Author Topic: buffalo linkstation - raid0 isnīt working  (Read 4243 times)

jedilord

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buffalo linkstation - raid0 isnīt working
« on: March 30, 2020, 09:04:13 AM »
i īve set two 2TB HDD inito raid0... iitīs named array1 in the buffalo dashboard...
iīve created  a folder on that array1
my array1 status:

Array1
RAID0
Normal
3695.2 GB
1764.5 GB
47.75 %
XFS

I want to copy 200GB data into the folder, but windows says that i have not enough free space and i should delete 122GB before i can copy that data...

is my linkstation defect?

Coys55

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Re: buffalo linkstation - raid0 isnīt working
« Reply #1 on: April 01, 2020, 08:28:16 AM »
Sounds like you may have set up disk quotas at group or user level.

jedilord

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Re: buffalo linkstation - raid0 isnīt working
« Reply #2 on: April 08, 2020, 03:18:08 PM »
donīt know how to setup or unsteup group or user level, can you help me?

jedilord

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Re: buffalo linkstation - raid0 isnīt working
« Reply #3 on: April 08, 2020, 04:01:43 PM »
iif want to make a "raid scan"
thhe dashboaard says it couldnīt start cause there is no array?!?

davo

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Re: buffalo linkstation - raid0 isnīt working
« Reply #4 on: April 09, 2020, 03:40:25 AM »
Go to management - restore/erase - initialize linkstation.

This will put the settings back to default and remove any user quotas.
PM me for TFTP / Boot Images / Recovery files  LSRecovery.exe file.
Having network issues? Drop me an email: info@interwebnetworks.com and we will get it fixed!

jedilord

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Re: buffalo linkstation - raid0 isnīt working
« Reply #5 on: April 13, 2020, 07:48:09 AM »
iīve done that initialze linkstation thing...

after setting up admni password, it looks like the same as before... i have no users or groups less than before, only admin and a preconfigured guest, which i donīt need or use

but all data is lost!
from windows pc: my folder on the array1 is empty
from dashboard:
Array1
RAID0
Normal
3695.2 GB
0 GB
0.00 %
XFS

as before: if i want to start a "raid scan"
the dashboard says it couldnīt start cause there is no array...

the data is lost, really sad about it, is that linkstation also defect about initializing? had never read something like "all data will be lost"
... but whatever, i donīt need to initialize, in future, i only want to use raid0 with windows pc, thats the only reason why i bought that linkstation

donīt need users, donīt need groups, donīt need disk quotas or restrictions...
donīt need anything beside storage data via windows pc and access data from multiple devices

i have tried to copy some data to linkstation... it is as slow as before (only about 100Mbit/s writing sometimes more, mostly less... the devices which are sending the data are faster because of SSD [goes up to 130Mbit/s must slow down to 70 Mbit/s... up and down whole time long], so i guess it writes only on 1 disk (exactly as before) instead of both disk -> no raid0 )

can anybody please help? or is that linkstation defect?
« Last Edit: April 13, 2020, 09:39:03 AM by jedilord »

Kane88

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Re: buffalo linkstation - raid0 isnīt working
« Reply #6 on: April 13, 2020, 11:03:27 PM »
The initialize probably wiped any and all data that was on the linkstation, and you probably need to setup the shares and any accounts you use.

You have to make sure quotas are off on the buffalo nas.

you have to login to the admin console
go to advanced mode, and go to users
go to the information for the user that you use, and verify that quotas are off, save changes if needed.

----


If quotas are turned off, than this is probably a corrupted firmware issue.  The unit probably needs to be wiped and re-flashed.

Don't forget that RAID is not a backup, which means you need to back up any and all data on the linkstation to another disk or disks.

You'll never see fast data transfers with these low power linkstations.  You'll be lucky to see 30-35 megabytes a second for writes, it is a limit of the hardware.  Expect USB 2.0 kind of speeds at best.  And RAID0 does write to both disks, but will have no effect on speed with a linkstation.  It only effects the amount of drive letters you'd use on the PC for mapping.


jedilord

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Re: buffalo linkstation - raid0 isnīt working
« Reply #7 on: April 14, 2020, 06:22:38 AM »
thanks for reply

no users have any quotas (since before, cause i donīt need it), i have also erased the array (because of loosing all data) and had setup up a new raid0 array... same behavior than before...

would share screens, but this forum isnīt able to upload pics^^

canīt change firmware, the dashboard says iīm using the latest firmware, and there is no option in the dashbard to install it again

iīm dreaming of 30-35MBs...  i would also be lucky if i would see 20 MBs... fastest speed is about 12 MBs (mostly less), even though iīm transfering only large files (greater than 100 MB) nevertheless if iīm reading or writing
iīve checked the networkcenter on windows pc, 1 gbit/s lan is on and activiated, NAS is in the same network, on the same gbit-switch

looks like the gbit ethernetport on the linkstation is also defect, seems as if the linkstation is only transfering at 100Mbit instead of 1gbit


... so i think the only option i have is to make use of the warranty?

1000001101000

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Re: buffalo linkstation - raid0 isnīt working
« Reply #8 on: April 14, 2020, 06:30:58 AM »
What model is this?

How did you determine it’s 100M vs Gigabit?

jedilord

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Re: buffalo linkstation - raid0 isnīt working
« Reply #9 on: April 14, 2020, 05:38:11 PM »
hi there

model is LS220D

i havnīt determined, I made a wild guess

And this wild guess is because of the slow datatransfer rates, and what it should do according to the data sheet, because of which i bought it..
i qoute from it:
Performance over 100 MB/s*  *1 client; for more than 2 active clients we recommend the LinkStation 400 series
LAN Data Transfer Rates 10/100/1000 Mbps

donīt know if you can read german, but here you can have a look for yourself: https://products.buffalo-technology.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/ls220d-datasheet-de.pdf

there was also a "test" website i have checked before i bought it... i quote from there (because itīs also german)
[...] you have to switch the LS220 to RAID 0. Great: In the test, the LS220 offered high speed. A data packet with a size of five gigabytes were copied in around one and a half minutes (writing speed) [...]
https://www.computerbild.de/artikel/cb-Tests-PC-Hardware-Buffalo-LinkStation-220-Test-NAS-Server-10154804.html

i have tried to copy a 4,7GB file onto it, it had needed 7minutes and about 10 seconds (nearly 5 times as long as in the test)

would also be ok for me to get only 30 MB/s as @kane88 said (would last about 2 and a half minute)
but max. 12 MB/s are not acceptable for me, i have to shift big amounts of data since this NAS should backup my existing NAS (also RAID0) and my laptop (SSD) and some external USB2.0 and USB3.0 HDD... (not at the same time, only one device after an other)

i would repair it on my own, but it seems to have hard- and software problems (no raid0, no gbit lan and maybe even more)
and the only idea so far (to check quotas) havnīt solved the problems yet

i would be really happy to solve the problems with your help, i donīt want to send the device to shop and they send it to a repairstation and i must wait weeks or months and maybe get a device back which is still defective cause the shopemployee has given to less or wrong information to the repairstation (already experienced that with other computer devices, donīt need to experience that again)
« Last Edit: April 14, 2020, 05:53:57 PM by jedilord »

1000001101000

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Re: buffalo linkstation - raid0 isnīt working
« Reply #10 on: April 14, 2020, 06:51:32 PM »
What protocol are you using for transfers?

jedilord

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Re: buffalo linkstation - raid0 isnīt working
« Reply #11 on: April 15, 2020, 03:12:36 AM »
i belive iīve used every transfer possibility which the linkstation is offering (except afp cause i donīt have mac)...

windows pc -> connecting a network drive and copy via explorer (i think itīs smb) ->about 11,3 MB/s
windows pc -> via a ftp client -> about 11,3 MB/s
windows pc -> webbased transfer from dashboard (called webaccess) -> thatīs the slowest datatransfer... because webaccess doesnīt show progress on file transfer i had to look at my ethernet network -> it is showing between 27Mbit and 34Mbit/s which would be about 4MB/s (data transfer rate, not the file transfer rate cause i canīt remeber how high the overhead in LAN is so i havnīt substracted it from the beforementioned data transfer rate)... tested with a 800MB file


but thatīs the "minior" issue... the big problem is that raid0 isnīt working... iit looks like that the linkstation is only using 1 HDD insted of both... if 1 HDD is full, i canīt copy files onto it any more (see my first post)
« Last Edit: April 15, 2020, 03:28:12 AM by jedilord »

Kane88

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Re: buffalo linkstation - raid0 isnīt working
« Reply #12 on: April 15, 2020, 04:21:07 PM »
IF RAID 0 isn't working, then one of the hard drives could very well be shot  Or it is not configured right.
What kind of drives are in the nas?  Maybe you need to reseat both drives with the power off.

You say you want to copy 200gb of files to the NAS.  What version of windows does that pc run that will do that copy?

Are any single one of the files over 100gb?  I could not copy a large 100gb+ (disk image) file on a usb drive that was connected to Win 10 PC.  I forget the error, it may have been about disk space- I don't recall.  I had to copy it to the PC local hard drive first, and then copy it up to the nas.  A pain, but it does work.  I guess buffalo didn't plan for people to have files over 100gb on their devices.

As I mentioned before:
"If quotas are turned off, then this is probably a corrupted firmware issue.  The unit probably needs to be wiped and re-flashed."

To wipe:
That means you have to pull the drives, connect them one at a time to a PC, and use a utility to wipe them, zero them, whatever you want to clear them out.  All the partitions have to be removed.   

To re-flash:
Then, either load the firmware boot with TFTP (or without TFTP if you know how to setup linux).

Download a new copy of the firmware from the buffalo website, and install it in debug mode.

Re-flash will not work trying to load it from the console.  It needs to be manually redone on drives that are wiped first.

-------------------------

As to speed, you need to get the raid array working right- before worrying with that:


windows pc -> connecting a network drive and copy via explorer (i think itīs smb) ->about 11,3 MB/s
windows pc -> via a ftp client -> about 11,3 MB/s


This sounds like the pc itself is only 100mbit, or is using a cat 5 cable that isn't capable of gigabit speed.  What model of computer is it?  And what version of Windows does it run?

jedilord

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Re: buffalo linkstation - raid0 isnīt working
« Reply #13 on: April 16, 2020, 02:50:09 AM »
thx for reply,

yes, first thing i always do is to power off elctrical devices and take them off from power-grip

version of windows10 home: Version   10.0.18362 Build 18362

all files i want to copy are much smaller than 100GB, the biggest is about 15GB

would i lost my warrenty if i would reflash the linkstation?
if not, sorry donīt know the abbreviation TFTP, what is it? a software? iīm only working on linux (know some commands) but had never set up a linux server

pc is a acer aspire v15, with above mentioned windows version.

gbit LAN is working well at home, i already have a NAS (a older one)... windows pc and both NAS are connected on the same gbit switch with cat7 patch cables. the fixed wiring should be cat6 but i havn't installed it on my own...
but sure you are right, i havn't checked all possibilities the linkstation works on untested enviroment, i will change the patch cables, the ports, and the fixed wiring and will test the linkstation with the patch cable, port, and fixed wiring of my 1st NAS
« Last Edit: April 16, 2020, 02:54:42 AM by jedilord »

Kane88

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Re: buffalo linkstation - raid0 isnīt working
« Reply #14 on: April 16, 2020, 10:26:57 AM »
Depending how long ago you bought it, it's probably best that you open a ticket with tech support.  If your unit is still in warranty, then I would definitely check with support and see if they can't help you troubleshoot the situation, before you go wiping the drives.

How old is your linkstation?  When did you purchase it?  Was this something you purchased new?  Or is this something you received from someone who had used it before?

If you're going to wipe the drives and start over, read the articles from this post below first, before you do anything.  They cover everything needed to get the drives set up again, after they are wiped.

https://forums.buffalotech.com/index.php?topic=30419.0


TFTP is a windows app you run to host the boot files.  When I do TFTP, I run it from from a second PC.  It just acts as a file server to pass the boot files to the linkstation.  That's all it does.

The other way is to not use TFTP, it requires linux drive formatting from a linux pc, and in my experience, it has never worked.


-----

Fixed wiring?  I wonder honestly- if this is part of the problem.  Are you talking about internal wiring, behind walls?  If so- that kind of wiring may very well not be up to 1 gigabit standards, and it may be causing some flaky connections too.

The best way to test temporarily, is to put all the devices (one at a time) directly on the same switch in the same room with known good patch cables, and test them that way.  I wonder if you still get these errors and drop offs in speed with the fixed wiring eliminated.

Mind you- the max transfer speed you will get on a good day with SMB2- will be 30MB/sec for one connection.  And expect less if multiple devices access it- at the same time.

Just because the NAS has gigabit capability, doesn't mean it will hit the maximum throughput.  Even at 20MB/sec, it is utilizing some part of the gigabit- at greater than 100mbit speeds.  It will never hit a good 100 MB/sec like transfers between PCs, due to the hardware limitations of the linkstation.  Lack of speed and other reasons- are why I opted to later upgrade to a Terastation.  Linkstations are good starter units anyway.