[SOLVED] Recurring input/output error on my network HD

Are nfs and samba caches linked to causing corruption? Why is that so? The input/output error is not directly relaed to showing up on a client machine, because if I logon to the server directly and list the mounted filesystem it will also display an input/output error.

With the enclosure I'm not even looking at a cheaper option, the disk is othewise functioning okay and the storage capacity on it is enough for a few years at least, so I just want to avoid the hassle of running fsck every other day and recovering journals.

Have you tested the disk with the manufacturer's diagnosis tool yet? It does not really make sense to search for a problem in the software when you don't know if the hardware is the problem?

Okay, three things:
first: my complete embarassment and apologies – the drive is powered via a DC adaptor – I was completely overrun with errands so I unfortunately mistook the drive for another portable that I also have from the same company, which is powered only via USB. So the power supply can't be an issue.

second: I can't find the diagnostic software for the drive on the company's website. It is a Toshiba CANVIO 3tb drive. When I check, there's only Documentation to be found. I tried to install a portable drive application that Toshiba sends packaged with all of the drives and which contains mostly backup utilities, but it wouldn't install (always says that it can't find autorun.exe or install.exe). Since the drive is ext4, I tried to install it via sambashare, but I wouldn't even know how to install it in a proper windows environment, since it doesn't recognise ext4 partitions.

third: when I looked at the model of the hard drive on the Toshiba site, I got a scare in customer reviews - almost all of them negative and complaining of hard drive failure :
http://us.toshiba.com/computers/stor...k/HDWC130XK3J1

So it being a Linux partition that windows doesn't really care about, I don't know how to properly check the drive, except with fsck. SMART doesn't work because of the usb connection (counter-logging isn't supported or something like that).

Just an update: the problem has largely gone away, after I modified the shutdown script. I added commands that first stop network services (NFS and samba), which then allow for the drive to be safely unmounted. I also allowed the computer enough time to take complete all the needed operations by putting in some sleep commands.

Again, thanks for everyone that took the time to contribute their opinion, even though I occasionally messed up the task of providing accurate information.