Can't Add Disks to Pool or reformat [SOLVED]

HarryHUK · November 19, 2020, 12:07am

Hi,

I’ve just installed RockStor 3.9.1 on my new build (which powered up first time, and installed ok once I left alone things I didn’t understand… )

I’m trying to re-use some disks which used to be in my ReadyNAS. (mdraid/BTRFS), but I can’t create a new pool with them. When I go to the Disks page, they don’t have a gear icon to re-format them, but an info icon (‘i’ in a circle) with a tooltip that says

Mdraid member (UI pending)

Looks like I have to drop to system shell to wipe them?

HarryHUK · November 19, 2020, 1:20am

Sorted. dd to butcher the partitions, although fdisk probably would have been better. I didn’t really need to write zeroes or random data. Then the disks had ‘?’ icons against them, but I could at least get
to the Disk Role Configuration page to wipe them, and then I could create a (Rockstor) Raid1 pool with them.

phillxnet · November 19, 2020, 5:35pm

@HarryHUK Hello again.
Re:

Yes we have an outstanding doc issue to address this with our ‘official’ mdraid member wipe process that we have yet to integrate into the docs.:

github.com/rockstor/rockstor-doc

improve mdraid content re re-deployed prior mdraid drives

opened 04:48PM - 20 May 16 UTC

phillxnet

Thanks to @elmcrest in the following forum thread for influencing this issue cre…ation: https://forum.rockstor.com/t/solved-disks-failing-with-badge-disk-is-a-mdraid-member/1210/12?u=phillxnet Now we have the 'advanced' mdraid system disk howto we need to clarify that this mdraid capability is only supported for the system drive and offer up a howto on re-purposing mdraid members as Rockstor btrfs data drives. Ie detail the commands required to erase mdraid member status inherited from previous NAS deployments. ie BIG WARNING THAT ALL DATA WILL BE LOST PERMANENTLY and then (for example): ``` yum install mdadm mdadm --stop /dev/md0 mdadm --zero-superblock /dev/vdb mdadm --zero-superblock /dev/vdc ``` And finally a 'Rescan' in disk page to refresh Rockstor's knowledge of the devices mdraid member status change. This Rescan mdraid member status change is functional as of 3.8-13.11, via pr: https://github.com/rockstor/rockstor-core/pull/1314 Some initial investigation of the mdX device name may also be required, ie ``` cat /proc/mdstat ```

to which I have added a comment linking back to this forum thread in case folks find your particular work around more amenable :).

Mdraid can be pretty persistent.

As always pull requests on our GitHub doc repo:

are always welcome.

Thanks for sharing your findings and work around. Much appreciated.

HarryHUK · November 19, 2020, 5:43pm

fdisk was a lot easier to delete the partitions, after a combination of

ls -la /dev/sd*

and

df -h

and

btrfs fi us

to make sure I was wiping the right disks (after getting the wrong miniSAS to 4x-sata breakout cable, the right one arrived today, and I could add my other 2 4TB drives)