SnapServer 18000 Questions

[Harbinger]

I may have the opportunity to get a used SS 18000 unit. My employer is replacing it with a bigger unit and will be surplussing the old one. The only problem is that all drives will have to be removed before it's sold. (Data security, you know.)

So, I'm going to have to buy some new SATA drives to get it running. My question is this: is the OS on an 18000 kept in flash memory or is it on one of the drives? If it's on a drive, what would be the best way to backup/restore the OS to get the unit working again?

[blue68f100]

If my memory is any good, the 18000 uses a NVRAM with rechargeable batteries plugged into a PCI slot on the MB. If the batteries are bad it may not last long once the power is removed. If you could get just 1 single drive, all of your bases will be cover. Since these are normally in Raid, 1 drive is not enough to get data off of.

Or see if you can fail the current raid config as you pull it out of service, remove all except 1 HD. Install only one New (your) HD (slot2), the GOS should transfer over the GOS. You have to manually initiate raid rebuilds so you will have GOS only. You can do this on a cold boot in insure no sync will occur.

enjoy, this is one nice unit.

[willPower]

.

[Harbinger]

blue68F100, willPower--

Thanks for the responses. They bring up a couple of questions...

1) I emailed Overland and got a quote for updating the OS. The 18000 currently has eight 250GB drives in it, and I wanted to upgrade them to 1 or 2TB drives. I understand the later OS upgrades can handle the larger drives. Would the best course of action be to acquire/apply the OS upgrade, then remove all drives except one and place one of my new drives in slot 2 for an OS copy? Then I imagine I'd remove that one original drive, install the remaining 7 new drives, and let the OS copy to all of them before rebuilding the RAID?

2) I was looking at some docs for the 18000 and saw the NVRAM card mentioned. If the OS is on the drives, what gets stored to the NVRAM card? If the batteries indeed fail when power is removed (I'll be moving the unit from a rack on the computer floor to my office for the OS upgrades, et cetera), how will that affect the server and my upgrade process? I was wondering if it'll be possible to just put new batteries on that card myself. I have the electronics repair skills...but if I can't change the batts, then I'll be contacting you for another card, willPower.

It would be a good idea to write up the procedure for hard drive/OS swaps. I'm sure over time that others will have the same question.

[Harbinger]

Oh, well. Best laid plans and all that...the Snap purchase fell apart so it won't be in my home...

However, I had been planning to make my own server, and purchased a used Intel dual-Xeon unit that takes 4 disk drives. It has an internal RAID, but is set up for LVD SCSI drives. I've seen that there are "bridge" boards that plug onto the back of SATA drives and convert them to LVD SCSI, but the best prices I saw made them a couple of hundred dollars apiece. Does anyone have a source for reasonably-priced LVD SCSI to SATA (or IDE) bridge adapters...?

[Harbinger]

Originally Posted by Harbinger

Oh, well. Best laid plans and all that...the Snap purchase fell apart so it won't be in my home...

However, I had been planning to make my own server, and purchased a used Intel dual-Xeon unit that takes 4 disk drives. It has an internal RAID, but is set up for LVD SCSI drives. I've seen that there are "bridge" boards that plug onto the back of SATA drives and convert them to LVD SCSI, but the best prices I saw made them a couple of hundred dollars apiece. Does anyone have a source for reasonably-priced LVD SCSI to SATA (or IDE) bridge adapters...?

NVM--I read the manual for the mobo and the board only does RAID 0 or 1, not 5 as I wanted.

[blue68f100]

Most all modern MB these days support Raid 0, 1, 5 and some 6, 10 if you want to build your own server. But I can say for a NAS the GOS units are hard to beat. The GOS software is so polished it puts the rest to shame. You can pick up GOS server on eBay pretty cheap if you watch for them. The key is getting one with the OS and HDs. There have been some refurb units 520 going pretty cheap with capacity in the 1T range. But with the current GOS you can upgrade the HD's.

[sicko666]

please respond, how did it go?

( have you got a spare OS loaded drive , wink,wink, the 18000 is not supported anymore so it would not be illegal to ask for ,or ,respond about getting hold of the dam OS for a 18000 system would it Admin? )

[Harbinger]

Originally Posted by sicko666

please respond, how did it go?

( have you got a spare OS loaded drive , wink,wink, the 18000 is not supported anymore so it would not be illegal to ask for ,or ,respond about getting hold of the dam OS for a 18000 system would it Admin? )

Well, the original deal fell through. I'd have had access to the unit with drives for a short time, so I could have replaced a drive and gotten the software before the drives were removed and scrapped. Now, if the unit shows up as available for sale it will be w/o drives (and maybe sleds as well). I'm keeping an eye out still, but it'd have to be d@mn cheap...

[sicko666]

Originally Posted by Harbinger

Well, the original deal fell through. I'd have had access to the unit with drives for a short time, so I could have replaced a drive and gotten the software before the drives were removed and scrapped. Now, if the unit shows up as available for sale it will be w/o drives (and maybe sleds as well). I'm keeping an eye out still, but it'd have to be d@mn cheap...

Thats a dam shame there Harbinger, thats exactly the problem i have too, getting the hardware seems to be quite easy, once in a while they pop up on Ebay, but their usually always with missing sleds and never, ever, with any software!
Lol its like well yes, wipe any data you need to but please, oh please, stop wiping the OS's!!!! Its like i said to Overland "i am not a business, i am just an individual and need a OS to get my 18000 to work, i dont care if its an ancient OS, but there is no way i could possibly afford to pay a yearly warranty just to get a working OS, is there any other way i could get a OS to get it too work? After all it is just a Linux based system right and there are quite a few of those, even free ones?". Lol no replies returned, so i took it as meaning NO, if you want it to work you will have to pay hundreds every year!

[Harbinger]

Originally Posted by sicko666

Thats a dam shame there Harbinger, thats exactly the problem i have too, getting the hardware seems to be quite easy, once in a while they pop up on Ebay, but their usually always with missing sleds and never, ever, with any software!
Lol its like well yes, wipe any data you need to but please, oh please, stop wiping the OS's!!!! Its like i said to Overland "i am not a business, i am just an individual and need a OS to get my 18000 to work, i dont care if its an ancient OS, but there is no way i could possibly afford to pay a yearly warranty just to get a working OS, is there any other way i could get a OS to get it too work? After all it is just a Linux based system right and there are quite a few of those, even free ones?". Lol no replies returned, so i took it as meaning NO, if you want it to work you will have to pay hundreds every year!

Which is the main reason I was driven to building my own. It's easier to get upgrades (try free), and I shouldn't have anyone deciding that my hardware platform is "too old" so they won't support it with OS upgrades any more. As I see it that's just a way of driving hardware sales (and, unfortunately, causing still-capable hardware to be trashed for progress's sake) and from a user's standpoint that's just B.S.

BTW, the removed drives aren't just being wiped--they're being "shredded." What a colossal waste...

[sicko666]

Originally Posted by Harbinger

Which is the main reason I was driven to building my own. It's easier to get upgrades (try free), and I shouldn't have anyone deciding that my hardware platform is "too old" so they won't support it with OS upgrades any more. As I see it that's just a way of driving hardware sales (and, unfortunately, causing still-capable hardware to be trashed for progress's sake) and from a user's standpoint that's just B.S.

BTW, the removed drives aren't just being wiped--they're being "shredded." What a colossal waste...

Writing your own OS? Lol holly mind bender Harbinger i didnt realise i was talking to a genius here! 8) Lol i thank the unholly one himself just when the blinking pc turns on, only mystical beings must understand how it actually works with all that satanic code, witchcraft i tell you, witchcraft, lol!!!!!

I really,really,really do agree with you about being ripped off Harbinger. I have myself got a beautiful A3 Wacom serial tablet ( its a thing of beauty in my eyes! ) that does nothing but sit on my desk just teasing me ,since no drivers will support it anymore, or the serial to usb Belkin adapter which connected it.Both worked fine in Xp ,and i know my scanner and printer will not be working when the next OS after windows 7 comes out, even though they too work absolutely perfectly at the moment!!!!!!

This is also why i have turned into hating this "Snap" system, i had never even heard of "Snap" before trying to make my own home render farm. I have a couple of ancient servers which worked fine after i installed the really old windows server 2003 on them, also a Sparc server (never heard of that either!) that worked ok when i found an old Sun Os on sale on Ebay.....BUT....this Snap system dosent work with ANY other OS, and the only OS it does work with comes from one place and THEY decided not to support it anymore even though they charge £100's just to use it every year. Yet even though they dont support it anymore you still cant buy this old OS second hand or from anywhere, if they dont support it why not release it to the open source comunity? Madness!!! I cant see the Snap systems lasting for long when there are now hardware makers out there that sell servers where you can choose between hundreds of OS's, lol and even write your own for them if your a genius, Lol dam you Harbinger i wish i could do that but my brain would implode!!!!!!!

If the (current) owners of Snap are reading this, i dam you all to hell for not being flexible and understanding that there are "home" users and not just "businesses" who have unlimited thousands to play with!

Harbinger good luck, lol, and if you manage to write an OS for a Snap i will still probably be tryng to find one so dont forget me lol!!!!!

[kearmith]

IF you are running windows server 2003 as a domain and DHCP server, you do not need the last version of GUARDIAN os (GOS). But I don't know wich version of GOS working wel with 2003, because we are running 2000 and 2008 R2

You realy have to find a way to log on as remote on your snap. I you have buy it fresh from reseller or Overland, You probably need to set it up (name, date, RAID set, volume share etc...)

[Harbinger]

Originally Posted by sicko666

Writing your own OS? Lol holly mind bender Harbinger i didnt realise i was talking to a genius here!

Nope, not writing my own OS. I'm using Openfiler on my server box. Since the underpinnings are Linux it will work on most things. If I manage to get the Snap 18000 for cheap I may try loading OF on it and see what happens. I certainly wouldn't be out anything, except for the purchase of the server hardware itself.

[sicko666]

Originally Posted by Harbinger

Nope, not writing my own OS. I'm using Openfiler on my server box. Since the underpinnings are Linux it will work on most things. If I manage to get the Snap 18000 for cheap I may try loading OF on it and see what happens. I certainly wouldn't be out anything, except for the purchase of the server hardware itself.

Lol i only asked because i thought Snap could only use GuardianOS, as the hardware was only workable with GuardianOS as all the drivers are owned and not available to anyone else apart from Overlands GuardionOS so people were "locked in" to using the GuardianOS. Hence i thought because you were using a different OS you must have written it yourself! Lol.... this was only one of the discovery's i found out about Snap AFTER i had purchased it!!!

Originally Posted by kearmith

IF you are running windows server 2003 as a domain and DHCP server, you do not need the last version of GUARDIAN os (GOS). But I don't know wich version of GOS working wel with 2003, because we are running 2000 and 2008 R2

You realy have to find a way to log on as remote on your snap. I you have buy it fresh from reseller or Overland, You probably need to set it up (name, date, RAID set, volume share etc...)

Yes this is were i am having the problems...seems windows server 2003, windows Xp, Vista & Windows 7 cant seem to gain access...Though i think SaFeHeX might have the answer as the problems SaFeHeX had sound identical to mine

http://forums.procooling.com/vbb/sho...916#post173916

I will attempt the suggestions this week and hopefully that will end the months of hair pulling lol!!!

[sicko666]

Update to my previous problem with my 18000....I now dont have any problems yippee !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks again to SaFeHeX for the step by step suggestions, i tried each one and still could not gain access to the snap ( using firefox in windows server 2003 ), but, because of the support from SaFeHeX i just couldnt give up and kept trying everything! In the end nothing worked.....BUT.....as i was about to give up forever and throw the thing out of my 9th story bedroom window i tried the last thing that was left to try, i set up a "cluster" and bingo, i suddenly could gain access!!!!!!!!
I am guessing (because i do not really know what i am doing most of the time, lol! ) that the domain could see, and access, the other server and workstations because they were all using the same windows based protocals, where as the snap uses a linux based one, and so changing the domain to a "cluster" allowed other protocal based servers to become accessible as it opened the door to all.Is this right?

Lol i will now try and connect up the array (never used a fibre optic connection before either), and then try making the array visible and accessible to the rest of the domain machines....Lol, like i said i have managed to actually access the snap ,actually being able to use it now i have access is a whole new experience i will have to see for the first time, but, i at least now have access,thank you SaFeHeX without your helpful and easy to read response i would have never probably even tried again.

Anyone else having problems accessing thier 18000 create a "cluster" domain at least until you have gained access to the snap to configure the Raid and "volumes" (lol or partitions as i knew them before yesterday! ).

Thank you again SaFeHeX, and all at procooling you help were NO-ONE else does!!!!!!!!

[kearmith]

Hello,

You can need the original CD to try a fresh reinstall

Or keep only the first HD into the bay one. It's not enough to recover all data but it's enough to reconstruct the OS. Put a new HD into the bay 2.

When the OS is reconstruct, remove the HD, put the one from the bay to the bay 1, start it again. We the os is reconstruct turn it off and fill the other space

Into the same way you can try upgrade the space. Add bigger HD.

Good luck