[opensuse] Seeking advice: 4TB external drive
Hi All, I have a 4TB external drive with USB/FW/eSATA interfaces available (it's basically a self-contained RAID5 with 5x1TB disks). It can be configured to show as a drive of pretty much any size up to 4TB. I would like to use this disk with SuSE and am interested to know what I need to do. I assume I need: - Recent SuSE (eg. 11.0) - 64 bit arch and have tried booting a MacBook pro (64 bit) using the SuSE 11 recovery disk, then attaching the disk. It works as expected for sizes up to 2.2TB (recognixed as SCSI, parted 1.8.8 shows correct size). But when configured as a disk over 2.2TB in size, the drive is reported as (ActualSize - 2.2)TB. I *assume* this is a MacBook hardware issue. Not sure. Looks like a 32bit rouding problem to me. What I would like to know is what the minimum software/hardware requirements would be to actually get a 4TB USB/FW/eSATA disk to work under SuSE11.0. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Even if you just say 'works for me' then tell me the hardware you use.... Thanks! -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
Am Donnerstag, 14. August 2008 schrieb Philip Warner:
Hi All,
I have a 4TB external drive with USB/FW/eSATA interfaces available (it's basically a self-contained RAID5 with 5x1TB disks). It can be configured to show as a drive of pretty much any size up to 4TB.
I would like to use this disk with SuSE and am interested to know what I need to do. I assume I need:
- Recent SuSE (eg. 11.0) - 64 bit arch
and have tried booting a MacBook pro (64 bit) using the SuSE 11 recovery disk, then attaching the disk. It works as expected for sizes up to 2.2TB (recognixed as SCSI, parted 1.8.8 shows correct size). But when configured as a disk over 2.2TB in size, the drive is reported as (ActualSize - 2.2)TB. I *assume* this is a MacBook hardware issue. No, this seems to be the limit for DOS stylish partition tables. For disks > 2.2 GB you will have to switch to GPT. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
Markus Koßmann wrote:
No, this seems to be the limit for DOS stylish partition tables. For disks > 2.2 GB you will have to switch to GPT.
One of us (probably me) may have misunderstood. I'm not at the stage of creating partitions; when I enter parted it says the entire volume is 300GB (when it's 2.5TB). If I do a 'mklabel gpt'....it creates a partition table for a 300GB drive. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
On Wed, Aug 13, 2008 at 10:52 PM, Philip Warner
Hi All,
I have a 4TB external drive with USB/FW/eSATA interfaces available (it's basically a self-contained RAID5 with 5x1TB disks). It can be configured to show as a drive of pretty much any size up to 4TB.
I would like to use this disk with SuSE and am interested to know what I need to do. I assume I need:
- Recent SuSE (eg. 11.0) - 64 bit arch
I assume you know you are pushing the envelope. 31-bits of addressing gives you 1TB with 512 byte sectors. 32-bits of addressing gives you 2TB. So a bug anywhere in the hardware/software stack that fails to use the full 48-bits allowed by spec. will cause you problems. More typically people have a small internal boot drive (or RAID-1 boot pair) and create a series of 1TB external volumes. Then use LVM to build up the multi-TB volumes as desired from the 1TB building blocks. I'm pretty sure that methodology has been tested well above the 4TB level you are attempting. If you really NEED to have a single 4TB external volume you have to accept that you are likely one of the first to try it, so bugs are to be expected. Assuming eSata, I would expect you will have issues with: The external enclosure itself. Most are limited to exporting 1TB or 2TB volumes. The eSata card. I've had to upgrade all of my cards firmware just to get them to see 1TB drives. I doubt any are spec'ed to support 4TB drives yet. The Sata kernel driver specific to your controller. The generic kernel sata driver infrastructure. --- Fortunately most eSata controllers report the disk drive sizes at the bios level. Is that showing up correctly for you? (I'll be very surprised if it is.) Greg -- Greg Freemyer Litigation Triage Solutions Specialist http://www.linkedin.com/in/gregfreemyer First 99 Days Litigation White Paper - http://www.norcrossgroup.com/forms/whitepapers/99%20Days%20whitepaper.pdf The Norcross Group The Intersection of Evidence & Technology http://www.norcrossgroup.com -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
Greg Freemyer wrote:
I assume you know you are pushing the envelope. Yeah...wasn't quite aware of the extent of my pushing, but I'm rapidly becoming aware.
If you really NEED to have a single 4TB external volume you have to accept that you are likely one of the first to try it, so bugs are to be expected.
Looks like it; probably explains why most 4TB externals are SAN.
The external enclosure itself. Most are limited to exporting 1TB or 2TB volumes.
Enclosure is no problem, at least.
The eSata card. I've had to upgrade all of my cards firmware just to get them to see 1TB drives. I doubt any are spec'ed to support 4TB drives yet.
Yeah; all my existing eSATA top out at 2TB; one I purchased for the purpose (assured it was 48bit throughout) also only support 48 bit to the host. Still only copes with 2TB drives.
The Sata kernel driver specific to your controller.
The generic kernel sata driver infrastructure.
This was the kind of thing that made me think I needed to talk so someone who had gone down the path and knew which hardware actually worked.
Fortunately most eSata controllers report the disk drive sizes at the bios level. Is that showing up correctly for you? (I'll be very surprised if it is.)
As above, no. And my only 64 bit machine (atm) is a laptop....happy to buy a 64 bi server, but was hoping to go into that armed with infor about which ones actually *do* work with 4TB drives. FWIW, the motivation here is to have a *portable* large drive. Putting LVM on it means I'll have difficulty reading it in an emrgency on windows (I expect). SAN or iSCSI is looking good. Wish I could get this to work with USB/FW...I have read that LaCie have drivers for linux to cope with large externals, but again, not from the horses mouth. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
On Thu, Aug 14, 2008 at 11:04 AM, Philip Warner
Greg Freemyer wrote:
I assume you know you are pushing the envelope. Yeah...wasn't quite aware of the extent of my pushing, but I'm rapidly becoming aware.
If you really NEED to have a single 4TB external volume you have to accept that you are likely one of the first to try it, so bugs are to be expected.
Looks like it; probably explains why most 4TB externals are SAN.
The external enclosure itself. Most are limited to exporting 1TB or 2TB volumes.
Enclosure is no problem, at least.
The eSata card. I've had to upgrade all of my cards firmware just to get them to see 1TB drives. I doubt any are spec'ed to support 4TB drives yet.
Yeah; all my existing eSATA top out at 2TB; one I purchased for the purpose (assured it was 48bit throughout) also only support 48 bit to the host. Still only copes with 2TB drives.
The Sata kernel driver specific to your controller.
The generic kernel sata driver infrastructure.
This was the kind of thing that made me think I needed to talk so someone who had gone down the path and knew which hardware actually worked.
Fortunately most eSata controllers report the disk drive sizes at the bios level. Is that showing up correctly for you? (I'll be very surprised if it is.)
As above, no. And my only 64 bit machine (atm) is a laptop....happy to buy a 64 bi server, but was hoping to go into that armed with infor about which ones actually *do* work with 4TB drives.
FWIW, the motivation here is to have a *portable* large drive. Putting LVM on it means I'll have difficulty reading it in an emrgency on windows (I expect). SAN or iSCSI is looking good.
Wish I could get this to work with USB/FW...I have read that LaCie have drivers for linux to cope with large externals, but again, not from the horses mouth.
USB probably has the highest likelihood. I would check out the linux kernel usb subsystem mailing list. http://www.linux-usb.org/ Click on mailing lists on the left and subscribe or search their archives. Greg -- Greg Freemyer Litigation Triage Solutions Specialist http://www.linkedin.com/in/gregfreemyer First 99 Days Litigation White Paper - http://www.norcrossgroup.com/forms/whitepapers/99%20Days%20whitepaper.pdf The Norcross Group The Intersection of Evidence & Technology http://www.norcrossgroup.com -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
Philip Warner wrote:
FWIW, the motivation here is to have a *portable* large drive. Putting LVM on it means I'll have difficulty reading it in an emrgency on windows (I expect). SAN or iSCSI is looking good.
Wish I could get this to work with USB/FW...I have read that LaCie have drivers for linux to cope with large externals, but again, not from the horses mouth.
Phew! Just to copy 1 TB via USB will take about 14 hours (assumed 20 MB/s, which is probably too optimistic). If you really intend to use an external drive larger than 1 TB you should definitely plan to use at least gigabit ethernet or eSATA. Anything else doesn't make much sense with storage of that size. For what purposes do you intend to use it? How portable does it have to be? -- Sandy List replies only please! Please address PMs to: news-reply2 (@) japantest (.) homelinux (.) com -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
If you really intend to use an external drive larger than 1 TB you should definitely plan to use at least gigabit ethernet or eSATA. Anything else doesn't make much sense with storage of that size. Yeah; that was the original plan until I failed to find an eSATA card
Sandy Drobic wrote: that would cope with a 4TB external disk. The last one I bought was supposed to be 48bit LBA throughout, but the disk still shows up as the wrong size in the cards internal bios (1.8TB). Using USB frightens me considerably since I have (historically) had a great deal of trouble getting large external USB drived to function reliably under linux. And, as you say, they are slooow. If I go eSATA, it omes back to the hardware question: anyone know of a hardware/software combo that thy know can cope with a single 4TB eSATA drive? Also, maybe this is no longer a SuSE uestion. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org For additional commands, e-mail: opensuse+help@opensuse.org
On Thu, Aug 14, 2008 at 11:11 PM, Philip Warner
If you really intend to use an external drive larger than 1 TB you should definitely plan to use at least gigabit ethernet or eSATA. Anything else doesn't make much sense with storage of that size. Yeah; that was the original plan until I failed to find an eSATA card
Sandy Drobic wrote: that would cope with a 4TB external disk. The last one I bought was supposed to be 48bit LBA throughout, but the disk still shows up as the wrong size in the cards internal bios (1.8TB). Using USB frightens me considerably since I have (historically) had a great deal of trouble getting large external USB drived to function reliably under linux. And, as you say, they are slooow.
If I go eSATA, it omes back to the hardware question: anyone know of a hardware/software combo that thy know can cope with a single 4TB eSATA drive?
Also, maybe this is no longer a SuSE uestion.
Agreed, not a suse question. If you are now thinking eSata, you
should ask on the linux kernel sata list.
participants (4)
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Greg Freemyer
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Markus Koßmann
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Philip Warner
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Sandy Drobic