A computer question for any of you geeks, I need help

I wish I was in those areas but alas I am in Winterpeg, freezing my ass off.

Now I have to find someone who can change out the drives while still maintaining the integrity of the parking system.

Crap it's only 3 years old.

You need to call the kind of computer geek that carries or has immediate access to replacement drives of the exact same specifications as the ones currently in this server. You need one drive ASAP and as others have told you you should also, once this is resolved, replace the other drives one at a time over several days.

Hopefully you have documentation of the drives in there now and hopefully they are hot swappable (if not hot swappable you'll have to shutdown the server to yank the failed drive, replace it, then power it back up). Once the drive is replaced you'll need to start the RAID rebuild process, probably using some vendor supplied software on the machine. In theory the support tech you bring out should be able to help with this but may charge more for it.

I really don't know much about the system's setup.

I am a computer dummy.

It's not a software issue.
A physically failed drive will not rebuild.

It needs a new drive...then it will rebuild.

I have to ask OP, what's the brand name of the drive that failed?

And yes all drives will fail eventually but if I ask enough people enough times...

Thanks for all the help guys.



I'm off to hunt for a geek to come down and fix it all for me.
Just not sure how to find a good one.

Now, where did I put those yellow pages?

I'm a computer dummy, I don't know the answer to that.

Good luck.
...and you are welcome.

(try Googling online in your area for local tech companies)

Last Edited by Useless Cookie Eater on 12/04/2012 10:33 AM

Not in Canada and not affiliated with any of these places, but some options are below. It sounds like you need someone to come on-site rather than attempt to figure it all out on your own and tell them just what you need. Have any documentation on the system handy that's in your possession.

Carlos Computer Laboratory
1172 Pembina Highway
Winnipeg
MB R3T 2A4
Canada
Phone numbers
(204) 415-7699
Web site
www.carloscomputersrepairservices.com/



Excellent Technology Solutions Inc.
644 Erin Street
Winnipeg
MB R3G 2V9
Canada
Phone numbers
(204) 318-9233
Web site
www.etsolutionsinc.ca/


The Computer Wizard
104-130 St. Annes Road
Winnipeg
MB R2M 2Z2
Canada
Phone numbers
(204) 979-8059

I don't know... I've had blinking amber and more times than not, pulling it and putting it back in forced a rebuild and the drive was fine. If it is the drive it will fail again.

I'd say try that. Maybe the solid amber is a hot spare. RAID 5 plus the extra drive is 6. That is what we used to do.

Again, thanks for the tips and advice.

This is the second time the Raid message has come up.

First time my parking tech it unplugged and the Raid rebuilt, this is the second time Raid errors have been sent.

They are coming hot and heavy now and I'm worried that it will cause a system crash. Not good.

Am seeking help and the calvary should soon be on the way.

I hope!!

Dealing with 100's of irate parkers stuck in a freezing parkade is not my idea of a good time.

That would be funny, if it wasn't an automated system that requires no human interaction.

Funny thing about automation.

It's not so automatic when things go wrong.

Computer geeks are on the way.

Thanks, needed that

clearly the one drive needs replaced but the others are only 3 years old. I used to work in a server room, going back a decade or so. I can't ever recall replacing all the drives on a server.

It will be on a sticker on the side of the drive but based on your posts you really don't want to "open the box" if you can avoid it. Not a problem. Best of luck OP.

Yes, but you're capable and comfortable working with hardware. This sounds like a mostly hands-off system with no contracted support and you have to figure the drives are all from the same batch, and with MTBF being what it is, and given the mission-critical nature of it, better safe than sorry.

Sorry man, it was just a classic response that I haven't see in years, I got nostalgic and hilarious at the same time.