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Archive 2016 · G-Raid Drive Failure....aargh

  
 
Pyrat
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · G-Raid Drive Failure....aargh


Have a G-Tech USB Raid, 12TB, arranged with 2 6TB in a Raid 0. Was about 80% of the way through a backup (to a second identically configured array) when at least one of the two original drives went out, status light is a constant Red, and it can no longer support file transfer.

I have reached out to the authorized disk repair orgs that G-Tech recommends and found pricing to be quite high - $800 to start, as much as $4500 to recover.

Has anyone found a more reasonably priced option, or perhaps an disk repair application that is worth trying?



Dec 05, 2016 at 02:13 PM
JBPhotog
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · G-Raid Drive Failure....aargh


Have you run disk first aid? Or better yet, Disk Warrior, assuming you are on a Mac?

Onyx is also a great free app that can do some maintenance.

Failing that, it looks like recovery may be your option.

This is one of the main reasons I gave up on RAID. I didn't need the slight performance boost RAID 0 gave me and it doubles the chances of drive failure when employing two drives to do the job of one.



Dec 05, 2016 at 02:35 PM
15Bit
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · G-Raid Drive Failure....aargh


So your primary file store corrupted your backup file store by dying during a backup process?

As you have now discovered, RAID 0 is not a good option if you want reliability. I would never use a RAID 0 for anything except temp storage. And nowadays i would do that on an SSD anyway.



Dec 05, 2016 at 02:58 PM
Pyrat
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · G-Raid Drive Failure....aargh


Yes, you are both correct (all three if you include my wife), I am an idiot. It was always on my mind to convert to a raid1 (or raid 5, as my very tech savvy friend is constantly on me about) but, other things intervened, and I am reaping what I sowed.

Now, good news - G-Tech support was able to diagnose the issue, and identified this as an enclosure (not drive) related problem - they are advance shipping a new enclosure (warranty) that should address the problem.

Initial conversation prior to diagnosis recommended Disk Warrior as well - but - JB, if you don't mind me asking, if you don't use an array for storage, how do you backup your files?

Now if I can solve the operator error of my ways, and make the commitment to conversion to true Raid, this should prevent future meltdowns. Thank you both for your insights.



Dec 05, 2016 at 04:00 PM
schlotz
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · G-Raid Drive Failure....aargh


Just remember, RAID really isn't a true backup solution. RAID-5 can fail as well (multiple disks going) and if it happens you will be in the same predicament.
Obviously it's far better than RAID-0 but the issue isn't prevented just by going to 5.



Dec 05, 2016 at 04:16 PM
killersnowman
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · G-Raid Drive Failure....aargh


Have you tried using SpinRite? It has recovered data from raids for me before. Definitely depends on the failure but its worth a try


Dec 05, 2016 at 04:33 PM
Pyrat
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · G-Raid Drive Failure....aargh


ONe other solution that has been both hailed as a salvation and derided as a proprietary tech nightmare is Drobo - I was seriously considering that option, but got scared with the number of users that experienced failure noted that it was not recoverable by any technology.
Anyone using that lately? Has that solution improved?



Dec 05, 2016 at 04:39 PM
schlotz
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · G-Raid Drive Failure....aargh


Unfortunately we always get to read about failures but very seldom the opposite thus the perception of complaints amounting to large percentages when in reality it's just the opposite. Without a doubt there are trade offs between standard raid solutions and the drobo. At the end of the day the individual has to determine what's right for their situation. Personally, I employ a three stage process. Main computer with large storage space, Drobo 5D which contains copies of all files on the computer AND a stand alone set of drives where the same files are copied to and then stored off site and rotated periodically.


Dec 05, 2016 at 07:36 PM
sjms
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · G-Raid Drive Failure....aargh


Pyrat wrote:
ONe other solution that has been both hailed as a salvation and derided as a proprietary tech nightmare is Drobo - I was seriously considering that option, but got scared with the number of users that experienced failure noted that it was not recoverable by any technology.
Anyone using that lately? Has that solution improved?


i've been using Drobo for near 10 years now. started out with gen 2, S and currently the 5D. i have in that time lost 2 drives and easily replaced them. the S model is still running fine at a friends house. primarily the "nightmare" was usually the end user. 2 disc failures over time and upgrades. sorry i must have the touch. i don't even know its there most of the time until i access it.



Dec 05, 2016 at 08:11 PM
mitesh
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · G-Raid Drive Failure....aargh


sjms wrote:
i've been using Drobo for near 10 years now. started out with gen 2, S and currently the 5D. i have in that time lost 2 drives and easily replaced them. the S model is still running fine at a friends house. primarily the "nightmare" was usually the end user. 2 disc failures over time and upgrades. sorry i must have the touch. i don't even know its there most of the time until i access it.


I've been using Drobo for less than half the time Steve has, but I've come to like it so much that I bought a second one this year so that I have two RAID setups. Hopefully, that means I'm twice as protected against my own stupidity.



Dec 05, 2016 at 09:41 PM
JBPhotog
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · G-Raid Drive Failure....aargh


Pyrat wrote:
Yes, you are both correct (all three if you include my wife), I am an idiot. It was always on my mind to convert to a raid1 (or raid 5, as my very tech savvy friend is constantly on me about) but, other things intervened, and I am reaping what I sowed.

Now, good news - G-Tech support was able to diagnose the issue, and identified this as an enclosure (not drive) related problem - they are advance shipping a new enclosure (warranty) that should address the problem.

Initial conversation prior to diagnosis recommended Disk Warrior as well - but
...Show more

I use an enclosure(OWC Thunderbay 4 to be exact) but it is set up as independent drives. So two of the drives are Data drives which back up from Data_0 to Data_1 each night via Carbon Copy Cloner(CCC) and a set schedule. Data_0 is the primary storage where all raw and working files get loaded after a shoot, I then run CCC to do an immediate copy of Data_0 to Data_1. One of the other drives in the Thunderbay 4 is an OS_BackUp and it too has a daily scheduled script for backing up. The other drive is for Video storage. I also employ a Newertech Voyager S3 toaster where I can drop in a drive, copy any drive or files by using CCC and remove that drive for safe off site storage.

I totally went the RAID routine many years ago, RAID 10. But what I found was to get the best performance one should use identical drives for RAID 0 and if one fails try getting another identical drive a few years down the road, challenging. I also used RAID 1 but ended up ditching everything when I ran in to a number of flaky drives. My set up now lets me pick current drives of any size and brand, stick them in the Thunderbay and let CCC do the work.



Dec 06, 2016 at 01:27 PM
rscheffler
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · G-Raid Drive Failure....aargh


JBOD and back up to multiple stand alone drives. Biggest fear is propagating file corruption rather than drive failure...


Dec 06, 2016 at 10:00 PM





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