Seagate ST31500341AS 1.5TB

Something seems not quite right...
Now, I was at 4.1.4 before I started swapping disks and I went from 4 500GB Seagate drives to 4 1TB Samsung drives. But, after a few days of drive swapping and resyncs, the first stage of the expansion took only a few minutes. Then the online expansion itself took less than 12 minutes and everything is working great.

Tue Nov 4 08:01:39 EST 2008 Your system will now begin online expansion. Please do not reboot until you receive notification that the expansion is complete. Tue Nov 4 08:13:08 EST 2008 Data volume has been successfully expanded to 2776 GB.

Looks like some sort of activity from Seagate on this... any word if there will be an ability to update the firmware on an existing RAID setup with these drives installed? Is there hope that a new version of RAIDiator would be able to fix this?

http://forums.seagate.com/stx/board/mes ... 3116#M3116

racicot wrote:
Looks like some sort of activity from Seagate on this... any word if there will be an ability to update the firmware on an existing RAID setup with these drives installed? Is there hope that a new version of RAIDiator would be able to fix this? http://forums.seagate.com/stx/board/mes ... 3116#M3116

You'll probably have to pull out the drives one by one and install them in a desktop or hook them up to an eSATA port to flash them. I had to do that with one of my 750 GB drives.

I just submitted my request for the updated firmware. Can someone with 4x 1.5 TB drives confirm that the new firmware fixes the problem on the ReadyNAS? I will test the drives I have, but they are connected to PCs.

Do we all have to put in a request for the new firmware or can someone post a link to it? I haven't had issues streaming video but why wouldn't I want to have the most up-to-date firmware on the drives?

So far, contact Seagate to get the firmware update. Follow the instructions from the earlier message in contacting them. I think they like to control the firmware download information but that wouldn't stop someone from making the file(s) available somewhere.

reelmccoy wrote:
So far, contact Seagate to get the firmware update. Follow the instructions from the earlier message in contacting them. I think they like to control the firmware download information but that wouldn't stop someone from making the file(s) available somewhere.

Yeah, but unfortunately they are slow to respond. I haven't gotten the firmware yet...

Update on the expansion. It's now been over 48 hours without access to our data, just since "expansion" began, (over a week since I started swapping out drives) and the front panel reads:
Expanding...
Expansion: 57.5%

This is pretty absurd, but what else can I do but continue to wait and pray that this doesn't take even MORE than another two whole days? Maybe we'll be able to get back to work by Monday.


Re: the new drive firmware:
1) Did someone post a URL? I don't see it. (Ok, I see the seagate forum thread URL, but not a SOLUTION FOR READYNAS USERS - is there a ReadyNAS solution that will flash the firmware in place in the ReadyNAS? I, like many others run an all Mac shop, with no Intel boxes that take a SATA drive internally.)

2) Is flashing the firmware on the drives going to wipe out the data, requiring a complete backup and restore and another week of downtime? To WHAT can I back up 2+TB of data anyway??? It seems that owning a ReadyNAS requires one to own TWO ReadyNASes.


<vent>
Would it be completely inappropriate for me to begin screaming obscenities now? Am I the only one who is ready to pour thermite onto the ReadyNAS and laugh maniacally as it melts into a pool of much more reliable slag?
</vent> ;-)

captain wrote:

Update on the expansion. It's now been over 48 hours without access to our data, just since "expansion" began, (over a week since I started swapping out drives) and the front panel reads: Expanding... Expansion: 57.5% This is pretty absurd, but what else can I do but continue to wait and pray that this doesn't take even MORE than another two whole days? Maybe we'll be able to get back to work by Monday. Re: the new drive firmware: 1) Did someone post a URL? I don't see it. (Ok, I see the seagate forum thread URL, but not a SOLUTION FOR READYNAS USERS - is there a ReadyNAS solution that will flash the firmware in place in the ReadyNAS? I, like many others run an all Mac shop, with no Intel boxes that take a SATA drive internally.) 2) Is flashing the firmware on the drives going to wipe out the data, requiring a complete backup and restore and another week of downtime? To WHAT can I back up 2+TB of data anyway??? It seems that owning a ReadyNAS requires one to own TWO ReadyNASes. <vent> Would it be completely inappropriate for me to begin screaming obscenities now? Am I the only one who is ready to pour thermite onto the ReadyNAS and laugh maniacally as it melts into a pool of much more reliable slag? </vent> ;-)

1. This post has instructions on how you can get the firmware:
http://forums.seagate.com/stx/board/mes ... 3116#M3116
I am still waiting for mine.

2. The firmware upgrade may not wipe out the data, but I can't know for sure. Just flash one drive at a time and even if the drive is wiped, you shouldn't loose any data on your RAID.

However, owning a ReadyNAS does require you to own TWO ReadyNAS'es, or at least some other backup device. I have an off-site mirror of my data and it has saved my butt at least once because the ReadyNAS has completely failed at rebuilding a volume after a failed disk. Such is life.

Having just flashed 6 of these drives, no data was lost. I simply flashed each drive one by one and stuck them back in the ReadyNAS Pro right where I got them from. The RNP booted up without issue and no rebuild required.

I haven't tested any streaming video just yet but plan to by the end of the day.

reelmccoy wrote:
Having just flashed 6 of these drives, no data was lost. I simply flashed each drive one by one and stuck them back in the ReadyNAS Pro right where I got them from. The RNP booted up without issue and no rebuild required. I haven't tested any streaming video just yet but plan to by the end of the day.

Please let us know. if they can be retested with the firmware I can order them again ;)

Could anyone post the firmware update so I have it present when my reordered drives will arrive.