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[CanadianClub]

4 drives, RAID 5.  Everything has been working for about 6 months.  I powered down last night.  When I powered up this morning, I received this scary message.  I tried rebooting and received the same message.  In admin, the drive status shows normal.  It just cannot find volume1 on the unit.

Help!

[JavaLawyer]

Here's another thread from a user with a similar problem: http://forums.dlink.com/index.php?topic=39007.0
(No resolution however).

[JavaLawyer]

You can also try replacing the HDD the DNS-343 claims is not functioning properly - although I can not guarantee the results.

If this is the only copy of your data and you want to err on the side of caution, there is a third party product that will permit you to mount a Linux formatted RAID 5 array on a Windows-based PC to access the data.

[CanadianClub]

I received the following message from D-Link today:

Date of Reply: 8/9/2011 12:47 AM
 
Products: DNS-343
 
Please ensure to include in your reply your company name, serial number, store, date of purchase, hardware and firmware versions.
 
If your issue has been resolved there is no need to reply to this email.
 
With reference to your issue we would like to suggest you to kindly reset the device and re-configure and check if still the problem persists.
 
Kindly take the backup of the data before resetting the device.
 
RESET :-
----------------
The following reset procedure will completely restore the default settings on the device.

Step 1: Locate the Factory Reset pinhole on the back of the unit.

Step 2: With the device powered on, press and hold the Reset button.

Step 3: Hold the Reset button for about 20 seconds.

Step 4: Release the Reset button.

Step 5: The device is now at factory defaults.


Should you require further assistance with your D-Link products, please reply to this message, or call toll free at 800-361-5265.
 
Thank you for networking with D-Link.

My immediate response to this:
1) I do not have a clue how to back up 4 drives in an array that I cannot even access (volume1 is not there)
2) reset will likely format the drives and cause me to lose all my data-not something I am going to do without further information
3) I will call the toll free number and talk to somebody live to get this problem fixed.

[JavaLawyer]

The procedure D-Link offered you will set the firmware and configuration settings to the factory defaults. This "should" have no impact on your data or HDD formatting/configuration. The firmware and user configurations are stored independently in internal memory.

That said, you should always maintain a separate physical backup of your critical data. RAID 5 provides data redundancy, but does not serve as a backup for data.

[CanadianClub]

After speaking to a tech rep, I was assured that the reset process will have no effect on the data on the drives.  After the reset, the unit rebooted.  I received the same error message. The rep advised me to remove the 4 drives, apply the 1.04 firmware upgrade to replace the current 1.03 version presently installed.  Replace the drives, and reboot.  I will do this tonight when I have time and report on the result.

[JavaLawyer]

FW v1.04 and v1.05 beta incorporate significant changes and fixes over v1.03 that directly and indirectly impact RAID.

Again, good luck and please post your results.

[CanadianClub]

Under the advice of the D-link tech rep, I powered the unit down.  I removed the 4 drives and marked them so their order would be the same.  I powered the unit up and installed the 1.04 firmware over the old 1.03 version.  It was successful.  I powered the unit down and then re-inserted the 4 drives into their bays.  I booted the unit.  The good news:  Volume1 is now visible and I can actually connect with it and I am furiously copying important directories to another DNS321 that I have been running for over a year now with 2 X 1TB drives in it.  The bad news:  I still get the caution Volume1 is degraded message. When I go into admin, I notice that it recognizes my Raid Configuration as RAID 5...that is good. It also lists an auto-rebuild configuration. 

After I have made backup copies of all my data, I am going to call tech support again to find out how to clear the degraded status.  Originally she asked me if manual rebuild button was bright about a day ago.  It was faded.  Now it is not faded and Volume 1 is listed in the pull down menu.  I suspect that manual rebuild will the recommendation to clear the degraded status.

More updates later today.  This was a small positive step forward.

[JavaLawyer]

Thanks for updating everyone. I'm glad you were able to salvage your data.
Moving forward, you should maintain a current backup of your data, even after you resolve this issue entirely.

[JavaLawyer]

You said in an earlier post that the web interface that the problematic HDD had a normal status? Did you run a SMART test under MAINTENANCE?

[CanadianClub]

The 4 disks all came up with a green pass.

[JavaLawyer]

I suspect that manual rebuild will the recommendation to clear the degraded status.

The 4 disks all came up with a green pass.

As you suggested, I'm also guessing tech support will ask you to rebuild, which could take a very very long time and may not produce the results you're hoping for. The other option is to reformat the HDDs and create the array from scratch.

[CanadianClub]

Good point.  I am in the final stages of backing up all my data that was on the DNS343.  One backup has about 20 more hours (550GB) left before completion (video files).  When the copy is complete my plan is to reformat the DNS343 drives as 4 X2TB volumes.  RAID 5 is no longer an option.  I cannot trust this implementation of RAID 5.  Thanks for you tips.

[JavaLawyer]

Always glad to help.

RAID 5 is very valuable, as long as you have a separate physical backup. The DNS-343 implements software RAID, the unit does not have a hardware based RAID controller, which I'm sure makes the DNS more cost effective. There are countless users with RAID 5 on the DNS-343 that I'm sure have had no issue. . . but the issues I have seen here have effectively deterred me from choosing RAID 5 as a platform to store my data. That's just my personal preference.

[CanadianClub]

After spending a good part of a week copying all of my data from the DNS323 to my other DNS321, I was able to reformat the device as 4 X 2TB volumes instead of the RAID5 which I originally configured.  I was not expecting the Volume 1 (RAID5) degradation message.  I never found out why our where.  All four of my drives work just fine.  I will manage single point of failure manually, myself, rather than rely on Dlinks software based RAID implementation.

Back to normal with no loss of data in Canada.