Christopher (Drashna)

Well, if the file still ended with a ".log" extension, then that may be why it didn't let you attach the file. And I've flagged the issue for alex here: https://stablebit.com/Admin/IssueAnalysis/5237

Could you grab the logs from "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Server\Logs" and attach them here, or open up a ticket and attach them there: https://stablebit.com/Contact

You are correct that Windows Server 2008 is last Windows Server OS that supports 32-bit. Though, out of curiosity, why not use Windows 7 32-bit or Windows 8 32-bit? Could you go to "%temp%" on the system and grab the "StableBit DrivePool" logs from there and either attach them here, or open a ticket at https://stablebit.com/Contact ? In theory, there should be no issue with StableBit DrivePool installing on the system. Also, is this a clean image from Microsoft? If not.. that could be why. Either way, running "sfc /scannow" may be a good idea here.

Well, as long as the user data for at least one administrator account is left on the system disk, then it should be okay. Just make sure that the account is not disabled, just in case you run into issues with the pool. Aside from that, as long as real time duplication is enabled, I believe you should be fine.

Double check that all the "Windows Server" services are started (run "services.msc"). It sounds like one or more of the services are not actually started. Additionally, you can disable specific add-ins tabs on the dashboard (either by remoting in and running the "Dashboard (Safe Mode)" link, or by using the options menu on the login app to "select which add-in's to load" option.)

Could you run the following command? msiexec /i "C:\Path\to\DrivePool.SSDOptimizerPlugin.Setup_1.0.2.3_x64.msi" /L*V "C:\DrivePool.SSD.log" And then attach the log here? (changing the path for the installer) Also, make sure that the "Archive Optimizer" balancer is not installed on the system.

If StableBit Scanner is having issues uninstalling, then please follow this: http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_Scanner_Q8964978

Then it looks like you'll need to use the "UnsafeDirectIo" option. And don't worry here. On a lot of controllers, enabling the option has had little impact, if any. It's just that SOME controllers do. Please do enable it. If you see any issues after doing so, then definitely disable it. But I'm pretty sure that you shouldn't. Also, just FYI, my card (in addition to being an m1115, which is virtually identical), uses the 2.0.60.83 drivers, and the 15.00.00.00 firmware. No BIOS, as I didn't flash that (the management ROM) And it passes on the data using "AtaPassThrough"

Try it on the card, without selecting a specific method. Just select the "UnsafeDirectIo" option. If that gets the "SMART Attributes" in the "DirectIO" section, then you'll need to enable that option in the advanced settings: http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_Scanner_Advanced_Settings Though, as I said in the other thread, it's odd that it may require the Unsafe directIO as I have a very similar card (m1115 flashed to IT but no management firmware) and I don't need this option, at all.

I would highly recommend against this. Specifically, because some of the user data is required by the recovery/repair features. And since that doesn't load DrivePool.... that data will not be accessible when you run the recovery stuff. And that means that you may not be able to log in to fix your system. While this may be more of an "edge case", it's something that is very important.

Well, the fan thing would be a real problem them. As for the IBM m1015, that's ... odd. I have the m1115 "cross flashed" as well, though I didn't flash the management ROM as well.... But it gets the SMART data without the Unsafe DirectIo option. But it sounds like that may be needed, in your case.

If there was significant damage to the file system, then yes, it could "delete" the damaged files. You may be able to run data recovery to get the files back, if nothing else has been written to the disk. And no, StableBit DrivePool doesn't require the system to be on all the time. You can absolutely leave it off for long periods of time. Though I would recommend letting it settle first (finish balancing and duplication), and then turn it off.

Glad to hear it! And yeah, that flexibility with the drives is very nice. Though, if they're older drives, you may want to make sure that the drives are healthy (hint hint: StableBit Scanner)

No, DrivePool should not ever corrupt files. In fact, that's our #1 concern. We try to make sure that there are no conditions that will adversely affect your data. However, based on the error you've reported, it looks like that StableBit DrivePool is having issues accessing the files on one or more of your disks. I would recommend running chkdsk on your drives, as that may fix the issue. (on the disks in the pool, not the DrivePool volume). Additionally, StableBit DrivePool 2.1.0.558 was officially released today. I'd recommend updating to that, and see if it fixes your issues. https://stablebit.com/DrivePool/Download

To be honest, I'd be more concerned about CFM and dB for the fans. Get whichever has the better balance between those, regardless of the size (as long as they'll fit). And nice Noctua fans. Also, what controllers cards are those?

Well, I'm glad to hear that you figured out what the issue was. Hopefully, no more issues with the Pool in the future.

It's still on the to-do list,

Well, glad that worked for you. It doesn't always. And the "OS Reinstall" part, is because that's what the tool is designed for. But specifically, it "re-shares" the folders automatically for you, and will "update" the location, if needed.

Ah, sorry that I misinterpreted what was going on. Chkdsk won't work on the DrivePool disk. It's a virtual drive, and not actually there. Therefore, chkdsk will fail. Outright. Though, this relates to the issue directly.... All the files are stored on the "PoolPart.xxx" folders on each disk. StableBit DrivePool just grabs the contents of the folders and displays them. If they're not showing up on the pool.... check the folders on the disks themselves. But if it's not showing up in the Pool, they may not be on the disks. I'd recommend checking the event viewer's "System" section and see if there are any "disk" errors or warnings. And to run a chkdsk on disks that make up the pool, not the pool directly.

Run the WSS Troubleshooter after changing the drive letter. http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_DrivePool_Utilities Use the "Restore DrivePool Shares" option. If that doesn't work, it's not as simple then..... Registry editing, or other "trickery"

Data recovery. Basically the partition table is damaged (critically) and can't access the data. You'd need to either find a tool to repair this issue, or run data recovery to recover the files off of the disk (all the files are stored in a hidden "PoolPart.xxxx" folder, so you can easily recover them). Sorry.

As many as you can connect. As far as I'm aware, there isn't a hard limit at all. IIRC, Alex (the developer) has ~20 drives connected to one of his systems without issue. And I believe I've seen users with 20-30 HDDs attached. If you do encounter any issues with either product, then let us know, and we'll see about fixing it.

It ... could be, but I'm not sure. In theory, Scanner shouldn't be pinging optical drives. That would totally bottleneck access! (12.5MB/s max theoretical, vs 125MB/s for gigabit, so .... yeah) And absolutely no problem. But I'm glad I could point you in the right direction there.

Yup, that's the guide for it. Since both WHSv1's Drive Extender and StableBit DrivePool use normal NTFS volumes... this process shouldn't take more than an hour or so, depending on how much data you have.

Well, if you're not sleeping the system, the GFX driver shouldn't matter. Though... you never know. But updating drivers is usually a good first step when troubleshooting issues or performance. As is firmware (motherboard, controller cards, etc). And I totally feel you on the Patch Tuesday. "Oh, I need to reboot to test this real quick." "Installing updates.... X out of 20". NOO! And as for that link, that's based on a couple years worth of troubleshooting performance issues. Oh, and something else that could affect performance here: Antivirus on the "server" machine. As most use a file system filter to intercept file access.... it can adversely affect DrivePool. usually excluding all the "PoolPart" folders helps though.