Christopher (Drashna)

First, I'm sorry to hear about the hard drive dying, as that sucks regardless of the status of your data. Because duplicating 15TB of video is ... painful. If it's not "critical", then it's not as important to duplicate and takes up a lot of space. So if you don't have the disk space to do so... then duplicating it isn't really an option. Also, a 1:1 mirror is a huge use of space, and some people aren't really fans of that, either. But yes, duplicating everything makes recovery incredibly simple. Just remove the bad drive, and let StableBit DrivePool "do it's thing". And we're glad that you appreciate that!

Empty the recycle bin on the server/system. The folder in question ($RECYCLE.BIN) is the hidden folder used for the recycle bin. Otherwise, it may be an odd permissions issue with the folder in question. That can be resolved by deleting the folder (when would empty the recycle bin), or by changing the permissions on the folder. Also, if you wouldn't mind doing this: http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_DrivePool_2.x_Log_Collection And duplicate the issue. Also, do you have any antivirus installed on the system? And could you do this: http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_DrivePool_Q2159701 And we are planning on fixing the feedback on issues like this, to be more meaningful and helpful

Liquesce would probably work. However, the last time I tried using it .... it wasn't very stable. Also, as for the delete command, .... and for some of the conversation that you didn't see... any program that installs a file system filter could intercept the delete command and move it instead. Adding a file system filter is an option that we've discussed internally for one of our "future products". So it's possible that we could add this functionality at a future date. It wouldn't be immediately, because we're gearing up for a big release soon (and we're a very small company). But after that, I'll bug Alex about it. Though... another option is to remove or outright "Deny" the "delete" permissions for the network share, so that you cannot delete files over the network. http://helpdeskgeek.com/how-to/prevent-file-deletion-and-file-renaming-in-windows/

No, there isn't an "automatic" way to do this. If you have duplication enabled, and read striping, it may just read from the faster disk, to optimize performance, though. Additionally, you can use the file placement rules to limit specific folders (or even file extensions) to specific folders, though. And I'll submit a feature request to Alex (the developer) for this. https://stablebit.com/Admin/IssueAnalysis/14568 For reference, when Alex responses to it.

Alex has replied to the request. And no, it definitely won't be simple (as I hoped it may be). Implementing this feature would be a lot of work. I won't say that we won't do it, but it's not a priority at this time.

Well, if balancing is disabled, then it's going to default to the standard method, which is to place the files on teh disk with the most free space. Enable balancing, and make sure the Ordered File Placement balancer is set to only affect new files. As for the red arrows, these represent the "real time placement limiters" meaning that new files will only be placed up to these limits. Once you hit that, it will place files on another drive. And as for the files being placed on teh wrong disk, did you have a file placement rule limiting the placement of the file? If you did, then the settings on the "General" balancing tab will control how this is handled.

Yeah, we leave folder behind when balancing data off oa dirve or removing duplication. Since there are hidden metadata, we leave them be. But there should be no harm with deleting these empty folders.

Thank you. I've already replied via the Contact form, so check out the response there. However, I suspect that this may be an interaction between DrivePool and the WebRoot antivirus program.

I'd recommend uninstalling Malware Bytes and see if the issue clears up. A lot more lately, I've seen some very weird behavior when malware bytes is installed.

Once you've activated, that should be it. The only time we check again, is if the hardware has significantly changed. If you're having issues with the system freezing up periodically, then it's not due to activation, and is something else. Do you have antivirus installed on the system? And could you do this: http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_DrivePool_Q2159701 Additionally, could you enable logging and see if you can reproduce this issue? DrivePool 1.X: http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_DrivePool_Log_Collection DrivePool 2.X: http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_DrivePool_2.x_Log_Collection Also, could you check the Event Viewer (run "eventvwr.msc") and check the "System" section for disk, ntfs or controller errors? If you're seeing these, it could indicate a hardware problem.

There will be a blog post, for sure. And we will create new sections in the main site for it, and new forum areas, as well. So you'll definitely know when it's available to the public. ANd while it will be a beta product... it feels very stable, so far. As for a discount, I'll ask Alex, but I can't promise anything. Well, We don't plan on charging for new versions. It's a lifetime license, and we plan on keeping that way. Well, Alex really wants the grouping feature in DrivePool, and specifically for duplication and CloudDrive, so it should "make the cut", and hopefully soon. As for StableBit FileSafe, well, Alex is also itching to get that started and done, also because of CloudDrive. It's the next project on the list, and should fit in VERY well with DrivePool and CloudDrive.

What OS are you using? What version of DrivePool are you using (should be listed in the bottom of the UI) Are you running any antivirus on the system? Could you do this: http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_DrivePool_Q2159701 And lastly, could you enable logging and reproduce the issue? DrivePool 1.X: http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_DrivePool_Log_Collection DrivePool 2.X: http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_DrivePool_2.x_Log_Collection And submit the logs either to "https://stablebit.com/Contact" (as there may be some senstive data exposed in the logs), or via the Box.com upload widget at the bottom of the linked pages.

Yeah, I don't usually post publically on these. Sometimes there is personal information in them, and sometimes, there is a lot of "extra" information so I can properly convey the idea to Alex (the developer). Once he's reviewed it, he'll add a public comment and change it to "feature request". You can see these and more here: http://wiki.covecube.com/Development_Status And I'm glad to hear it. Though don't forget to check out StableBit Scanner as well (as there is some communication between the two).

Probably the best bet. And it should work with either firmware, regardless.

Well, I'll pass along the suggestion for a WebUI. It's not a bad idea at all. As for the parity based solution... It may be possible to integrate that into StableBit CloudDrive, actually. Though, I'm not sure if that would require a significant change to it, or not, but it was mentioned offhanded by Alex that it may be possible. (and i'm probably saying too much here....) As for the iSCSI, yeah, the Microsoft feature is definitely confusing. But the StarWind software is very good, IIRC.

The "user folders" thing is a method that works "now", though, it's certainly not ideal. And what you've mentioned, I've specifically created a feature request for: https://stablebit.com/Admin/IssueAnalysis/14560 That's not the entire bit of what I've posted, but the important bits. So we will definitely look into it.

Well, it should follow our standard licensing model. If you own a copy any other products, you can get it at a discounted price, and multiple licenses for cheaper, as well.

Glad to hear it! And you are very welcome. If you need anything else or have any more questions, dont' hesitate to ask.

Greyhole is taking advantage of the build in linux stuff for this. At least, that is what it appears to be doing, from a quick read. We have a way to differentiate local access from network access, in the "Network IO Boost" feature. But the issue is that eats up additional CPU cycles and memory, so it may adversely affect performance, ESPECIALLY on lower end hardware (and is why it's disabled by default). Maybe we can hook into that to provide the functionality, (i've submitted the request to Alex (the developer), for review). Feature request here: https://stablebit.com/Admin/IssueAnalysis/14560 When you map the user folders to a network share, Windows is very nice here.... It creates a recycle bin ON THE SHARES for these folders. This means that if you delete files from the user folders (and only the user folders), then it will be moved to the recycle bin folder on the shares. I can absolutely confirm this behavior. And this is also set up by the "Folder Redirection" group policy on Server Essentials. And definitely works on a standard user account, if done manually. Again, this would only work for the User folders, but ... you could map your folders to main shares, such as \\SERVER\Pictures, \\SERVER\Videos, \\SERVER\Documents, etc. This would get the behavior you're looking for, actually. But this would be for the 'local machine'. It's still stored on the network, but it would only show up in the recycle bin for any system that has the folders mapped this way.

Yup, basically. The UI just provides a user interface. Everything is done by the service, itself. However, that it's not updating properly is an issue. If you see this happening again, before restarting the service, get a memory dump of it: http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_Scanner_Freeze And maybe one afterwards to compare it.

Well, if you're using the StableBit DrivePool pool locally, when you delete files, it will use the "normal" delete methods. This means that it will send it to the Windows Recycle Bit as normal. You can force delete to bypass this method, as per normal. However, the issue is when using network shares.The default action is to permanently delete. This is how Windows works, and not a behavior specific to StableBit DrivePool. Under very specific circumstances, you can "recycle" files instead of deleting them on network shares. I believe (I'm not sure, and would have to verify) that this should occur when you make files available offline (but that's not feasible for a pooled shares). But this will definitely work to that end: We could add an intermediary step here, so that files deleted over the network would go to a temp storage/recycler. WHich I think is what you're asking for. However, implementing this would be tricky at best. This would require intercepting the network deletes (and differentiating them), and then storing them. And then we'd need a way to display these deleted files. As for utilities to do this, there used to be a few, but I'm no longer able to find them. THey would monitor the network shares, and try to move files that were to be deleted. Given that they don't exist anymore, I suspect that they didn't work too well.

I have a similar card, and I was using the IT mode, but switched to RAID mode, this week, actually (system SSD failed, so I had some downtime). The mpt file is the management rom. If you don't flash this, it won't list the boot management stuff. This is fine if you never plan on booting from a RAID array. This gives you the option of creating RAID arrays (through the MegaRAID storage manager), or to just pass the disks through. If you don't create RAID arrays, it should definitely to just passing the disks through to the OS, which is what you want ideally.

Restarting the service should cause scanner to forcibly update the information. Did you remove the old mount points? If not, then you may want to do that. As for the crashing part, could you grab the error reports from the system? http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_Scanner_for_Windows_Error_Reports If rebooting the system doesn't work, then please try the beta build: http://dl.covecube.com/ScannerWindows/beta/download/StableBit.Scanner_2.5.2.3095_BETA.exe

And no, we don't support ReFS yet. It's on our "to-do" list to investigate adding it. But it may not be soon, if we do. As for the migration, it sounds more complicated than it really is. But if you want, we can set up a remote support session, and I can help you do this. But I'm glad to hear that you're really excited about our products!

Well, StableBit DrivePool and StableBit Scanner has remote management built into them. You can install the software on another computer and remotely connect to another system. http://stablebit.com/Support/DrivePool/2.X/Manual?Section=Remote%20Control As for iSCSI... it may not be as simple... but Server 2012R2 does include the feature, and you could set it up. As well...