Re: [PLUG] Box won't boot after RAID drive swap

[Walt Mankowski via plug <plug@lists.phillylinux.org>]

On Sat, Nov 05, 2022 at 09:48:31PM -0400, Rich Freeman via plug wrote:
> On Sat, Nov 5, 2022 at 1:11 PM Walt Mankowski via plug
> <plug@lists.phillylinux.org> wrote:
> >
> > I think I must have been using device
> > names instead of UUIDs in the RAID. The boot process got stuck trying
> > to connect to a nonexistent /dev/sde drive.
> 
> That seems odd, but I'm not sure what you're using for an initramfs.

I'm not sure either, and of course I currently can't check.

It's possible that /dev/sde was an external backup drive that I hadn't
plugged in since I figured I wouldn't need it until I put the box back
together. I don't know why that would prevent it from booting though.

> It is normal to configure mdadm with device names, or rather device
> wildcards.  For example, here was the config I used the last time I
> used mdadm:
> DEVICE /dev/sd[abcdefgh][12345] /dev/hd[abcde][12345]
> 
> That just tells mdadm to scan all the partitions that fit those
> permutations and look for anything that belongs in an array.
> 
> Nothing in the config files should tell mdadm which devices belong in
> which array.  It just has a list of devices to scan for metadata.
> Then that metadata is used to assemble arrays.

That's something to check when I get it to boot again.

> > None of these worked. I'm at a point now where the workstation is
> > spontaneously powering off in the middle of the boot process.
> > Sometimes it's on the BIOS screen, sometimes it gets a little
> > further.
> 
> If it isn't getting to the OS then it obviously isn't an OS issue.  I
> don't have much to add beyond what others have already said here.  I'd
> definitely check cables.  I'd disconnect that new drive if that is
> still around.  Whatever is wrong is obviously seriously wrong.
> 
> If you could boot off a flash drive you could at least do a RAM test
> or something.  Plus that can be done with all the drives disconnected
> in case one of those is causing an issue.  If you can't even get into
> BIOS with no drives connected then you have a serious hardware problem
> with power supply, cables, motherboard, CPU, GPU, or anything else
> still plugged in.

Aside from the alert on the RAID drive there's been nothing to suggest
I've got any problems with any of the other components in the system
until now. Hopefully something's just loose.

Walt
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