Topic: Need help retrieving data from failed Raid1 Disks

[JayAtIU]

I'm running SME 6.0.1 on an old Compaq PL server box (dual PPro 180Mhz).  Everything was working fine, as I was running a 3ware Raid controller on 2 x 300GB Maxtor drives (in Raid1).  So, for some unknown reason, the server failed, and I want to get it back up, but I also want to back up my data before attempting to rebuild the array.  I booted Knoppix 4.0.2, and tried to mount one of the 300GB drives (mount -t ext3 /dev/hdc /mnt/hdc), but I'm getting the following error message:
"mount: I could not determine the filesystem type, and none was specified".
When I try "fdisk /dev/hdc", I receive the following message:
"Device contains neither a valid DOS partition table, nor Sun, SGI or OSF disklabel
Building a new DOS disklabel. Changes will remain in memory only,
until you decide to write them. After that, of course, the previous
content won't be recoverable.

The number of cylinders for this disk is set to 36483.
There is nothing wrong with that, but this is larger than 1024,
and could in certain setups cause problems with:
1) software that runs at boot time (e.g., old versions of LILO)
2) booting and partitioning software from other OSs
   (e.g., DOS FDISK, OS/2 FDISK)
Warning: invalid flag 0x0000 of partition table 4 will be corrected by w(rite)"

Does anyone have any suggestions?  I have received the same error messages for BOTH drives from the raid1 array.  I just want to be able to pull my digital photos off of one of my ibays before I attempt to rebuild the array, and possibly have to reinstall SME.  ANY help would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks.

[Reinhold]

JayAtIU,

The "joy" of running a hardware controller raid .

I was running a 3ware Raid

For SME you only had 1 single drive - NO raid!
Linux only sees the HDs through the 3Ware-controller and (with standard settings) as "single drive".
Without the 3Ware, iow with any other (standard) controller, "there is no usefully formatted HD" - as you´ve seen with Knoppix.

If your 3ware has gone south (as it seems) ... you need a new 3ware to access your data.
On the sunny side: 3Ware used to be a customer-friendly-company. - Contact them about your options.

Regards
Reinhold

P.S.: Don't worry. One of the HDs most likely does contain your data - still. DO NOT WRITE ON IT.
P.P.S.: You might want to state the 3Ware type no. here.

[JayAtIU]

I appreciate your response.  I guess I was hoping that I could back up some of the data from one of the drives before I attempted to rebuild the array (it's a 3ware 7006-2 card, btw).  I will contact 3ware for help, and appreciate that suggestion.  I've since had that thought echoed by others.

I wanted to ask something else, now that I think of it.  At boot, the 3ware card detects both drives, but labels them as "Incomplete", and states that they will not be loaded to the OS.  Therefore, I assume that it would not amount to anything for me to boot Knoppix with both drives attached to the raid controller, and attempt to mount them at that point.  Is that correct, or should I attempt it?

Also, if/when I get a new/replacement 3ware card, I will have to rebuild the array.  Will I also want to use a new 300GB drive, along with one of the old drives.  I'm just thinking that if I rebuild the array using both of the existing 300GB drives, if something goes wrong, I may lose both of my originals.  However, if I use one of the originals, and a new one, then I have the backup to fall on if that rebuild doesn't go as planned.  Any feedback is appreciated.  Thanks.

[raem]

JayAtIU

Do you have a backup, restore from that ?
I guess the answer is NO, tch tch !

When you rebuild your new server just use software RAID1 and save your money. You don't need a hardware RAID card, the performance is pretty much the same, after all a hardware RAID card is still a software RAID it's just that the code is on the chips rather than on the hard disk.

A software RAID1 will let your system continue running when one disk fails and it will also run and be usable while rebuilding the array.


> However, if I use one of the originals, and a new > one, then I have the backup to fall on if that
> rebuild doesn't go as planned.

Sounds sensible.

[Reinhold]

At boot, the 3ware card detects both drives, but labels them as "Incomplete", and states that they will not be loaded to the OS.  Therefore, I assume that it would not amount to anything for me to boot Knoppix with both drives attached to the raid controller, and attempt to mount them at that point.  Is that correct, or should I attempt it?

Jay,

As long as you do not write you should be safe...
Sorry to say: Your options of saving data and rebuilding are clearly limited to what the controller, the 3ware, can do. If the controller will not load - that's what you get
With software Raid, Knoppix would at most just need a short description file (see dmay's raidmonitor or man mdadm ) and you are "back" for raidhotadd)(a degraded array to be sure but you can immediately start to save data and/or rebuild).
You could even binary copy a single software RAID1 disk on a completely different pc and start from that alone - anywhere !
BTW: If your CPU clocks above 1GHz the software setup most likely is even faster than your old controller  

I would (=proposal 4 you): - Contact 3ware - Rebuild the array according to 3ware advice(most likely with a new HD) - make backup of data - setup new SME with software Raid1 ...

Look at what Ray told you...

Whishing you luck (as much as you need)

Regards
Reinhold

P.S.: If you have to buy a new 3ware in the process you might stick with it - or - note that (IMHO) you always need to keep a 2nd spare Raid HW Controller for situations like this. (EOL of you 7006 series!)