Help Please: Upgrade/New Install from DSM 6.0.2-8451 on HP Gen8

[wigwam]

I would appreciate a little gentle guidance please (sorry this is a little rambling I just want to get it right).

I set up my HP Gen8 Microserver over 5 years ago and did an interval upgrade as I am currently on DSM 6.0.2-8451

I have DS3615xs

Looking at my "server" folder I see I have JunMod loader v1.01

I've slept a bit since this and will be relearning the process. The pic shows what I have already

 

Now the issue is I had 2 x 3TB  HDD as JBOD and Volume 1 (with all the software installs) has crashed - it is read only and I can boot into the server as read only so have saved the config file but of of the software works (git/python/plex/videostation etc etc). I have managed to backup my family media

 

SO - I am planning instead to bin off the crashed drive and instead install 2 new discs in a RAID 1 (mirror) config

I will use the working volume 2 elsewhere unless someone advises I can use it as some form of backup as a 3rd disc in xpenology? The 2 new discs are 6tg each and this old one is 3tb

 

I am assuming all this means I will basically be doing a "new" install not an "upgrade"

Meaning I need a new usb with loaded 1.03b is that right?

Will it even be possible or worth restoring any of the settings I currently have backed up from 6.0.2 if there will be new HDD in a RAID config?

I am already resigned to having to relearn all the settings for SAB etc as nothing runs and I don't have any backup for those settings "I will get around to it"

[wigwam]

This is my curren folder structure. 

Volume/disc 2 works

Is any way I can preserve the files on it (data backup and photos) and copy them across to the new discs when I am up and running?

 

I'm guessing to start with i disconnect this drive until the new install and raid is all set up on the new drives?

[billat29]

Just one quick question. I'm a bit confused. How is your storage configured? When you said JBOD, I assumed that you had both drives in one storage pool with two volumes configured on it. And then you said that volume2 / disk 2 was fine. Does that mean two separate storage pools, one per drive?

 

 

[wigwam]

hhhmm hopefully picture will give you an answer better than I can!

But I am assuming yes?

Edited September 13, 2020 by wigwam

[wigwam]

And okay so in the interim

I have my intial usb that I had 5.2 installed on so I can just take the PID/VID/NIC info straight from this and install the new 1.03b image onto this right?

I take it that it is the 6.2.2/25044 pat file I need to download and use?

Not using the 6.0.2/8451 that I have an upgrading from within DSM?

 

So I have on my pc now:

1.03b ds3615xs loader

6.2.2/24922 pat file for DS3615xs

(I have also downloaded critical update pack 6 for this version)

ofmount_x64

winimager v1

I would use another usb stck but the 2 I use for microserver are tiny and fit nicely...

I also have the 2 new 6tb Ironwolf drives (and vol 2 still in the NAS)

 

So I need anything else ?

Edited September 13, 2020 by wigwam

[billat29]

Thanks.

You have a number of options.

 

If you have backed everything up from volume 2 (after salvaging what you can from volume 1) then you can do a fresh install on your new drives. I have a question about the version of DSM you have chosen (later). Then you can restore data, install packages and start configuring.

 

If you haven't, then you could put your new drives into the NAS, with volume 2 and then boot. You could then create a new RAID group on the two disks and copy your files over. You can then remove volume2 and boot your new machine, You can then do an upgrade. (Note in case you are unaware, the system gets copied to all disks and so can boot from any available disks.). If you do go for the upgrade then you need to delete the hidden directory ./xpenoboot which will be there from when you were on version 5.2 before you run the upgrade.

 

My next  question is: Why have you chosen to go with 6.2.2 rather than 6.2.3?  At the moment, 6.2.3 is the recommended version (see below)

 

and it seems to be supported on HP Gen 8

The only negative is that disk hibernation may not work on this release.

 

For the releases in between 6.1.7 and 6.2.3, Synology changed the driver support. And then they put it back the way it was for for 6.2.3. To get 6.2.2 to work, you are going to have to either buy and install an intel based network card or mess around with loading a driver set into the image on your USB stick.

and

 

So I would strongly recommend going to 6.2.3 or if disk hibernation is an issue, then  I would go for 6.1.7

 

Finally (phew!) If you must use the same USB stick, then you can use the same VID/PID. That bit worries me. I would just like to keep a known working configuration around for a bit.

 

 

Edited September 14, 2020 by billat29

[wigwam]

Thanks alot for that really helpful reply

Yes last night I have transferred all files from Volume1 to volume 2

Ultimately I do want to put these files back onto to the new install

 

Just to clarify re USB stick - actually we agree about working known config.

In the server right now I have a usb stick with the loader for 6.0.2

I just happen to also have the previous one which was when I did the initial install of 5.2 (because as you say I wanted to keep a working config in case 6.0.2 went TU) so this 5.2 usb is redundant.

 

And I am really grateful about the 6.2.2 vs 6.2.3 clarification. I probably read an earlier post which said 6.2.3 wasn't yet stable

I will dig out the DSM 6.2.3 ds3615xs pat file instead

 

And I am really sorry but can I just clarify

option 1: do a new install (as 6.2.3) onto the 2 disks set up as RAID 1; then add volume 2 as an additional volume/raid group and copy everything across and take volume back out

vs

option 2: put all 3 disks in with the new usb loader.

Am I correct in assuming as the system files are also already on volume 2 the Gen8 will boot up as 6.0.2, I then set the 2 new disk as a new RAID1, copy them across (copy everyhing across as opposed to just select files and folders?) THEN remove volume 2 and upgrade (why upgrade after removing volume 2?)

Is it easier to do an in-place upgrade from 6.0.2 to 6.2.3 in this way?

 

Any pros and cons of the 2 options (apologies again as I going to do this after so long I want to understand what I am doing and why)

 

FINALLY - if I am going for option 2 (upgrade) as it is from 6.0.2 will I still need to find and delete that hidden file?

[billat29]

Not quite. Let me go away for a bit. I have a test VM for DSM. I will clone it and try to set up your two options to make sure I am not sending you down the wrong path...

[billat29]

OK. My option 1 was to say that you had copied all your files onto another computer somewhere. In that case you could afford to wipe everything clean and start again. When you had finished you can copy those files off the other computer. That doesn't seem to be what you are able to do here as all your files are on volume2. While there other options, I think that they add a whole new level of complexity.

 

So. After my testing, what I would do is this:

Insert volume2 and the two new disks in the box and boot.

 

It should come up with a system with volume2 and two uninitialised disks.

Go to storage manager and create your new RAID group (repeat after me: RAID is not a backup) and create a new volume on that RAID. Mine came up as... volume1.

Create a new shared folder (or series of folders) on Volume1 and copy everything across.

Now shutdown and pull volume2 and keep it somewhere safe.

Reboot just to check that you have a working (ish- all the packages are broken) system and all the data is there.

Yow will now need to ssh into the box (probably using putty from windows) with a user that has admin rights and do.
 

cd /

sudo rm -r .xpenoboot

Now shutdown and pull the USB stick. Put it in the safe place with volume2.

You asked why you should remove volume2 and the answer is that if the next steps go wrong, you can always go back to your running 6.0.2 system and start again / try something else.

 

Now you can insert your newly created v1.03b USB stick and boot the system.

Now you should be able to connect to the box via synology assistant or find.synology.com and run a manual upgrade specifying the 6.2.3 file you downloaded onto your computer.

Assuming that it all works then you may need to repair your broken packages and go through all your config.

 

What to do with volume2? Well, you could have left it in the box as you said and kept it as part of the upgrade but taking it out does give you a fall back position. And it is an old disk and given that its partner has failed, so maybe it is not long for this world. If you keep it, then it is a backup of your files at this point.

[wigwam]

You, Sir area legend 

I DO actually have a copy of all the files now back on my PC so dont need volume 2 (the origin of most of the files is my main pc in fact

 

Also this afternoon I did 

sudo rm -r .xpenoboot 

But it said file not found

So I did sudo rm -rf .xpenoboot (I think that was the command- got it off a search on the forums) and it didn't actually say it did anything just took me back to command prompt so im "assuming " it worked.

 

Okay so at risk of abusing your kind advice if I have all the files offline is option 1 best?

 

That being said the above seems fairly straightforward and painless (Ha! Famous last words)

Edited September 14, 2020 by wigwam

[billat29]

OK. That's even better.

I would go for option 1 in that case. Pull everything out of the box. Two new drives and new USB and full install. Nice clean system;.

[wigwam]

Just updating to thank you again Ballat29 for your excellent help and advice 

Swapped.out the discs, new USB and straightforward install of 6.2.3-25423 update 2

 

Slightly strange that when I did the find synology with new USB and 2 new blank drives it said "welcome back" and offered to reinstall. I wonder if its because I used the same SN as previous?

 

I was slightly worried when it said volume crashed at the outset but clicking remove it found the 2 new 6TB drives that I've set at BTRFS and RAID1

I made the slight mistake of doing rhe full disk parity checking thingy so j can't shut it down and move to its proper home for many many hours until this completes 

 

Wondering if I should put the old (working drive) back as a hot spare....

[billat29]

Great. Thanks for the feedback and good to hear that it's working.