Hardware issues and disk failure

binkyd · 03-16-2020, 06:24 PM

Have had multiple disk-and-enclosure failures lately, even with a major surge-suppressor/UPS. Different disks. Several different External Enclosures. All crap. Disk killers.

I check disks regularly with Gsmartcontrol, and I'm beginning to think that's a waste of time. Never get any warning of disk failure.

(I'm also unlucky - my surname actually translates from the mother-tongue as "The Unlucky One." How's that grab ya, baby?)

So I bought a WD "My Passport." 5TB
Best reviews on the InterWeb. 3 yr warranty.
Even though Western Digital can't even spell "Linux" yet.

SHould I re-partition this into multiples or leave it intact?

Is there any advantage to "RAID"ing this disk with more partitions?

syg00 · 03-16-2020, 08:53 PM

External (USB) disk enclosures are my flakiest hardware by a long way. There is no way I would use them as long-term (critical ?) active disk storage - well, maybe on a pi ...
I only use them for disk test/recovery.

As for partitioning, it's probably shipped as NTFS, so by definition I immediately would reformat it. Maybe make it a LVM pv depending on likely usage, by really it's up to you how you carve it up.
Not much point using multiple partitions if you're planning on RAIDing it within the physical disk. Might save you, probably won't unless you are simply mirroring.

frankbell · 03-16-2020, 08:59 PM

In contrast, I've had excellent service from external USB drives. Most of mine have been Western Digital, but I've also used Seagates and Iomegas.

I've only used on actual USB enclosure--to access an old hard drive (I think it was a SATA drive), and the hard drive (I said it was old) failed before the enclosure did.

syg00 · 03-16-2020, 09:29 PM

Yep, I was referring to what are know as "caddies" - where you stand drives vertically. The connections are dead dodgy. Commercial (enclosed) USB drives have been fine. Sorry to all for the lack of clarity.

ondoho · 03-17-2020, 02:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by binkyd

Have had multiple disk-and-enclosure failures lately, even with a major surge-suppressor/UPS. Different disks. Several different External Enclosures. All crap. Disk killers.

I check disks regularly with Gsmartcontrol, and I'm beginning to think that's a waste of time. Never get any warning of disk failure.

Personally I don't think that hardware "dies" so fast and especially not so consistently.
I still use 2 pre-owned hard drives inside my desktop that are at least 5 years old.

We really need more details about what is actually happening there.

Could also be faulty contacts between drive & mobo, or the mobo itself.

ehartman · 03-17-2020, 04:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ondoho

Personally I don't think that hardware "dies" so fast and especially not so consistently.
I still use 2 pre-owned hard drives inside my desktop that are at least 5 years old.

Internal drives often last longer, it is the USB (often plugged-in and -out ones) that have a tendency to fail (on the connections, not the disk itself).
For instance I've got a very old Dell (some 20 years) with internal disks
Maxtor 5T040H4 which is almost 20 years old - the original disk
WDC WD2000 (Western Digital Caviar) more then 11 years old

My main system is over 10 years and has its original disk (Seagate) too

And even my 486, from 1994, still got its original (Quantum) disk.

fatmac · 03-17-2020, 05:23 AM

Agree, it is more usual for the connection/cables to go wrong, than it is for the disk itself.

Only recently gave away my external 3.5" IDE USB, still in perfect working order.

I did have one of the first SSD 'die' on me, but that has been the only one in about 25 years.

If they are used intensely, then they are obviously more prone to failure, but mine just see 'normal' usage.

mrmazda · 03-19-2020, 01:07 AM

Heat is an enemy of electronics. HDs are metal-cased heat generators. Computer cases mostly use HD bays made of metal. When attached to a metal case bay, the case draws heat from the HD and radiates it into the areas subject to case and power supply fan flow, helping to minimize HD temperature.

That doesn't happen with typical external HDs. More often the metal heat generating HD is trapped inside a confined space with poor or no air flow, and plastic attach point insulation minimizing heat transfer instead of metal attachment facilitating heat transfer. Inferior life from such devices should be expected.

External enclosures I buy have metal mounting, their own power supplies, and fans. None were manufactured or marketed by a manufacturer of HDs. I have yet to have a HD in an external case expire, but then they don't get anywhere near as much use as my internal HDs either.

binkyd · 03-22-2020, 09:47 AM

Probably overheated, like you say.
This is what's going on with one disk:

Code:

sudo fsck -a /dev/sda2
fsck from util-linux 2.31.1
fsck.ext2: Bad magic number in super-block while trying to open /dev/sda2
/dev/sda2: 
The superblock could not be read or does not describe a valid ext2/ext3/ext4
filesystem.  If the device is valid and it really contains an ext2/ext3/ext4
filesystem (and not swap or ufs or something else), then the superblock
is corrupt, and you might try running e2fsck with an alternate superblock:
    e2fsck -b 8193 <device>
 or
    e2fsck -b 32768 <device>

Neither of these last suggestions helped.

Does anyone know if and how I can get the data off this disk?

mrmazda · 03-22-2020, 11:45 AM

Try with gnu_ddrescue writing the disk to another disk or to a file, then try reading from the copy. First I'd take the disk from the enclosure and attach it directly to a motherboard controller, removing a possible point of failure, or slowdown from the USB from ATA conversion process, and keeping the disk cooler, any of which might solve the problem directly.

binkyd · 03-22-2020, 04:09 PM

To tell you the truth, I've had so many problems with these disks OR their enclosures I'm sort of afraid to attach them directly...

I looked at ddrescue, but, alas, I have never had success with tarballs. Any I've tried have always seemed to get rangy at the start with 'configure', 'make' etc. Can never get it right and just not going there anymore. The old documentation issue - 'readme' files can lie.

I think I'll just put these 3 disks aside till I find a box where hardware screw-ups won't matter.

mrmazda · 03-22-2020, 04:31 PM

Most distros package gnu-ddrescue under one name or another. You shouldn't need a tarball to use it.

Code:

# grep RETT /etc/os-release
PRETTY_NAME="openSUSE Leap 15.1"
# apropos rescue
dd_rescue (1)        - Data recovery and protection tool
ddrescue (1)         - data recovery tool
ddrescuelog (1)      - tool for ddrescue mapfiles
ntfsclone (8)        - Efficiently clone, image, restore or rescue an NTFS
# rpm -qa | grep rescue
gnu_ddrescue-1.23-lp151.2.4.x86_64
dd_rescue-1.99.7-lp151.2.3.x86_64

I wouldn't hesitate to attach an enclosure's disk to a motherboard host controller.

binkyd · 03-22-2020, 04:46 PM

Thankin' you mrmazda!

I was thrown by the "gnu-" on the front of it.

Have now found it and will give it a whirl.

binkyd · 04-01-2020, 04:28 PM

Update:
ddrescue saved data off one disk, but couldn't get the other. I had enough duplicates to be ok.

Was able to open the disk's log with Gsmartcontrol, and it pointed the finger directly at the (cheap) HDD enclosure - multiple data errors occurred at power-on.

Currently running GSmart's full test to see if disk might be usable.

I have 2 of these 2TBs here, if they both work I'll need a proper cooling enclosure for them.

Opinions on something like this, please, would be very welcome, so I have an idea where to start to avoid repeats.
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07...9WPO2NUY&psc=1

Shadow_7 · 04-01-2020, 09:50 PM

Heat and Vibrations will kill disks. Most of my drive losses were during or shortly after a move. And I tend to baby my electronics, ride in the back seat of the car, not in the Uhaul with everything else.

I tend to use external docking stations for drives. USB is slower, but I can hear drives that are in a questionable state. And otherwise hover my hand over drives that are putting off way more heat than other like drives. I severely corrupted a drive once when the USB bus on a laptop went south. Granted that the fan on said laptop stopped working more than a year earlier.

There's ZFS options for linux now. I have an RPi 4b running ZFS on linux (zol). And sharing that over NFS. Works well, so far. A couple storms, power outages, and whatnot later and 2x old 500GB drives are still ticking.