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Author Topic: How do you format one drive with Unix?  (Read 3993 times)

MrBiker

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How do you format one drive with Unix?
« on: December 17, 2011, 01:52:16 PM »
I had the same problems as some others here - I was moving the data from a large USB drive to the DNS when the house lost power.  From then on, I had one folder that did not appear on the DNS but whenever I tried to copy it again, I got an error saying the file/folder existed.  Since I'm on a Mac, I poked around in the Terminal (Unix) and it's not there.  So then I took everyone's advice and ran the disk check from the GUI.  The disk failed.

So now I want to reformat it in Unix, and not deal with taking disks out and putting them back in and hoping I won't lose data.  The Mac's Disk Utility won't see NAS devices.

The disks are single volumes, no RAID or JBOD involved.

I've looked all over the web and can't find a concise set of instructions.  There's some info here and some info there, and some of it works and some doesn't (different flavors of Unix).

So what are the commands to look at the disks in the DNS unit to see what devices numbers, names, volumes, used space, free space, etc?

And then what are the commands to format a disk in the DNS and get it mounted and online?

This idea appeals to me more because you can see and control what commands work on what disks.

And you don't have to warn me - I know enough Unix to NOT be dangerous, I just never did this to a NAS before.

TIA
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dosborne

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Re: How do you format one drive with Unix?
« Reply #1 on: December 17, 2011, 06:56:52 PM »
Just delete the partitions on the drives. Put them back in the NAS and power it up. It will prompt you to reformat.
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3 x DNS-323 with 2 x 2TB WD Drives each for a total of 12 TB Storage and Backup. Running DLink Firmware v1.08 and Fonz Fun Plug (FFP) v0.5 for improved software support.

MrBiker

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Re: How do you format one drive with Unix?
« Reply #2 on: December 17, 2011, 07:00:03 PM »
Thanks but I'd like to learn the commands.

In addition, there's been a lot of folks who did that and it wiped out their other disks, even though it's not supposed to.

Thanks, though.
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Wiggs

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Re: How do you format one drive with Unix?
« Reply #3 on: December 19, 2011, 08:01:52 AM »
Perhaps I am misunderstanding your query, but you can't access a shell on the DNS under factory conditions.  You can use a hack to gain shell, but that is outside the mandate of this forum.  You are probably best off, removing the disks and installing them into another machine and removing the partitions as suggested in a previous reply. 


Regards,


Wiggs
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Wiggs,

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ivan

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Re: How do you format one drive with Unix?
« Reply #4 on: December 19, 2011, 11:32:12 AM »
The simple answer to your question is - if you want the NAS to recognise it you have to let the NAS format it. 

If you want to clear the drive to start again you need to either put it in a USB/SATA caddy or attach it to an extra SATA socket on your computer and then format it.  You can then put it back in your NAS and let the NAS format it.

All of the above assumes you either have a reliable backup of your data or the drive had little of importance on it.
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