Problems With RAID Getting Degradded
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From: "Jeff Teel" jdteel on 28 Jun 2010 21:06 I have a Dell Poweredge SC 1420 that has SBS 2003 running on it. It is not a heavy use machine and has just 5 users that at most could have just 4 people logged on at the same time. I recently had what I thought was a HD failure because the server seemed to loose network connectivity so I went to logon to the server desktop and could not because I could not get the logon screen to come up. The mouse moved but that was it. I then powered the system down by holding the power button in and restarted in safe mode, opened RSM and seen there had been a drive failure reported in the event log. I decided to purchase two new drives and make the C partition bigger because the original RAID 1 config only had a 20GB partition. I clean installed the OS (SBS 2003 SP1) and let it run for a few days with out getting it completely updated with MS updates and it ran fine. It booted quickly and didn't freeze or become unresponsive during that time. At that point I had not set up any Users or Computers because I wanted to see how everything was going to run. After a few days I did a restore of one of my backups. After the restore completed and the server restarted it got to Applying Computer Settings and that was it. I gave it a good two hours but it did not get past applying computer settings. I then powered the system down "held the power button in" and restarted in safe mode but during the BIOS boot time the RAID had been degraded. Both drives were optimal. I guess my question would be is there a service that is trashing the RAID that is not in the clean install that anyone may be aware of ? The days before this all started there had been not updates of any kind for Windows applied. Only Trend definitions. It seems to be very much like the problem with PowerChute Business Edition which needed updated a few years back because of an outdated certificate I believe only this seems to cause RAID problems too. I am able to rebuild the RAID and then boot again into Safe Mode and see that the array is ok. Thanks for any suggestions you may have. Jeff
From: Al Williams on 29 Jun 2010 10:52 What sort of backup did you restore? Was it just data or an older full backup? If it was full did you boot up in DSRM mode first (if not, that may explain the large delay if you had NIC issues). Your RAID may have become degraded simply due to hitting the power button. -- Allan Williams Jeff Teel wrote: > I have a Dell Poweredge SC 1420 that has SBS 2003 running on it. It > is not a heavy use machine and has just 5 users that at most could > have just 4 people logged on at the same time. I recently had what I > thought was a HD failure because the server seemed to loose network > connectivity so I went to logon to the server desktop and could not > because I could not get the logon screen to come up. The mouse moved > but that was it. I then powered the system down by holding the power > button in and restarted in safe mode, opened RSM and seen there had > been a drive failure reported in the event log. I decided to purchase > two new drives and make the C partition bigger because the original > RAID 1 config only had a 20GB partition. I clean installed the OS > (SBS 2003 SP1) and let it run for a few days with out getting it > completely updated with MS updates and it ran fine. It booted quickly > and didn't freeze or become unresponsive during that time. At that > point I had not set up any Users or Computers because I wanted to see > how everything was going to run. After a few days I did a restore of > one of my backups. After the restore completed and the server > restarted it got to Applying Computer Settings and that was it. I > gave it a good two hours but it did not get past applying computer > settings. I then powered the system down "held the power button in" > and restarted in safe mode but during the BIOS boot time the RAID had > been degraded. Both drives were optimal. I guess my question would be > is there a service that is trashing the RAID that is not in the clean > install that anyone may be aware of ? The days before this all > started there had been not updates of any kind for Windows applied. > Only Trend definitions. It seems to be very much like the problem > with PowerChute Business Edition which needed updated a few years > back because of an outdated certificate I believe only this seems to > cause RAID problems too. I am able to rebuild the RAID and then boot > again into Safe Mode and see that the array is ok. > Thanks for any suggestions you may have. > > Jeff
From: JT on 29 Jun 2010 14:37 My restore was a full OS backup done with the SBS backup program. I moved the backup to the server D drive to do the restore. I booted into the Restore Active Directory optition to do that. The degradding of the array happens before I had to "kill" the OS. Thanks Jeff "Al Williams" wrote: > What sort of backup did you restore? Was it just data or an older full > backup? If it was full did you boot up in DSRM mode first (if not, that may > explain the large delay if you had NIC issues). > > Your RAID may have become degraded simply due to hitting the power button. > > -- > Allan Williams > > > > > Jeff Teel wrote: > > I have a Dell Poweredge SC 1420 that has SBS 2003 running on it. It > > is not a heavy use machine and has just 5 users that at most could > > have just 4 people logged on at the same time. I recently had what I > > thought was a HD failure because the server seemed to loose network > > connectivity so I went to logon to the server desktop and could not > > because I could not get the logon screen to come up. The mouse moved > > but that was it. I then powered the system down by holding the power > > button in and restarted in safe mode, opened RSM and seen there had > > been a drive failure reported in the event log. I decided to purchase > > two new drives and make the C partition bigger because the original > > RAID 1 config only had a 20GB partition. I clean installed the OS > > (SBS 2003 SP1) and let it run for a few days with out getting it > > completely updated with MS updates and it ran fine. It booted quickly > > and didn't freeze or become unresponsive during that time. At that > > point I had not set up any Users or Computers because I wanted to see > > how everything was going to run. After a few days I did a restore of > > one of my backups. After the restore completed and the server > > restarted it got to Applying Computer Settings and that was it. I > > gave it a good two hours but it did not get past applying computer > > settings. I then powered the system down "held the power button in" > > and restarted in safe mode but during the BIOS boot time the RAID had > > been degraded. Both drives were optimal. I guess my question would be > > is there a service that is trashing the RAID that is not in the clean > > install that anyone may be aware of ? The days before this all > > started there had been not updates of any kind for Windows applied. > > Only Trend definitions. It seems to be very much like the problem > > with PowerChute Business Edition which needed updated a few years > > back because of an outdated certificate I believe only this seems to > > cause RAID problems too. I am able to rebuild the RAID and then boot > > again into Safe Mode and see that the array is ok. > > Thanks for any suggestions you may have. > > > > Jeff > > > . >
From: Al Williams on 29 Jun 2010 14:47 I would look at the drive cables - I've seen issues with flakey SATA cables especially. Also verify you are running the latest RAID drivers. The firmware on the drvies themselves can also be an issue, so maybe check that as well (Seagate had a problem a few years back). -- Allan Williams JT wrote: > My restore was a full OS backup done with the SBS backup program. I > moved the backup to the server D drive to do the restore. I booted > into the Restore Active Directory optition to do that. > > The degradding of the array happens before I had to "kill" the OS. > > Thanks > Jeff > > > > "Al Williams" wrote: > >> What sort of backup did you restore? Was it just data or an older >> full backup? If it was full did you boot up in DSRM mode first (if >> not, that may explain the large delay if you had NIC issues). >> >> Your RAID may have become degraded simply due to hitting the power >> button. >> >> -- >> Allan Williams >> >> >> >> >> Jeff Teel wrote: >>> I have a Dell Poweredge SC 1420 that has SBS 2003 running on it. It >>> is not a heavy use machine and has just 5 users that at most could >>> have just 4 people logged on at the same time. I recently had what I >>> thought was a HD failure because the server seemed to loose network >>> connectivity so I went to logon to the server desktop and could not >>> because I could not get the logon screen to come up. The mouse moved >>> but that was it. I then powered the system down by holding the power >>> button in and restarted in safe mode, opened RSM and seen there had >>> been a drive failure reported in the event log. I decided to >>> purchase two new drives and make the C partition bigger because the >>> original RAID 1 config only had a 20GB partition. I clean installed >>> the OS (SBS 2003 SP1) and let it run for a few days with out >>> getting it completely updated with MS updates and it ran fine. It >>> booted quickly and didn't freeze or become unresponsive during that >>> time. At that point I had not set up any Users or Computers because >>> I wanted to see how everything was going to run. After a few days I >>> did a restore of one of my backups. After the restore completed and >>> the server restarted it got to Applying Computer Settings and that >>> was it. I gave it a good two hours but it did not get past applying >>> computer settings. I then powered the system down "held the power >>> button in" and restarted in safe mode but during the BIOS boot time >>> the RAID had been degraded. Both drives were optimal. I guess my >>> question would be is there a service that is trashing the RAID that >>> is not in the clean install that anyone may be aware of ? The days >>> before this all started there had been not updates of any kind for >>> Windows applied. Only Trend definitions. It seems to be very much >>> like the problem with PowerChute Business Edition which needed >>> updated a few years back because of an outdated certificate I >>> believe only this seems to cause RAID problems too. I am able to >>> rebuild the RAID and then boot again into Safe Mode and see that >>> the array is ok. >>> Thanks for any suggestions you may have. >>> >>> Jeff >> >> >> .
From: JT on 29 Jun 2010 15:31
When I put the new drives in I used the new cables that came with them so I would hope that they would be good! There is always a chance one could be bad but I am able to repair "I think that's the correct term" the RAID and it works fine with the clean install but then when I restore the backup of the OS thats when things go bad. The two new drives are Seagate drives so I will check the firmware on them though as well as the drivers. Thanks Jeff "Al Williams" wrote: > I would look at the drive cables - I've seen issues with flakey SATA cables > especially. Also verify you are running the latest RAID drivers. The > firmware on the drvies themselves can also be an issue, so maybe check that > as well (Seagate had a problem a few years back). > > -- > Allan Williams > > > > > JT wrote: > > My restore was a full OS backup done with the SBS backup program. I > > moved the backup to the server D drive to do the restore. I booted > > into the Restore Active Directory optition to do that. > > > > The degradding of the array happens before I had to "kill" the OS. > > > > Thanks > > Jeff > > > > > > > > "Al Williams" wrote: > > > >> What sort of backup did you restore? Was it just data or an older > >> full backup? If it was full did you boot up in DSRM mode first (if > >> not, that may explain the large delay if you had NIC issues). > >> > >> Your RAID may have become degraded simply due to hitting the power > >> button. > >> > >> -- > >> Allan Williams > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> Jeff Teel wrote: > >>> I have a Dell Poweredge SC 1420 that has SBS 2003 running on it. It > >>> is not a heavy use machine and has just 5 users that at most could > >>> have just 4 people logged on at the same time. I recently had what I > >>> thought was a HD failure because the server seemed to loose network > >>> connectivity so I went to logon to the server desktop and could not > >>> because I could not get the logon screen to come up. The mouse moved > >>> but that was it. I then powered the system down by holding the power > >>> button in and restarted in safe mode, opened RSM and seen there had > >>> been a drive failure reported in the event log. I decided to > >>> purchase two new drives and make the C partition bigger because the > >>> original RAID 1 config only had a 20GB partition. I clean installed > >>> the OS (SBS 2003 SP1) and let it run for a few days with out > >>> getting it completely updated with MS updates and it ran fine. It > >>> booted quickly and didn't freeze or become unresponsive during that > >>> time. At that point I had not set up any Users or Computers because > >>> I wanted to see how everything was going to run. After a few days I > >>> did a restore of one of my backups. After the restore completed and > >>> the server restarted it got to Applying Computer Settings and that > >>> was it. I gave it a good two hours but it did not get past applying > >>> computer settings. I then powered the system down "held the power > >>> button in" and restarted in safe mode but during the BIOS boot time > >>> the RAID had been degraded. Both drives were optimal. I guess my > >>> question would be is there a service that is trashing the RAID that > >>> is not in the clean install that anyone may be aware of ? The days > >>> before this all started there had been not updates of any kind for > >>> Windows applied. Only Trend definitions. It seems to be very much > >>> like the problem with PowerChute Business Edition which needed > >>> updated a few years back because of an outdated certificate I > >>> believe only this seems to cause RAID problems too. I am able to > >>> rebuild the RAID and then boot again into Safe Mode and see that > >>> the array is ok. > >>> Thanks for any suggestions you may have. > >>> > >>> Jeff > >> > >> > >> . > > > . > |