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Installing the 2 drives in mirror RAID 1

Pelle900

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Beiträge: 4

1

Freitag, 6. April 2012, 17:40

Installing the 2 drives in mirror RAID 1

HiGreat job with the firmware for the MVIXBOX. Finally something else than the very crappy original firmware!Even better that you can revert it back to the original firmware from OpenWRT!Installation vent well except that the "default IP" for the MVIXBOX is not a default one. It is the last one set within the MWIXBOX firmware before you remove the drives and access the recovery page. This is at least what I discovered with my unit.After this discovery I successfully got new life into my MVIXBOX with OpenWRT!But I have been searching on how to install and enable the 2 drives in the MVIXBOX as a RAID1 configuration.Is it doable and how is it then performed?Best,Pelle

Pelle900

Anfänger

Beiträge: 4

2

Samstag, 7. April 2012, 07:19

Hi again,All how-to's I have found for Linux RAID-setup uses "mdadm" to achive RAID configurations. It looks like the mdadm package is not included in this version of OpenWRT. It would have been good the firmware had the possibility to mirror its drives. Stripe or plain drives is nothing I use any more due to previous experiences with lost data on single drive NAS systems.BestPelle

AQUAR

Schüler

Beiträge: 116

Wohnort: Australia

3

Sonntag, 8. April 2012, 12:48

Hi,

Its nice to receive feedback that someone is actually trying out this very interesting firmware.

I checked the OpenWRT site and it seems that others have used this mdadm module for setting up some kind of software raid configuration.
Also checked the OpenGemini blog and notice it hasn't been cross compiled for the storlink gemini soc.

Must admit I never use this NAS with 2 HDD installed as it becomes quite crowded inside with poor air flow to ventilate both HDD's.

Anyway it seems very possible to achieve, try:

1) Build a compatible ipk module yourself using the OpenWRT buildroot with the williboard target.
2) Ask the embedded software developer of the OpenGemini blog to compile it for you.
His name is Frederic Pecourt, a very co-operative young man that ported OpenWRT port to the MBOX,
(with a little bit of help and encouragement from yours truly). His contact details are on his blog/wiki site.
3) If that fails I might be able to compile the module for you, but can't really provide any technical support on how to use it.
The penalty here is that I would want you to share your experience in setting up a raid 1 with this mdadm module.

AQUAR

Pelle900

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Beiträge: 4

4

Sonntag, 8. April 2012, 13:15

I have been waiting sooo long for someone with the brains to do something like this. More or less since the day I bought it 2008 because I can't imagine what the firmware guys thought of when they made the original firmware. I sucked really bigtime!I failed with the http://opengemini.free.fr firmware previously so when yours worked I am so happy.I am a happy Qnap NAS owner nowadays but I have always hoped to get some use for the MvixBOX. I have by the way a pre-release of the box. This is indicated on the name printed on my unit as MBOX and not MvixBOX.I do a try to get mdadm into it in either way.Thanks!/Pelle

AQUAR

Schüler

Beiträge: 116

Wohnort: Australia

5

Sonntag, 8. April 2012, 13:34

Hi,

His original firmware at OpenGemini was specific to the Planex hardware.
I understand that the flash partition structure on the MvixBOX is very slightly different and ditto for the hardware.

All my MvixBox units are labelled MBOX. Apparently Mvix didn't have the right to use that label and hence it became MvixBOX.

The Mvix firmware is IMHO the best of the OEM firmwares as it boots very cleanly.
That said I just don't like it, as it resides on the HDD and tries to be too much of everything.

Lets know how you fare with this.

AQUAR

Pelle900

Anfänger

Beiträge: 4

6

Sonntag, 8. April 2012, 18:55

HiI am not that familiar with compiling and definitely not for these embedded devices. If you could be so kind and compile the package for me I would be very thankful.For sure I will put my experiences of the process to achieve RAID1 on the board. I would actually even try to do a RAID5 with a third USB disk just for fun.What I can see this is the path to the mdadm source and the current version is 3.2.3 http://www.kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/raid/mdadm/ The application is still in development and the GIT is here http://neil.brown.name/git/mdadm Instructions how to use it is extensive http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mdadm Best, Pelle

AQUAR

Schüler

Beiträge: 116

Wohnort: Australia

7

Montag, 9. April 2012, 11:41

Hi,

I also am a rookie when it comes to cross compiling source code.
Best shot is to ask Frederic from OpenGemini and see if he will do it.

But I'll have a go at compiling it and see if I can create an IPK for it.
Won't be straight away though.

AQUAR

AQUAR

Schüler

Beiträge: 116

Wohnort: Australia

8

Mittwoch, 11. April 2012, 13:52

Hi,

I've booted up Ubuntu and did a make on the OpenWRT buildroot with the mdadm source included.
No problems cross compiling mdadm 3.2 source for the armv4 machine architecture.
It also created a firmware compatible IPK package for it. :beer: (Isn't OpenWRT wonderfull!)

I'ts about 250 kB in size, and might be too big to fit in the remaining empty partition space of the MBox internal flash memory.
If it doesn't fit, you can delete some unwanted components, or boot into a bigger root file system (eg on a USB dongle).

Hopefully you know your way around Linux better than me, being a mere MS windows user except for fiddling with the NAS firmware.

Do you still want to try it and write a small how to article in exchange?

AQUAR

AQUAR

Schüler

Beiträge: 116

Wohnort: Australia

9

Mittwoch, 25. April 2012, 14:33

I guess pelle900 has lost interest in using mdadm to set up a software raid for the 2 HDDs.

If anyone else is interested in trying this on an OpenWRT-MvixBOX/Planex, just let me know and I'll post the IPK for it.
For what it is worth: Neil Brown (the coder of this program) said that mdadm should work fine with our Linux kernel (3.04).

AQUAR

JumpingJack

Anfänger

Beiträge: 2

10

Montag, 22. Oktober 2012, 12:19

Hi, I have bought MvixBOX as
cheap mirror NAS but with original firmware network performances are
really bad. OpenWRT work better but missing raid support, so I'm interested in mdadm IPK.

JJ

AQUAR

Schüler

Beiträge: 116

Wohnort: Australia

11

Montag, 22. Oktober 2012, 13:28

Hi JumpingJack,

I compiled it long time ago for the chap that started this thread on the forum.
Luckily I still have that build run on my Ubuntu partition, so I have attached the IPK for it here.

[attach]284[/attach] (Please let me know if you DL this IPK)

There are others less familiar with this kind of add-on that could do with some help.
So if you or anyone else tries out this package do please provide some feedback (installation - setting up the software raid - problems etc).

AQUAR

JumpingJack

Anfänger

Beiträge: 2

12

Mittwoch, 24. Oktober 2012, 11:47

Hi AQUAR,

thank you for the package.
The package work well but I have something to do to have the NAS in working condition. I have to reduce the amount of internal memory used by system because after installing mdadm the free space was only 77k and the system will easy stop to write files. Another problem is that the raid is not built after reboot, I to do "mdadm --assemble" and "mount" every time.

I have followed these guides
http://www.linuxhomenetworking.com/wiki/…x_Software_RAID
http://www.linuxguide.it/linux/amministr…-con-MDADM.html (this is in italian)

I need more time to work on it :)

JJ

AQUAR

Schüler

Beiträge: 116

Wohnort: Australia

13

Donnerstag, 25. Oktober 2012, 12:57

Hi JJ

Never used this package myself, but it is a stable program that has been around for some time.
Hence, I am sure the raid should survive a reboot.
Most likely guess is that this issue arises due to a lack of flash memory.

Use LUCI to remove some of the other (unused) stuff and free up some flash mem.
Better yet, set the NAS up to boot from a USB stick with OpenWRT on it (see Opengemini blog), then you can experiment with lots of memory freedom.

AQUAR

killerpapy

Anfänger

Beiträge: 2

14

Dienstag, 12. Januar 2016, 17:18

Hello,

Do you still have the mdadm.ipk package?

I really need it. I try to build it but .... No success ...

Thank you.

Sorry ! I have download the ipk ! The link is hide for non authenticated user !

Thanks !

Dieser Beitrag wurde bereits 1 mal editiert, zuletzt von »killerpapy« (12. Januar 2016, 18:00)

killerpapy

Anfänger

Beiträge: 2

15

Dienstag, 12. Januar 2016, 22:06

Hi AQUAR,

Thank you for the mdadm ipk !

I'm very interresting to build other app for my NAS.

Did you remember the way you build it ?

Thank you.

AQUAR

Schüler

Beiträge: 116

Wohnort: Australia

16

Mittwoch, 13. Januar 2016, 12:53

Hi,

I build that package as part of cross compiling the OpenWRT firmware for my MvixBox.
It's set up for the Gemini SOC and it will cross compile most packages I include (not done it for years now!)..

The build root for doing that is not mine but it was given to me by the developer behind the opengemini blog.
We worked together to port OpenWRT to my test MvixBOX.

As far as I know, those that have tried to use it on these Gemini based NAS boxes, have run into some issues.
Not tried it myself, but if you get it to work please let us know the tricks needed.

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