff like photos are also on an old Duo. So loss of critical data wasn't really a concern, it was more about the time it would take to reconstruct the folders, permissions, etc. and then rewrite all that data to the RN104!&nbsp;I agree on the signs of pending failure. I am confident they all occurred when it was powered up. There are no other faults in the logs. It was just a shame it wasn't not long enough for me to see it and/or do anything proactive about it!&nbsp;I also agree on ageing; I have certainly got my money's worth out of those original WD Red's and have everything crossed for this resync! As I need to buy at least one spare again, I am minded to replace all the drives with new larger ones and recreate the array although if I do that I would probably rebuild the array from scratch - just not looking forward to the time it would take to copy all the data back.&nbsp;Now, 11.48% resync and fingers crossed!&nbsp;Kevin

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Dreaded "Remove inactive volumes" message

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Feb 21, 2024 12:50:52 PM		Disk: Disk Model:WDC_WD40EFRX-68WT0N0 Serial:WD-WCC4E5KJ3N1Y was added to Channel 2 of the head unit.
Feb 21, 2024 12:43:25 PM		Disk: Disk Model:WDC_WD40EFRX-68WT0N0 Serial:WD-WCC4E5KJ3N1Y was removed from Channel 2 of the head unit.
Feb 21, 2024 12:40:39 PM		Volume: The resync operation finished on volume data. However, the volume is still degraded.
Feb 21, 2024 12:38:59 PM		Volume: Resyncing started for Volume data.
Feb 21, 2024 12:37:57 PM		Disk: Disk Model:WDC_WD40EFRX-68WT0N0 Serial:WD-WCC4E5KJ3N1Y was added to Channel 2 of the head unit.
Feb 21, 2024 12:34:28 PM		Disk: Disk Model:WDC_WD40EFRX-68WT0N0 Serial:WD-WCC4E5KJ3N1Y was removed from Channel 2 of the head unit.
Feb 21, 2024 12:31:20 PM		Disk: Disk Model:WDC_WD40EFRX-68WT0N0 Serial:WD-WCC4E5KJ3N1Y was added to Channel 2 of the head unit.
Feb 21, 2024 12:31:02 PM		Disk: Disk Model:WDC WD40EFRX-68WT0N0 Serial:WD-WCC4E5KJ3N1Y was removed from Channel 2 of the head unit.