Gentoo Forums
Gentoo Forums
Gentoo Forums
Quick Search: in
strange reboot restoring a raid software array
View unanswered posts
View posts from last 24 hours

 
Reply to topic    Gentoo Forums Forum Index Kernel & Hardware
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Flebool
n00b
n00b


Joined: 13 Sep 2004
Posts: 26

PostPosted: Mon Aug 14, 2006 10:38 pm    Post subject: strange reboot restoring a raid software array Reply with quote

I have a ASRock 939Dual-SATA2 mobo, and the bios had a certain difficulty recognizing the discs.(for solution, go to http://forums.techpowerup.com/archive/index.php/t-9420.html ).

Beacause of this, I corrupted a raid1 array, since the machine booted recognizing only one disc of the two that built up a RAID1 array.
The output of /proc/mdstat at that moment was:

Code:

Personalities : [raid1]
md1 : active raid1 sdb1[1] sda1[0]
     128384 blocks [2/2] [UU]

md3 : active raid1 sdb3[1]
     11727360 blocks [2/1] [_U]

md4 : active raid1 sdb4[1]
     186297664 blocks [2/1] [_U]

unused devices: <none>


for the curios, md1 was not corrupted since it is the /boot partition that i usually don't mount.

i rebooted the machine, and this time it recognized all two hard discs. than I started recovering the arrays with the two commands:

mdadm /dev/md4 --add /dev/sda4
mdadm /dev/md3 --add /dev/sda3

after a while, /proc/mdstat (gently posted to my box mail :-)) was:
Code:

Personalities : [raid1]
md1 : active raid1 sdb1[1] sda1[0]
     128384 blocks [2/2] [UU]

md3 : active raid1 sda3[2] sdb3[1]
     11727360 blocks [2/1] [_U]
       resync=DELAYED

md4 : active raid1 sda4[0] sdb4[1]
     186297664 blocks [2/1] [_U]
     [====>................]  recovery = 21.1% (39330048/186297664) finish=37.6min speed=65124K/sec

unused devices: <none>


After that, I left the PC alone, got back after about 10 hours, and the machine had rebooted (I'm sure nobody touched it) and it was in kernel panic(complaining wasn't able to mount the root partion) with this message a few lines upper:
Code:

raid1: no operational mirrors for md3


just upper, I see that md4 is operation "with 1 out of 2 mirrors"

the kernel panic is because of the fact it can't mount /dev/md3 as root partition because it is part of an array that is COMPLETELY BROKEN.

I've decided to solve the problem this way:
1-boot from the live-cd
2-re-create the arrays
3-reboot without live-cd


the REAL problem, is the reason of such an happening!I have no idea about why the machine rebooted and one of the three arrays are broken! Last time i recovered these arrays I had no problems(and the PC didn't reboot alone)! Another thing to note, is that this is the second strange disc failure in about 20 days on a new PC! the first one is documented here (there I describe deeply the config), maybe it gives some hints!

https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-486283.html

please help, I'm considering the idea to buy a new PC, can't tolerate any new incredible problems on this mission-critical PC.

Thanks in advance,

Flebool.
_________________
----------
Flebool
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
sageman
Guru
Guru


Joined: 04 May 2005
Posts: 363
Location: New Hampshire

PostPosted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 7:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You very well could have a bad harddrive. Hopefully it's under warranty :)

Sure you didn't get a power outtage and it rebooted because of that? I get those often enough (damn horrible US power!).
_________________
Carlton Stedman
Gentoo Metalheads on Last.fm: http://www.last.fm/group/Gentoo+Metalheads
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Flebool
n00b
n00b


Joined: 13 Sep 2004
Posts: 26

PostPosted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 10:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sorry for the late reply...

no, I've checked the drives, and dmesg doesn't report any errors about that...

About the power outtage, it was my first think. The problem is that in the same room I have other 2 PCs, that didn't reboot....

Anyway, I've found out why arrays get broken. The Problem (I thought I had solved it, read the top of previous post) is in the bios. as reported here (scroll down):

http://forums.techpowerup.com/archive/index.php/t-9420.html

this motherboard has problems recognizing hard disks at boot. Sometimes, it doesn't recognize hd at all. Because of this, the system happens to boot with 1 of 2 raid devices, corrupting the arrays...

It's quite annoying.. in the link reported upper, someone found a trick, but it doesn't work for me... I'me thinking the problem may be in the hd connectors.. In particoular DC connector doesn't seem very firm...

thanks,
_________________
----------
Flebool
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Gentoo Forums Forum Index Kernel & Hardware All times are GMT
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum