It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 12:55 pm

All times are UTC - 7 hours [ DST ]

Recent News:



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 7 posts ] 
Author Message
PostPosted: Sat Oct 19, 2013 8:39 am 
Offline
Newbie
Newbie

Joined: Sat Oct 19, 2013 8:21 am
Posts: 2
Location: Texas
Thanks: 1
Thanked: 0 time in 0 post
I have a HP EX487 all drives are reformatted and will not complete the recovery process. I can get into the recovery mode just as the disk says. The process of recovery looks like it is working well the indicator bar will progress thru and stop for a while, then restart over and after some time and fail with the error message unable to access the volume. I have looked at the primary drive after the failed recovery and the partitions are correct so the creation of the drive is correct. I have attempted this recovery 100 times with the same results. The forums say that the network connection is the problem this is just not true. The recovery disk that I have is the upgrade 2.0 to 3.0. I don't have the original disks as I have looked and torn the house apart. At my wits end. Ready to scrap this system.


Top
 Profile  
Thanks  

Attention Guest: Remove this ad by Registering with the MediaSmartServer.net Forums. It's Free!
PostPosted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 9:27 am 
Offline
Moderator
Moderator
User avatar

Joined: Sat Oct 17, 2009 7:10 pm
Posts: 5157
Location: Georgia, USA
Thanks: 86
Thanked: 704 times in 682 posts
I have had issues where a drive appears to be in good condition but I could not perform a recovery with it. Sometimes its necessary to delete the partitions and then run a recovery other times just delete the partitions and just format a single partition. There is no rhyme or reason for this but I do know that on some server models the server likes a drive without partitions and on others a drive with a single partition.

Also make sure your selecting a Factory Recovery because the recovery software defaults to Server Recovery and if you do not change the option it will not work correctly.

Make sure the drives are actually healthy and do not contain any bad or pending pad sectors as that could cause you issues with a recovery too.

_________________
Exploring the possibilities!

Migrated from WHS2011 to WS2012E: HIGHLANDER

~ Norco 4220 Enclosure
~ Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5
~ AMD Phenom II X4 995 3.2 GHz
~ 8 GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
~ 3 Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8


Top
 Profile  
Thanks  
PostPosted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 9:36 am 
Offline
Newbie
Newbie

Joined: Sat Oct 19, 2013 8:21 am
Posts: 2
Location: Texas
Thanks: 1
Thanked: 0 time in 0 post
Thank You for your prompt reply. I have tried every combination of drive setup from no partions to a single partion to formatted, unformatted, scanning hard drives with scan disk and nothing seems to help. The dvd I have will only work on my laptop windows 7 will not work on my desktop windows 7. I even tried to run as different operating systems. I do find that the disk is corrupted by the recovery process.


Top
 Profile  
Thanks  
PostPosted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 9:48 am 
Offline
Moderator
Moderator
User avatar

Joined: Sat Oct 17, 2009 7:10 pm
Posts: 5157
Location: Georgia, USA
Thanks: 86
Thanked: 704 times in 682 posts
One last thing to look at and that is to boot the computer your performing the recovery with in Safe Mode with Networking and then run the recovery software. This will eliminate any AV Software or Firewalls from interfering with the recovery process and you can also directly connect the client to the server using a standard network cable as the servers NIC will autosense the cable connection so there is no need for a crossover cable.

I just want to confirm the recovery software actually finds the server which I get the impression it does based on your original post. Some people myself included when performing a recovery on an EX47x or EX48x like to do so by backing out the system drive, turning the server on and when the health indicator blinks the recovery blink code, seat the system drive and run the recovery software.

Your EX487 should boot into its recovery mode when it does not see a bootable drive after which it will boot from the onboard USB SMI Area which will place the server into its recovery mode for you so there is no need to press that button in with a paperclip and also if you do that only press and release it do not hold it in for more then a brief moment.

If you still have difficulty then try a different hard drive and if you firmly believe you have a bad restore disk them send me a PM and lets resolve that issue. I have been working the grave yard shift lately so I may not read your next reply until later tonight but I will certainly follow up quickly and help you get your server up and running.

_________________
Exploring the possibilities!

Migrated from WHS2011 to WS2012E: HIGHLANDER

~ Norco 4220 Enclosure
~ Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5
~ AMD Phenom II X4 995 3.2 GHz
~ 8 GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
~ 3 Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8


Top
 Profile  
Thanks  
The following user would like to thank Comp1962 for this post
discorover0
PostPosted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 9:03 pm 
Offline
Newbie
Newbie

Joined: Fri Jan 10, 2014 8:55 pm
Posts: 2
Thanks: 0
Thanked: 0 time in 0 post
Hi guys,
My original system drive died.

I've been trying to do a factory restore for a couple of weeks.

I'm using a 1tb drive; ran a check disk and ran all the tests from Seagate: seatools for windows. No errors found.

I have a:

windows 7 in safe mode with networking ; firewall disabled; no AV installed running the restore.
client pc direct connected to hp ex487 via lan cable.

I took out all drives and have one 1Tb drive placed on the 1st hd slot on the bottom.

Did the paper clip to get server into restore mode and also tried taking out the disk and waiting for cpu to go into restore mode and put the disk back in.

The restore program can find the server both ways and goes to the install part of the program. It takes about 60 mins then i get the failed error.

The error is ; The primary volume on the server could not be written

I dont see the HD light on at all doing any of the restores. I'm not sure if it should be on during the restore or not.


I've tried it about 20 times now with no luck.

Can anyone suggest anything else to try?

Thanks for any advice.

Regards,
Arthur


Top
 Profile  
Thanks  
PostPosted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 9:27 pm 
Offline
Moderator
Moderator
User avatar

Joined: Sat Oct 17, 2009 7:10 pm
Posts: 5157
Location: Georgia, USA
Thanks: 86
Thanked: 704 times in 682 posts
Not sure if this is a new drive or one previously used. You can try one of two things:

(1) Install the Drive in a client and wipe out the partitions and reformat the disk as a single partition
(2) Install the Drive in a client and wipe out he partitions and not format the drive

If your going to run a recovery and wish to preserve your data you will need to have your storage pool drives connected to the server to preserve your data this is for a Server Recovery. If your looking to do a Factory Recovery then leave the drives out of the server.

The best way to get your server to boot into recovery mode is make sure no bootable media is connected to the server be it internal or external connected boot devices. With a clean drive without any OS installed on it you can simply install the drive and turn the server one and when it can not find anything bootable it will boot into recovery mode. If the system drive has an previous installed OS on it then you will want to start the server with the system drive backed out and when it boots into recovery mode just seat the drive.

I always have the best luck with server recoveries using clean drives or new drives which have never been used. Using repurposed drives can cause problems when stuff is left on them so I will use either #1 or #2 above to get the ball rolling and its been a while for me using a repurposed drive for a Server Restoration but either #1 or #2 above will do the trick for you that I can promise you unless the drive has suddenly developed an issue and sometimes they do fail without prior warning so keep that in mind too.

Your server can be recovered over the network and if you want to use Safe Mode then use Safe Mode with Networking. If your having difficulties connecting to the server then check the routers DHCP listing for a device starting with the name MININT followed by other things and this only applies to the EX47x and EX48x all the other models use a different recovery method. Direct connecting the server to a client works also but you will need to at some point move the network cable from the client to your network. Also if by chance you know the servers NIC MAC Number you can find the server that way too. The only time I do a direct connection with an EX47x and EX48x is when I sense connectivity issues but on the other hand I also have DEBUG Boards on my servers and can see what they are doing although if you have never seen the process it can be intimidating at first glance with all the messages the recovery software displays.

Good Luck and hope your able to get your recovery going.

_________________
Exploring the possibilities!

Migrated from WHS2011 to WS2012E: HIGHLANDER

~ Norco 4220 Enclosure
~ Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5
~ AMD Phenom II X4 995 3.2 GHz
~ 8 GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
~ 3 Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8


Top
 Profile  
Thanks  
PostPosted: Sun Jan 12, 2014 10:39 am 
Offline
Newbie
Newbie

Joined: Fri Jan 10, 2014 8:55 pm
Posts: 2
Thanks: 0
Thanked: 0 time in 0 post
Thanks for your reply.

This was a previously used drive. I tried both suggestions below:
(1) Install the Drive in a client and wipe out the partitions and reformat the disk as a single partition
(2) Install the Drive in a client and wipe out he partitions and not format the drive


Both times it fails with:The primary volume on the server could not be written

When I look at the drive; the restore had partitioned like this both times:

20gig raw
911 unallocated

I also tried to just format the 20 gig portion, but that didnt work either.


I will trying ordering a new drive just to see if that makes a difference.


thanks.


Top
 Profile  
Thanks  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 7 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 7 hours [ DST ]


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 5 guests


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 post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group