Snap Server 4400

[mreggena]

Hey guys…..well I have a situation/question for you so here it goes….

We have had a Snap Server 4400 for a few years now and it was donated to my company. Everything has been fine until the last 2 months when one of your hard drives failed. We didn’t replace it right away like we should have and not to long after a second drive failed, atleast we think so.

Instead of replacing two of the 120GB drives we want to replace all of them with 320GB or larger drives. From what I have read, I don’t think there will be a problem. However, I recently found out that the OS is installed on the HD’s not NVRAM. Where exactly can I get the new OS? I tried contacting Adaptec and they want us to buy the Bronze Software support package for $1040. That is WAY to expensive to pay just to get the Guardian OS. So I am not sure where i can get this at or even how to install it.

We recently purchased another SnapServer (520 model), would there be any way we can get the OS off of that one?

Thanks for your help. I am somewhat new to the NAS hardware and I am trying to learn as much as I can about it.

[bitor]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. But the software is copyright and is illegal to distribute here or anywhere else. Adaptec monitors this site. Doing any of this activity would jeopardize this site and all it's information. The only think I can tell you is to ask to buy just the software. They will do this, but you have to push them. It's going to cost you 300. to 400. But that's better then 1,000+.
Please do not request software here or post where you can get it. It's illegal and will shutdown this site.

Best of luck to you,
bitor

Originally Posted by mreggena

Hey guys…..well I have a situation/question for you so here it goes….

We have had a Snap Server 4400 for a few years now and it was donated to my company. Everything has been fine until the last 2 months when one of your hard drives failed. We didn’t replace it right away like we should have and not to long after a second drive failed, atleast we think so.

Instead of replacing two of the 120GB drives we want to replace all of them with 320GB or larger drives. From what I have read, I don’t think there will be a problem. However, I recently found out that the OS is installed on the HD’s not NVRAM. Where exactly can I get the new OS? I tried contacting Adaptec and they want us to buy the Bronze Software support package for $1040. That is WAY to expensive to pay just to get the Guardian OS. So I am not sure where i can get this at or even how to install it.

We recently purchased another SnapServer (520 model), would there be any way we can get the OS off of that one?

Thanks for your help. I am somewhat new to the NAS hardware and I am trying to learn as much as I can about it.

[Phoenix32]

You can get just the software from Adaptec, but it is $600, not just 300 or 400, but still better than $1000.

If you leave the still old working drives in the Snap Server, and put one of the new drives into the second slot, Guardian will automatically partition and format the drive, as well as put a bootable copy of the OS on it in a hidden partition. After it has done this (about 5 minutes, 10 to be safe), you can power the unit down, put the new drive from the second slot into the first slot and fill the other three slots with 3 more new drives and boot the unit.

[mreggena]

I apologize for asking for the software. I was just basically asking were I could get it from besides Adaptec. Also, what drive bay is #1? The one on the far right or far left?

[blue68f100]

Left, they are numbered left to right.

[Phoenix32]

Left...

[mreggena]

So would all of this work if i only had 2 working drives? how would the RAID still function with only 2 of the 4 drives functional? I was using RAID 5 btw.

[blue68f100]

Transfering the OS only requires 1 working drive. Raid 5 req a min of 3 drives. So you have the option of 3 drive aray with a spare or 4 arrray system. A 5 drive array will not operate with 2 drives.

If you had AV and SnapShots active, you need to disable them before droping down to 1 HD. Otherwise the drive info is saved in fashram for diaster recovery. This will cause problem if it does not see hd's needed for the array.

[mreggena]

Ok sorry for my stupidity but it was previously setup as RAID 5. How do i access the server and remove the RAID setup so that get the OS on one of the new drives?

I dont have a serial cable that will work and from what I can tell, the NAS is not pulling a DHCP address from our DHCP server.

[blue68f100]

The serial cable needed is a null modem cable.

I have not messed with a 4400, but I will try to help. My 4500 has video card and keyboard so I can connect that way. I think on a 4400 you need to add a video card in.

It sounds like diaster recovery was setup. If you have the original drives put them in the original position. Install your new drive in any open slot. Watch the leds. There is a watchdog active it should cycles through the drives till if finds one that boots it. The def timmer is 5 min. So watch the leds. If you see the new drive led light up like access it is copying the OS over. Wait till every thing has stoped. Power down. Move the new drive to drive 1 if it's not there, removing the other drives. Then see if it boots up.

If that does not do it, Phoenix32 (andy) normally check in. He has worked on the 4400 and may beable to advise you on what may be the best way.

The 4400 also has a Password protected bios. I think there is a option in it too, on selecting boot device. But you will need video to access the bios settings.

Guardian OS defaults to 10.10.10.10 if it does not retrive an IP.

[Phoenix32]

Originally Posted by blue68f100

If that does not do it, Phoenix32 (andy) normally check in. He has worked on the 4400 and may beable to advise you on what may be the best way.

Yes, I have worked on a bunch of them. I have 6 of them myself right now, 3 of which I will be selling soon.


Okay, let's try to settle a few basics that seem to be getting lost in the chaos here.

First, if the unit was set up as RAID 5 before and 2 drives died, then the data is GONE! DEAD! GOODBYE! BIT HEAVEN! Unless of course you want to spend a lot of $$$ sending all the drives to a restore service and hoping then can repair the bad drives and rebuild the RAID 5. But you are talking lots of $$$.

Next, the Guardian OS is stored in a hidden partition on each of the drives. Thus, reguardless of the data partitions being in RAID 5 and now gone, the OS should still be present on the two remaining good drives. Notice I said, "should" not "will" be there. I cannot say what condition those partitions are in if it has been running so long as ot have drives dieing.

Yes, you can move the OS from one Guardian unit to another, but since the 520 uses SATA and the 4400 uses PATA, this presents new challenges I won't go into here.

Try booting the 4400 on either of the two remaining drives in slot one (left). If one doesn't work, try the other.

Use the Snap Server Manager to detect the unit (after a respectable bootup time, say 5 to 10 minutes).

If all else fails, I am a technician and if you want to send it to me for refurbishing, we can discuss that in e-mail.

Hope this helps...

[blue68f100]

Another option on the 520 to 4400. Since most all clone/disk copy utilities can copy linux. I've got notes somewhere onto which partitons the OS resides on. Try copying the complete drive from the 520 to the 4400. SATA to EIDE should not matter. Once you get it up you will have to do some serious cleaning anyway. If you have the converters SATA to EIDE or EIDE to SATA these should work if you can get the power connected.

[Phoenix32]

Well, I never got an e-mail, so he/she must have gotten it working...

[mreggena]

Thanks for all of your help! I really appreciate it. I have been out of the office the last few days but I will start working on it tomorrow. I will let you know if your suggestions work.

Again thanks so much!!

[mreggena]

Ok...maybe i am doing some thing wrong here. Either of two things happens when i try to power up the Snap.

1) After plugging it in, the Power light blinks and the NIC 1 light stays lit. However I dont seem to be able to connect to it.

2) After pushing the power button, the fans kick on and so do the HD's but the NIC light goes out. And it doesnt seem to do anything after that.

In both cases none of the HD lights kick on at all. But i can hear the HD's spin up and shut off when i remove power.

Any idea what might be wrong or what i am doing wrong?

[Phoenix32]

Originally Posted by Phoenix32

#1 above is normal when it has had power removed and then power is connected to the power supply.

For the rest, how long are you waiting? The Guardian units do take a while to power up all the way.

I am a little puzzled as to why you would post this question on the open forum several hours after I answered you in your PM to me and I asked you a question (maybe my answers are not good enough), but I will say it AGAIN...

It is normal for the power LED to blink and NIC LED to be on when the power plug has been removed from a Snap 4400 and then reapplied, or if the server was shut down in an error state (i.e. not powered all the way as one example). This is normal.

When you press the power button, the fans and hard drives will spin up and the NIC LED will go out. Nor will the HD LEDs come on (or the NIC LED come back on) until a certain point in the boot up process. This is also normal.

The Snap Server 4400 takes a while to boot up (and even get to some of the points where LEDs start coming on or flashing etc). So the question becomes, as I asked you in PM and you didn't answer, how long are you waiting before shutting it back down? THAT will tell what needs to be looked at next.

Maybe someone else here can add more or give you answers you like better and guide you further in this troubleshooting process.

If you like, contact me in e-mail to make arrangements for a repair/refurbish if you can't get this going yourself or from others here.

[mreggena]

Sorry for the confusion Phoenix but i PM'd you the exact same time i posted my last comment. I sent you a PM because i knew you would be the one helping me and figured you and I could just chat about it instead. I didnt mean to offend you in any way.

Well doing what you said, I turned the server on and let it sit. After an hour there are still no HD lights or anything. The fans and HD's have come on but nothing. I have one of the "working" orginial HD's in Slot 1 but nothing seems to be happening.

Any idea what i should check next?

[Phoenix32]

The post on the forum thread was not there when I sent you a response to your PM. I get a little peeved when people start questioning or disregard the free help I give. Gift horse in the mouth kind of thing.

Regardless, you should have gotten some of the indicators right after POST, and others during bootup. Even others during an error condition. With no indicators, this problem is starting to sound like a hardware issue at this point. Time for some hardware troubleshooting. Sadly,, the 4400 is not near as easy to work on as the 4200/4500. Just don't make matters worse in the process... i.e. Kill the memory or the CPU etc.

As I said before, if all else fails, I am a technician and if you want to send it to me for refurbishing, we can discuss that in e-mail. phoenix32x@hotmail.com