This topic has been marked solved and closed to new posts due to inactivity. We hope you'll join the conversation by posting to an open topic or starting a new one.
Trying to determine if it's possible to recover from a Kernal Panic situation on the following unit and, if so, get guidance on how to proceed:
ReadyNAS NV+ [X-RAID]
Firmware: RAIDiator 4.1.14
4 x 2TB
I have reviewed multiple threads on similar issues and, as a result, can report the following:
Initial behavior when problem was first noted (all disks in):
All LEDs solid green, including Activity
Kernal Panic message
No access to RAIDar admin web interface
No response to power button
Memory test OK
Disk 1 removed (with power off) - first time:
No access to RAIDar admin web interface
No response to power button
Disk 2 removed (power off, Disk 1 replaced):
All LEDs dark, except intermittent Activity LED
Access to RAIDar admin web interface
Volume C: Offline, RAID Level , disks, 0% of 0 MB used
Health metrics all green
Logs indicate Disk 3 failing (7440 reallocated sectors, up from 704 a week earlier, and 0 a month earlier) [No need to beat me up about this - I know I should have been monitoring the logs and addressed this sooner]
Nothing else abnormal in logs
Power off feature within admin tool does not work
No response to power button
Above behavior was recorded the 1st time I tried it. Second time around, after checking each disk systematically, I could no longer access the RAIDar interface.
Disk 3 removed (power off, Disk 2 replaced) - First time:
All LEDs dark, except intermittent Activity LED
Access to RAIDar admin web interface
Volume C: Offline, RAID Level , disks, 0% of 0 MB used
Health metrics all green
Power off feature within admin tool does not work
No response to power button
Above behavior was recorded the 1st time I tried it. Second time around, after checking each disk systematically, I could no longer access the RAIDar interface.
Disk 3 removed - Second & subsequent bootups:
All LEDs dark, except intermittent Activity LED
Hangs with message "Booting...."
No access to RAIDar admin web interface
No response to power button
Disk 4 removed (power off, Disk 3 replaced):
All LEDs dark, including Activity
Kernal Panic message
No response to power button
Seatools Testing (on Windows PC):
Short Drive Self Test - all pass
Long Generic - Disks 1, 2 & 4 Pass; Disk 3 Fail
Power down, all disks removed & numbered, known good spare disk installed in bay#1:
Drive LEDs alternating between all 4 flashing, and first 2 flashing
Message: "Booting...ERR: Bad firmwar"
I do have a second ReadyNAS NV+ that I use to back up the first one, but the most recent backup is about 6 months old. As a result, restoring from the backup is a worst-case option - if there's a way to restore operation using the primary disk contents, that's what I want to do.
Seagate has a service, and they claim support for any NAS. I haven't seen any posts here from people who've used it. But there is information here: https://www.seagate.com/services-software/recover/in-lab-recovery/ Note they don't limit their service to seagate drives.
If you can connect the drives to a Windows PC, then you could use R-Studio or ReclaiMe. Both allow you to see what might be recoverable before you need to pay.
Assuming I accept the data loss, what are my next steps to rebuild the NAS with my 3 existing good disks plus the new blank one? [Recognizing that doing this rebuild will wipe the data from the 3 existing disks].
Alternatively, zero the disks with vendor tools in a Windows PC (lifeguard or seatools), and just power up the NAS with the disks in place. That will do a factory install. Zeroing the disks is a good diagnostic, it can find drive issues that the non-destructive tests miss.
You have removed all critical disks, and installed a new blank. OK, so now you can re-install the default firmware (factory reset) and check that it works?
I believe (*fairly certain*) that the firmware reinstall will have zero impact should you later need to insert your original data disks.
This will at least get as far as checking that the unit is working fine.
OK thanks. Am I correct that I'm dealing with two separate issues - a failed disk (#3), and a corrupted OS? If so, are these related or did I just happen to discover the failed disk as a result of the OS becoming corrupted?
OK thanks. Am I correct that I'm dealing with two separate issues - a failed disk (#3), and a corrupted OS? If so, are these related or did I just happen to discover the failed disk as a result of the OS becoming corrupted?
They likely are related.
The OS-reinstall might not help and the factory reset will destroy your data - which of course is something you want to avoid. You might need RAID recovery if the OS reinstall fails (or accept the data loss).
Thanks for the replies. I've made some progress but now need further guidance.
I have two known good spare unused drives. I tried the OS reinstall on the first one (the same one I used in the earlier test) and it failed with the "ERR: Bad Firmwar" error. I powered it down and tried a second time, using my other good spare disk in bay#1 (replaced the first one). This time it worked, and I can now access the RAIDar interface using the default login credentials. [When I did this, I got a message that there's a newer firmware version available and directing me to install this, but I have not yet done so].
What are my next steps toward the goal of recovering functionality and data?
Great, the unit is fine! The first 'blank' disk that didn't work most likely needed formatting (was not completely blank), but the second one worked ok.
Now you have a choice to make. The data on the original 4 drives potentially can be recovered professionally, or possibly in a PC, but it's an advanced procedure. If you are willing to continue the investigation, and be prepared to lose all the data, then confinue with re-installing the original drives in the correct order. Hopefully the system will boot fine, but complain that drive #3 is in error. If it doesn't boot then power down, remove drive #3 and see if it will boot.
If it does boot, great! If not, I fear the array is damaged in some way and there is high likelyhood that it would require proper recover if you really want that data back. Let's progress a step at a time and see where we get. Good luck.
Thanks for the guidance. I have some questions before proceeding:
For certainty, are my two choices:
Pursue the advanced techniques for data recovery (myself, or professionally), which has a higher probability of success (defined as no loss of data) but likely very time-consuming and/or expensive, vs.
Reinstall my existing drives, which has a lower probability of success (and renders #1 no longer an option)?
Assuming I pursue Option 2:
Should I start by upgrading the firmware, per the message I received upon successfully reinstalling the OS?
Are you saying that I should power the unit down, remove the spare drive from bay#1, reinstall all four original drives (including the known bad #3) in order, power back up, and then (assuming it boots successfully) do a hot swap replacement of bad#3 with a good blank drive?
Assuming yes to the above, for the #3 hot-swap replacement, can I use the same good drive I used to execute the OS rebuild?
If the data is critical, then recovery is likely the best option. It's not guaranteed though.
Reinstalling the drives might not work, but it might work. It might damage the array beyond recovery, especially if the unit does a factory default and formats the drives. Monitor with RAIDar during the power up process.
I recommend *not* upgrading the OS version at this time, you can do that later.
Since you know drive #3 is bad, leave it out. The array will be at risk, but the unit should boot. If it does, copy the most critical files somewhere else, I suggest before inserting the new drive bacause a rebuild will stress the whole system and a second failure would be terminal.
Once you are stable, have the critical files copied off, then hot-swap insert a new blank of equal size and the array should rebuild. You can monitor this via the web i/f or RAIDar.
If the unit will not boot, you might need the OS reinstall (with the 3 good drives installed).
I'm assuming all of this means it doesn't recognize my existing drives any more. Is there anything else I can do to try and restore operation with my existing drives and data?
It is likely that the removing of the disks during your initial tests would have meant that two disks were out of the array (the removed good one plus the bad one #3), and I don't know what would have happened then. It may still be possible to get to your data, let's see what the other experts here have to say.
OK. Can you point me to a link that describes what's involved in that process, and/or how I pursue it?
The incremental data loss since my last backup may not be worth the expense, if it's costly and I can't do it myself, but first I'd like to understand what's involved before I accept the data loss.
Assuming I accept the data loss, what are my next steps to rebuild the NAS with my 3 existing good disks plus the new blank one? [Recognizing that doing this rebuild will wipe the data from the 3 existing disks].
Seagate has a service, and they claim support for any NAS. I haven't seen any posts here from people who've used it. But there is information here: https://www.seagate.com/services-software/recover/in-lab-recovery/ Note they don't limit their service to seagate drives.
If you can connect the drives to a Windows PC, then you could use R-Studio or ReclaiMe. Both allow you to see what might be recoverable before you need to pay.
Assuming I accept the data loss, what are my next steps to rebuild the NAS with my 3 existing good disks plus the new blank one? [Recognizing that doing this rebuild will wipe the data from the 3 existing disks].
Alternatively, zero the disks with vendor tools in a Windows PC (lifeguard or seatools), and just power up the NAS with the disks in place. That will do a factory install. Zeroing the disks is a good diagnostic, it can find drive issues that the non-destructive tests miss.
Just wanted to follow-up and close out this thread.
I purchased R-Studio and used it to successfully restore most (but not quite all, unfortunately) of the incremental files since my last good backup in July, from the remaining 3 good drives.
I then reinstalled the 3 good old drives with one new one, and completed a Factory Reset using the procedure given on p23 of the manual, as referenced above.
Everything is back up and running, with a minimal loss of data, albeit after a lot of work. Going forward, I'll be making better use of system alerts to ensure I don't wait too long to replace drives next time, as well as updating my full NAS backup strategy to occur more frequently.
Thanks to both Tony and Stephen for the prompt and helpful guidance.
!
