Christopher (Drashna)

I did 2 drives with drive benders 'remove' drive.. a week later, changed the whole set in one go and am currently moving from the drivebender subdirectories on each drive into the drivepool in a propper file copy.
It will still take a week to do, but importing the full disks into drivebender had many file protection problems, and probably long name problems, the copying, so far, hasnt. i'm getting about 2 TB a day this way.
 
I am impressed how robust drivepool is, in my fidling with usb lines I've knocked drives off a few times and it put itself back in working shape very quickly.
 
win 7, 7 drives, 12 TB.

The local cache uses "sparse files".  These files can take up a very large space, or none at all, and they'll still report the same size.
This is how part of how we keep track of what chunks are used where, etc.
 
And if you right click on the file/folder, and check properties, you'll notice that it will report the size and size on disk, and these should be very different values. In fact, the "size on disk" should be closer to the local cache size.
 
However, the cache size isn't a hard limit for what can be stored on the disk.  We grow past that in the case that the cache is filled up completely.  
 
And if the cache is 'overfilled', as it uploads the data, it will reduce the size down until it hits the specified cache size. 
 
 
 
As for the deadlock issue, we are looking into this issue, as it is definitely a serious one. However, it is a very complicated issue, so we don't have a quick fix (we want to fix it properly, rather than half-assing it).

Just done exactly this. ​
 
Remove (disconnect) the pool drives.
 
Install the New OS
 
Install Drivepool
 
Connect the disks
 
Like Magic the pool will be there for you.
 
It really is this simple.

Upgrade complete. So far so good, drivepool is working.

Sounds good standing by to stand by for win 10 action

Yes.
 
I've done this on several production machines already (my NVR/blueiris box, specifically), and have had no issues with it, at all. 
 
Windows 10 is supposed to be really good about driver support, so there may not be any issues. But compiling with the Windows 10 SDK means that we can be sure of that, and it may reduce the driver's resource usage on Windows 10, and could make it faster when dealing with files.  There may also be new API's to use that are better.  
 
 
You're probably safe, but I'd still hold off just in case.  Besides, we have a full year to perform the upgrade. So there is no rush.

You are very welcome.
 
 
"As soon as possible".
 
Unfortunately, the SDK didn't "drop" until today as well, so we've not been able to do anything, with regards to supporting Windows 10.

Chris, 
 
as always as star.
 
The utility on your link work like a charm,
I had searched around and downloaded a different version that did not seem very happy with Win 8.1
(Wss.troubleshoot_2.0.0.1) but your one has done the trick.
 
Run this, and then added the new shares correctly at the appropriate levels.
 
Much better than trying the windows way..i'd started to have a go at that, and given up.
 
Folders are now happily appearing on the media centre downstairs again, and I have all my music back.
 
Thanks again.
John
 
PS, note to self, don't get greedy when there's spare slots in the server, and try and re-use old drives again. It doesnt work - Drivepool rejected it before for a reason - and wiping off the dust and putting it back in a different place does not make things better, the drive was duff - so throw it away.

Nahhh, sorry. The 4220 isn't for sale.. It's only a few months old and it's actually in use now with a 6TB pool of a few junk drives (except for the feeder disks.) I actually walked into my radio collection room this morning looking at some of my pieces. Ever since Drashna mentioned those 8TB platters my mind has been spinning.  24x8TB = what?! 
 
I honestly did not need the 4224 at the time I ordered it (about 6 months ago) but I saw no other way to upgrade the motherboard/processor/RAM in my 4220 without any downtime. Because I was working with Highpoint cards I knew I'd be running into some weird issues and it would take a few days for me to feel the warm, comforting stability fuzzies that should always accompany a new, important machine.
 
SO.. after a bit of deliberation I ordered the 4224 case and just put all of of the new components I had been collecting in that. It only took two days to be sure it was stable. I expected much worse and it could have been as I did run into the strangest freakin' problem in all my 30+ years of doing this stuff. If I didn't happen to have two identical Highpoint 2740's on hand I'd still be in limbo waiting for an RMA from Highpoint -- again. I swear, the problem was so freaking weird it's still bugging the crap out of me because I fixed the problem by swapping cards in the machines, that's all....and so I still don't know the answer....as I said before I'm by no means a hardware guy but I've built quite a few servers. 
 
I do have one of these I might be willing to part with. It's not dirt cheap though, esp. once you throw in shipping: Sans Digital 8 Bay Tower Raid  - The one I have is black.
 
Honestly you'd be better off just buying the Norco 4224. The difference in price isn't that much and you wouldn't be settling. Never settle!! I got my 4220 for $319.00 shipped from E-Bay. Not too bad. it's the ancillary items that kill ya but they can be bought and scavenged one piece at a time.
 
Off the subject kinda but exactly how I just built my new server with limited resources (granted,over a shorter period of time but same concept as below:)
 
Whenever I've wanted something I couldn't afford outright (I DETEST credit cards) I try and buy it in pieces (whenever possible.) About 10 years ago I had a dream of having a BIG radio tower in my backyard. And if you want a big freestanding radio tower (no guy wires) in a residential area, well,  they are far from inexpensive. Almost impossibly so-for-the-average-joe.
 
Sooo... I bought one 10 ft section of tower at a time over a period of about three years all the while keeping my eyes open for all of the other components I needed for the project. When you're not in a hurry it makes all the difference in the world. An example was the rotor I needed to point/rotate the antenna array on top of the tower. New they cost more than $800 and are built like garbage compared to the old American made stuff. I ended up buying one that was manufactured in 1976, off of E-Bay for 75.00. It was a bit rough but it was all original and it did still sorta work. I then sent it out to a shop to be refurbished, told him to take his time and got it back about a month later, absolutely better than new for about $250.00 total.. Rinse and repeat until the seemingly impossible became possible!!
 
~RF
 
 
...sorry about the babbling. 

I use Crashplan....Have all the home photos and videos up there..Also have a second HP micro sever mirroring the (main) home stuff folders.
 
Plus duplication of said files and folders on Main.

Contender?  I think he's more like THE KING.  
 
Then again I've been contemplating a Drivepool install at work and I could see it getting pretty darn close with our CAD guys workload and/or our backups system.  But for home use, I think Drashna is the winner ATM. 
 
I was just reading some reviews on those 8TB drives --- are they really that much slower in your experience?
 
I use all of the heat equalization features in Drivepool but it also appears to me that some slots simply have better cooling than others(?)... now If I could get a handle on which drive is in which slot in the enclosure I could test that theory out and put the handful of 7200's I popped in the pool in those slots. When I swapped out four 5900RPM drives to otherwise identical 7200 RPM drives (in the 4220 enclosure) the temps went up a few degrees across the board. I have a bank of drives that simply stay between 77-85 and will not get any hotter.
 
I need to spend the time that you did, Drashna, identifying and labeling the drives... which I should have done when I moved most of the drives from the 4220 into the 4224. The only reason I didn't was because I was in a hurry to get th e machine back online......and for the record, THANKFULLY, the 4220 drive caddies slide right into the 4224 chassis.  I was dreading all of those little tiny screws.
 
I do have one five TB Seagate that I yanked out of an external enclosure and popped in my pool.  I don't think they sold too many 5TB drives... 
 
~RF

Use Western Digital's application WDIDLE3 to set the head park to "never".
NOTE, you are flashing the drive, and there's always a chance of something going wrong. Make sure you have backups.
 
http://support.wdc.com/product/download.asp?groupid=609&sid=113
 
I had some drives that Scanner was warning me about the heat on. Then I started getting warnings about other drives in the pool. Turns out the two original drives I was getting the warnings on were failing, and for whatever reason just before they died they started making my other drives overheat. I'd take it as a warning sign if you have a drive with a high load count overheating.

Alex is actively working on the issue, but it is a very, very complicated issue.  
 
I'll bug him about it, though. 
 
Also, the above link (this one: https://stablebit.com/Admin/IssueAnalysis/17719)is where alex will post any status updates, including whien it's fixed (as well as the version number of the fixed version) 
And I'll definitely let you know as soon as we have a fix for it. 

For both of you, one thing that may help, is throttling the SMART queries. We do run these pretty often, as it usually shouldn't be an issue. But for some drives/controller combinations, it can cause issues. 
 
http://stablebit.com/Support/Scanner/2.X/Manual?Section=SMART
You can throttle how often the queries occur, or set them to only occur during the work/scanning window.  That may help with the LCC increasing.
 
 
This has become the most important aspect when purchasing drives for me. How long they are covered for is more important than any other aspect, IMO.

I can't see any reason to replace the 80MM's with 120's if you're not worried about noise.  I actually kind of find it silly to cram that many drives into an enclosure and struggle to keep it quiet.  That many drives so close together needs serious cooling.  
 
The stock fans though are definitely inadequate for anything other than a very cool data center and I am being forced to either leave the A/C in my house at 73-ish while I'm not there or replace the two 80's in the rear of the 4224 with the Tornados.  About 1/2 throttle is getting the job done nicely on my 4220.
 
Yeah, those 80's sure do move some air...  about 85CFM IIRC. That's just nuts from such a small fan.
 
Do your 8TB platters run any hotter than your 4's??
 
~RF

On my 4220 I use three 120MM Delta "screamers" and two 80MM Tornado's in the rear, all in parallel running through this guy:  http://goo.gl/yDXnXS
 
I drilled a small hole in the front plate where the slim DVD drive would go and mounted the variable control. 
 
I found that with two 80MM Tornado's for exhaust you could lose all the fans on the fan plate with a fully populated enclosure and still be OK..
 
....of course you'd be deaf if the server was anywhere near you but for applications where sound isn't an issue these Tornado's can't be beat for airflow. (And longevity from what I've read -- apparently they last forever.) I've got two extras sitting here waiting to go in WOPR if need be.
 
My servers are in the basement and my drives in the 4224 are running between 80-102 with the A/C in the house set at 73.That's OK but much higher than the 85-90 I like to sit at.
 
I think if I leave the house for more than a day or two, with the A/C set at 77-79 I'm going to have issues with the stock 4224.
 
The 4220 with the Delta's and Tornados, with no A/C on in the house, the drives run between 71-90.  Absolutely perfect temp IMO..
 
~RF
 
4224 W/ Stock Cooling.  Room Temp 73F
 

Alright thanks.    Maybe I won't need to worry about it too long when I get that new controller card.

Hi not sure if this helps or not but if you have iTunes installed there is a known problem that causes this you even if your using another player, anyway what you have to do is load QuickTime up go to preferences and change the playback mode to safe mode you may have to do this a number of times as it doesn't always stick then reboot and it does stop it mine used to pause for a few seconds at the beginning of each song very annoying but the above did solve it if you google iTunes playback stuttering there are other solutions as well.

Ah, okay.
 
I've flagged the issue for Alex:
https://stablebit.com/Admin/IssueAnalysis/17734
 
As for the IO deadlock (that's not entirely accurate, as to what is going on), that shouldn't affect the local disk storage, but may affect the file storage one. And it's a complicated issue, that Alex is working hard on try to fix.

This is a complicated answer actually. Unfortunately.
 
Since you're using WHS2011... it depends on how long. Older versions of DrivePool don't properly identify the different pools, so if you connect the drives into the other system, it may merge the pools. (I experienced this first hand recently, actually).
 
However, if the pools are "newer", they should include the proper identifiers. In this case, as soon as you connect the additional disks, it will see the disks and create a secondary pool, without any problems.
 
 
 
If the first happens, ... or if you just want to "prep' the disks just in case this happens, the process is rather simple and there is absolutely no formatting required.
In this case, deactivate and uninstall StableBit DrivePool from the system you're going to decommission.  Once you've done that, enable "show hidden files" on the system.  Find the "PoolPart.xxxxx" folder on one of the drives.  Move the content of this folder into the root of the disk (eg, out of the PoolPart.xxxxx folder).  Repeat this for all of the drives in the pool. Shut down the system, and remove the drives. Put the drives into the new system (shutting down the system first, if necessary). Add the disks to a new pool. "Seed" the pool (this should like similar, as it's essentially the opposite of what you've done:http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_DrivePool_Q4142489

There is no problem with that. 
 
 
However, myself and various other members do use these beta builds in production. 
And for the most part, they are fairly stable. They're released in responses to specific issues, for the most part.  But if you're weary, then please hold off.

Still running good with these settings: http://atsoftware.de/2014/07/snapraid-and-drivepool-on-windows-server-2012-r2-essentials/

Do this:
http://wiki.covecube.com/StableBit_DrivePool_Q7200705B
 
Specifically, the info here is pulled from the Windows Search service.  This service sometimes has issues. Rebuilding the index should fix the issue in the dashboard.

Well, that would do it, as well.
And at least that link points you to where the settings are.

ha, well hopefully with a new board it will get past bios with the RAID card in the second PCI-E slot  (both cards work perfectly in my current board's first PCI-E slot); and i've bought a "better" board