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ReadyNAS 214 "Remove inactive volumes to use the disk. Disk #1,2,3,4."
Hello,
I recently updated my firmware on a ReadyNAS 214. Next time I looked I got a degraded volume error on Drive bay #1.
I have 4 WD Red WD30EFRX drives but when I searched for a replacement I was directed to a newer version, which is the WD Red Plus WD30EFZX. I shutdown and replaced the drive but the new drive was not recognized. The drive was blued out in the Volume active display, but the indicator was yellow rather than green. Not sure if theproblem is incompability but I then tried different swaps and now have ended up with all the drives redded out under volume status but with a green indicator and the "Remove inactive volumes" message above.
I was under the impression that I had complete data redundancy across 4 backup drives but my reading of these forums suggests that this NAS backup is not a complete safeguard. I have logs attached below and some screenshots.
Any help in getting this fixed is greatly appreciated!
mharring54 wrote:
Okay - understanding this is what's tripping me up.
Here's a brief (and simplified) explanation.
Sector X on disks a, b, and c are for data. The corresponding Sector X on disk d is a parity block. This is constructed using an exclusive-or (xor) of the three data blocks You can think of this as addition for our purposes here.
Every time Xa, Xb, or Xc are modified, the RAID also updates Xd.
So Xa + Xb + Xc = Xd.
If disk b is replaced, then Xb can be reconstructed by
Xb = Xd - Xa - Xc
Similarly, the contents of any of the other disks can be reconstructed from the remaining 3. That is what is happening when the RAID volume resyncs.
The reconstruction fails if
- the system crashed after Xa, Xb, or Xc was modified, but before Xd was updated.
- two or more disks fail (including a second disk failure during reconstruction).
- a disk read gives a wrong answer (instead of failing). This is sometimes called "bit rot".
- the system can't tell which disk was replaced.
The RAID system counts up the writes to each disk (maintaining an event counter for each disk). So it can detect the first failure mode (because the event counters won't match). When it sees that error, it will refuse to mount the volume. That is a fairly common cause of the inactive volume issue.
Often it is a result of a power failure, someone pulling the plug on the NAS instead of properly shutting it down, or a crash. The RAID array can usually be forcibly assembled (telling the system to ignore the event count mismatch). There can be some data loss, since there were writes that never made it to some of the disks.
Two or more disk failures sounds unlikely, but in fact it does happen. Recovery in that case is far more difficult (often impossible, or cost-prohibitive).
Figuring out what happened in your case requires analysis of the NAS logs. If you want me to take a look at them, you need to download the full log zip file from the NAS log page. Then put it into cloud storage (dropbox, icloud, etc), and send me a private message (PM) using the envelope icon in the upper right of the forum page. Put a link to the zip file in the PM (and set the permissions so anyone with the link can view/download the zip file).
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Last page of log.
Volume status now.
Did I need to format the new Red Plus drive before it would sync with the 3 redundant drives? I was leery of hitting any buttons that said format because it's not clear which volume it refers to.
mharring54 wrote:
I then tried different swaps and now have ended up with all the drives redded out under volume status but with a green indicator and the "Remove inactive volumes" message above.
Did you try putting the original drives back in their original slots?
If that fails, remove the drive you first removed (to insert the replacement) and try booting again.
You need to be careful when experimenting with different swaps, as the RAID array can easily get out of sync (making the issue more difficult to fix).
mharring54 wrote:
I was under the impression that I had complete data redundancy across 4 backup drives but my reading of these forums suggests that this NAS backup is not a complete safeguard.RAID redundancy (though helpful) is not enough to keep data safe. I'm guessing you don't have a backup of the files on the NAS - is that the case?
Yes, you have to format the new drive in the NAS. In older OS versions, it was automatic. But users who failed to read the users' manual were putting in drives with their collection of photos (or whatever) and losing them (they thought they'd still be there, as if a NAS is like a USB drive chassis), so Netgear made this a separate step.
Yes, you had redundancy when you had four good drives. But after you lost one, you had none, and experimentally messing with the remainder was a really bad idea. You likely caused the volume to go "out of sync". It may be recoverable, and StephenB is better at helping you do that than I.
Stephen,
Thanks. Yes, I put the drives back as originally configured and I get all drives redded out with a red status indicator on the original 'degraded' drive. On my performance status I get a black ball on Disk 1 and 3 green balls on Disks 2-4.
My overview shows status as "Healthy," whereas before it was "Volume Degraded." I suspect it's not reading Disk 1, so just the 3 additional drives.
I don't have a backup since I had less than 5TB of data and 12TB (4x3TB total over 4 drives and thought I was mirroring the data on the other drives. The Volume page now shows I have 8.17 TB of data but I have no idea how it is arrayed and how to recover it. It still says to remove inactive volumes 1-4.
I kept reading that the drives were hot swappable but now I'm not so sure and so shut down each time I swap the drives. The replacement drive I bought is a WD30EFZX Red Plus drive and when I put it in and select to Format, nothing happens(?)
I have lots of photographs stored as hires original files so I hope I can recover all. Are there any repair routines to rebuild the Raid array?|
Thanks.Another screen shot of the Performance status...
- Michael
I am having a similar issue, should I post a new issue?
thanks
My advice is to register a new issue, but first read this one thoroughly because the expert that helped me was brilliant
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