Christopher (Drashna)

Ouch, and .... I can't say that I'm really surprised. I've had a HighPoint card before ... and it wasn't exactly stable. If you replace the card, well, it depends on how many ports you want (if you want a lot, it may be worth looking into an LSI card, such as the IBM ServeRAID M1015, and flashing them).

You are very welcome. And I'm glad to hear that the guide seems very straight forward. The process really is simple, and shouldn't take more than half an hour (I've done it ... more than few times). Even for a large pool, since you're just moving files around on the hard drives, and not to other disks. And I apologize there, because it's definitely up selling/marketing, and some people don't like that. However, I mention it when people do have failed disks, because of the obvious synergy! If you do run into any issues, or have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask.

You can absolutely shut it down. There is no problem doing so. Once the system starts back up, it will continue with the duplication task. And specifically, when copying the files, we use a "COPYTEMP" file. Once the file is copied completely, then we rename it. This way, if you need to shut down the system, or otherwise interrupt the process (eg a BSOD), there is no harm done to your files.

IIRC, this is unfortunately an issue with how DrivePool enumerates the content of the folder, and displays it. Most utilities will reorder it properly, but some programs/utilities have issues doing so. If you don't mind me asking, what tool/command are you using that is having this issue? And I've flagged this for Alex (the developer). (https://stablebit.com/Admin/IssueAnalysis/15571)

You only need a license for the systems that you want to create and run a pool on. Period. So, if you plan on running the WIndows 7 system and pool the disks with DrivePool on that system and then share them (or use a media server to stream them), then you just need a single license for that one system. And no need to apologize. It's better to ask and make sure! Also, somewhat related, we do have a guide on converting the WHSv1 Drive Extender pool to our format: http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_DrivePool_Q5463715 It's meant for WHS2011, but it still works. And if you want, we can set up a remote support session and help you with this process (as it is a bit complicated). If you're interested in that, head to http://meetme.so/drashnacovecube and set up a time that is good for you. I apologize for the shameless self-promotion here, but.... You may want to check StableBit Scanner out as well. Not only does it monitor the SMART attributes of the drives (which can give pre-failure warnings), but it does a surface scan of the drive which will let you know if there are problems reading the disk, and can potentially trigger the drive's built in error correction to fix bad sections on the disk before they become an issue (a process usually referred to as called "data scrubbing"). Additionally, if you have both StableBit Scanner and StableBit DrivePool installed on the same system, DrivePool will grab information from Scanner. And if Scanner detects damage on the disk, DrivePool will automatically move data off of the disk to help prevent data loss due to corruption/damage. And you can buy both products, and get a discount on the price. It's $19.95 for DrivePool, and $24.95 for Scanner, separately Or $34.95 if you buy the combo, which is a $9.95 saving. It's $29.95 for StableBit DrivePool, or StableBit Scanner, and $34.95 for StableBit CloudDrive (will be $39.95 once it's no longer a beta). It's $10 off for each additional product that you buy separately. Which would be $49.95 both both StableBit DrivePool and StableBit Scanner. Or it's $54.95 for the bundle of all three products (which saves you $20, and is only a $5 difference)

Glad to hear it! And hopefully, the drive did survive the fall unscathed!

Absolutely. And you can then disable duplication for specific folders if you want. To enable this, it's located in "Pool Options" -> Data Protection. Enable the "Pool File Duplication". This enables duplication on the root of the pool, and this setting gets inherited to all subfolders (except for the ones you explicitly change it for). Yes. To answer this, and the "protection"/benefit over RAID question: The duplication option is a 1:1 file based mirroring (aka duplication). This means that you have two copies of any duplicated file, located on different disks. This means that duplication will use up more space than a parity array (RAID 5). However, because we store the files on normal NTFS volumes, you can access the data in any OS, and even on different systems. Additionally, we do use "Read Striping" to boost the performance of reads. Check out this link for details on Read Striping (and some other performance features): http://stablebit.com/Support/DrivePool/2.X/Manual?Section=Performance%20Options Another point here is that parity isn't necessarily protecting your data. Specifically: Did you buy all of your drives at the same time? Have you ever swapped out any of the drives, or have a schedule set up to do so (with spare/new drives? The reason I ask, is that if you bought all the drives at the same time, they're probably from the same batch. And if there is a defect on one of the drives, there is a high chance that the other drives will have the same defect. This means that if one drive fails, the higher load on the other drives could trigger an issue on the other disks, triggering a catastrophic failure. To prevent this, enterprises regularly schedule replacements of disks, to prevent something like this from happening. However, in home use... this rarely ever happens. I'm assuming that you mean if you can use StableBit Scanner without StableBit DrivePool. And yes, absolutely. The benefits of using StableBit Scanner remain regardless of the setup you're using. The monthly surface and file system scans are very good for your system. Even on a RAID array. In fact, the surface scan may cause the disks in the array (or the RAID controller) to identify and fix problem sections of the disk before they manifest as errors. However, depending on the setup, StableBit Scanner may not be able to get SMART data from all of your disks. Specifically, from disks in a RAID array (depending on how the array was created).

The drive mappings shouldn't have any issues with being scanned. In fact, we don't use that when scanning at all, so this is very unusual. if this issue returns, try running "chkdsk x:" (where "x:" is the drive letter OR folder mount point for the disks). Also, do this: http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_Scanner_Advanced_Settings But open the "Logging" tab, and find the "Chkdsk" entry. CLick on it, and then select the "Verbose" option. Then hit OK. Set scanner to rescan the file systems, and then grab the logs (there is a link in the "Logging" tab, if you need it). Upload those logs here (or to https://stablebit.com/Contact), and we'll take a look. And yeah, the file system status thing isn't very visible. I'll pass the feedback along to Alex (the developer) and see if we can get that fixed

I had an FX 8120, and yeah, a beast. Between the power consumption, heat output and ... well it literally burned... I replaced it. That's one of the reasons I like newer hardware. There has been a lot of focus on reducing energy usage. My server (xeon e3, 15 HDDs) and desktop (core i3, gt 740 and a HDD) only using about 250Ws (according to my UPS). And not counting the monitors.

Open up the Scanner UI, double click on the drive in question. Click on the arrow to the left of the "File system health" text beneath the sector map. Click on the button with the green circle. There should be an option to "Mark damaged file systems as unchecked". This will clear the status and recheck the disk. If this keeps repeating, then let us know.

Try turning off the recycle bin for the pool. To do so, go the the desktop, and right click on the "Recycle Bin" icon and select "Properties". Find the pool drive (and maybe repeat this for the pooled disks) and select it. Then select the "Don't move files to the Recycle bin. Remove files immediately when deleted." option and hit "OK". Then right click on the recycle bin again, and select "Empty Recycle Bin". If you're still having issues, then ... I'd like to set up a remote support session and see if I can resolve this directly, if possible.

That PSU should be good for that number of drives. And yes, 8-10W per drive. That's about what I get from my NAS drives (I've paid attention as I've added them, and that's how much usage they bump up each time I add one). As for the HighPoint card, yeah, definitely install the drivers for that! It may help with stability, actually. And you are very welcome. And to be honest, I don't really see it as above and beyond, as the hardware is part of the "experience" (for a lack of better words). Since we deal with that as well, making sure it works right is just as important as making sure our software works right, too. But we are glad that you do appreciate that we do try to do whatever we can to get your system working and stable!

from the looks of it, you ahve a very small amount of data on the SSD compared to the pool itself. And because of that, our calculation was ... well, effectively rounding up. We apologize for the issue, and the newest build should fix the issue: http://dl.covecube.com/DrivePoolWindows/beta/download/StableBit.DrivePool_2.2.0.615_x64_BETA.exe Also, on the ratio slider, make sure it is set to 100%, or you may not see any change in the behavior.

Ouch. And yeah, their business packages are roughly 2x the cost. And no, the dyndns won't really help. It's going to have the same issues, but they also don't include a certificate for the website. This would mean that you you will always see a certificate error when you try to connect to the remote website. And you will not be able to use the remote desktop feature, at all. So, yes, it is a real downer. If getting this stuff to work is really important, I'd say call your ISP up and see what the pricing would be for your area. And make sure you tell them it's for a home office (it may make a difference for pricing). At the worst, it will only cost you a call, to find out.

If it only happened the once, and it hasn't happened again, then it may be related to the bad disks. The RaidPort error may mean first or second disk on the controller. The disk error, indicates the second on the system (run "diskmgmt.msc" to list the disks). The NTFS error ... is clear, and since it confirms the issue... not "important" here. If the other errors persist after removing the problem disk, then check Disk Management (diskmgmt.msc) and compare the disks. Thats good, for the most part. If you ahve the time, running the extended test is worth it. It may find errors the short test may not. But best left to overnight, or while you're away from home. That is a good idea. If you see the drives disappear... that would the controller's issue, and power cycling the system would fix it (the HighPoint cards sometimes have issues under heavy load, with some drives. If that's the case, then definitely check the connections and try swapping out the cables. Also, check your power supply. What's the wattage rating on it, ... and what hardware are you using on it? As for the firmware, it's always a good idea to check when you're having issues. Just in case. Same with the controller card in fact. At least check. Some companies will include a changelog. See if anything in that points to the issues you're seeing. If not, then skip it for now. And you are very welcome. And yes, troubleshooting an issue like this can be tiring and frustrating. Very. Hopefully, we can help you get the issue identified and resolved soon!

Thank you for uploading the files, we'll take a look at them and see if we can figure out what is going wrong and fix it. Worst case here (aka the "nuclear solution"), is to "unpool" the drives and rebuidl the pool. To do so, Run "services.msc" and stop the "StableBit DrivePool Service". enable "Show hidden files" for your system. You'll notice the hidden "PoolPart.xxxxxx" (where the "xxxxx" is a long string of letters and numbers). Move the contents of these folder out of them, to the root of the drive. Eg: for "D:\PoolPart.xxxxxx\ServerFolders", move the "ServerFolders" directory to D:\, and for "E:\PoolPart.xxxxxx\ServerFolders", move the "ServerFolders" directory to E:\ Repeat this for all the drives. Once you do, you should notice that your pool is empty. That's a good sign, and it is what we want. Delete the now empty "PoolPart.xxxxx" folders. If you have issues with this, take ownership of the folders, and check the "replace on child objects" option. Restart the service (go back to the "Services" window, and start the service) At this point, it may give a quick notification of missing disks, and then the pool should disappear. If this doesn't happen... reset the settings again, and it should. Add all of the disks to a new pool. "Seed" the pool, using this guide: http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_DrivePool_Q4142489 This should rebuild the pool from scratch and fix all of the issues you are seeing. If needed, we can set up a remote support session, and I can assist you with this process (as it can be very intimidating). If you're interested in that, head to http://meetme.so/drashnacovecube and set up a time that is good for you. Also, you said that you cloned the system drive. Was this the ONLY disk you cloned? And was this disk part of the pool, at all?

You opened a ticket for this as well, and I have answered there, first. But basically, these are fine. StableBit DrivePool doesn't support VSS (Volume Shadow Copy Service), and therefore cannot create snapshots. You've already confirmed that the system protection option is disabled for the pool, as well. Make sure you're not using Windows Backup or similar to back up the pool drive as well. These are normal, as the VSS will attempt to take snapshots of all drives regardless of the configuration. Worst case, you can disable the VSS service completely, but that will break Previous Versions, System Restore, and Windows backup.

Thanks. I've flagged the issue for Alex, the developer, and he'll take a look when he can. https://stablebit.com/Admin/IssueAnalysis/15558

Well, if Scanner isn't detecting any errors, then you're probably fine here. But I'm just a bit paranoid about stuff like this, and is why I recommended the couple of weeks, just in case.

Thank you for grabbing the logs. To clarify ,the folders don't appear on the Pool, (at least not the ones in $RECYCLE.BIN)? Do you have the option to show hidden and system files enabled? If not, that may by why. Worst case, check the individual "PoolPart.xxxxxx" folder on each drive for the "$RECYCLE.BIN" folder, and delete them there. I've flagged the issue for Alex (the developer), and he'll take a look into it. ANd if you want, we can set up a remote support session, and I can take a look at the system directly. If you're okay with that, let me know. Issue here: https://stablebit.com/Admin/IssueAnalysis/14570

Alternative steps for resetting the settings are here: http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_DrivePool_Q2299585B As for the troubleshooting options, there should be a "StableBit DrivePool (Troubleshooting)" link in the start menu now. Run that, and it will restore the troubleshooting options. And did you upload the logs? And what version of StableBit DrivePool were you using? and what version of Windows?

The URL for this thread would have been fine. But it's okay. I'm assuming you uploaded the file shortly before posting here (as in within minutes), correct? Also, what version of StableBit DrivePool and the SSD Optimizer balancer plugin are you using? And what OS?

Could be coincidental, but again, hard to tell. However... at this point, I would recommend running a (deep) memory test. Weird issues like this tend to be memory related. And considering that NTFS caches file access in memory ... it definitely could be the cause. StableBit Scanner has a "burst test" option (if you right click on the drive), that is very useful for this. It's recommended to run for at least 24 hours, though. It will detect any read errors with the drive. This can come from the disk itself, the cable connecting the disk or even the controller. So it may be harder to diagnose the issue exactly. But this is a good way to at least start identifying an issue. I'm jumping ahead here a bit ... If both disks were connected to the Rocket controller, and where having issues, it may be the HighPoint controller. These controllers are on the cheaper side (yes, I know, they're expensive, but for enterprise grade hardware, they super cheap). I've had issues with these controllers periodically dropping disks, and I've had issues with the controller not liking certain hardware (it would error out a LOT if connected to specific backplanes in my case). If they were/are connected to the HighPoint card, try connecting them to an onboard controller and see if they exhibit the same issues. If the issue doesn't manifest on the different controller, then you have your culprit. Otherwise, try reseating the cables and swapping out the cables. Maybe you have a loose connection or a bad cable (respectively). See above. Once the files are off of the drive, try running a full (not quick) format. If you run into any issues, still... then there may be an issue with the drive. In this case, it may be a defect in the firmware (maybe a race condition triggered somehow). Check to see if there is a firmware update for the drive. If there is, reformat again and see if it fixes it. Otherwise, .... maybe RMA these drives. See above, and then this: Well, for these controllers... you pretty much always want to get the RocketRAID version. More features and better hardware. But they don't' really mention that. Also, from a cable management point, a RocketRAID 2721 (or 2720SGL) are a better purchase. They use SAS cables, which are a bit more expensive, but make cable management a lot simpler.

Change the Workgroup of your WHSv1 machine to match the domain name (eg mydomain.local, then use "mydomain") of the Server 2012R2 Essentials system. This should help with visibility. Otherwise, try using the IP address (eg, \\192.168.1.1\) Are you trying ti migrate the data over, or copy it over. If you're just trying to migrate, then check out this: http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_DrivePool_Q5463715 (this is meant for WHS2011 but very much applies to Server Essentials). You can add additional "bindings" to IIS, to use additional ports (such as 8080 and 8443). However, you'd have to use "http://mydomain.com:8080" or "https://mydomain.com:8443/" to access your site every time. However, a good question: does your ISP also have data caps? If so, it may be better in the long run to get a business line. And what ISP are you using?

Could you enable file system logging and try to re-add the disk? http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_DrivePool_2.x_Log_Collection (there is an upload form at the bottom of that page) Also, the disk in question, does it already have a hidden "PoolPart" folder on the disk? If so, try doing the "alternative steps" for resetting the settings, and see if that helps. If not, let me know.