RAID 1 initialize fails consistently on WD Black 4TB drives

[fredw]

When attempting to create a RAID 1 (mirror) using two new WD Black 4TB drives (WD4005FZBX-00K5WB0), the initialization fails consistently, marking which ever disk is second as failed, and the volume degraded.

Is there a drive compatibility list available from Intel, or a particular drive spec. for which I need to look?

[AlHill]

I wonder if this is related to WD SMR drives:

https://www.extremetech.com/computing/309389-western-digital-seagate-reportedly-shipping-slow-smr-drives-without-informing-customers

Doc (not an Intel employee or contractor)

[fredw]

Thanks for the tip, @AlHill. I would suspect, however, it's not an SMR issue because a) these are Black drives (still no guarantee on that account, though), and b) when mounted as individual volumes, they perform very nicely, and least by comparison to the older (2011) Black Caviar drives (64MB cache vs 256 MB).

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello @fredw

Thank you for posting on the Intel® communities.

We are checking this thread and we would like to know if you need further assistance. If yes, could you please provide the following information?

1- Detailed step-by-step instructions on how you are configuring the RAID 1 volume and initializing it.

2- Is this RAID 1 targeted as an OS volume or data volume?

3- Screenshots from the "Intel® RST option ROM" from the BIOS to see the RAID status and/or from the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology (Intel® RST) User Interface (Intel® RST Windows software)

Note: The Intel® RST option ROM usually is accessed by pressing Ctrl+I when prompted after the system begins the Power On Self Test (POST). If this method does not work, please check with your system manufacturer for proper instructions.

4- If the system is running and able to access Windows, please provide the following reports:

A- System Report for Intel® Rapid Storage Technology

B- Run the Intel® System Support Utility (Intel® SSU) to gather more details about the system.

• Download the Intel® SSU and save the application on your computer
• Open the application, check the "Everything" checkbox, and click "Scan" to see the system and device information. The Intel® SSU defaults to the "Summary View" on the output screen following the scan. Click the menu where it says "Summary" to change to "Detailed View".
• To save your scan, click Next and click Save.
• Once you have saved the file (.txt file), please attach it to your reply.
• To upload and attach a file, use the "Drag and drop here or browse files to attach" option below the response textbox.

Note: If the system is not able to boot into Windows® (e.g.: it has not been installed yet), please provide the following details:

• Motherboard brand and model, and BIOS version:
• The version of Intel® RST option ROM in BIOS:
• Operating System version and build number:
• Processor model:

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[fredw]

@AndrewG_Intel , thanks for the reply. I have ordered a new set of SATA III cables, and will first install those before re-attempting to initialize the RAID 1 volume.

For reference:
using a MSI MEG Z490I Unify motherboard
have attempted to access the option ROM settings using CTRL-I (ctrl-eye), but no joy
this RAID 1 vol. is used for data (non-bootable)

Will update further after swapping cables.

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello fredw

Thank you for your response. We understand that you are in the process of testing with a new set of SATA III cables. We will wait for you to complete this test and provide more details.

Note:

Regarding the screenshots from Intel® RST option ROM, usually, it is accessed by pressing Ctrl+I; however, every computer manufacturer (OEM) may design/have different options or steps to access this. You may want to review the MSI* MEG Z490I Unify motherboard User's Manual, section RAID Configuration, page 63 for more information on how to access the Intel® RST option ROM menu. You may also check with MSI* Support for proper guidance.

You may also provide screenshots from the Intel® Rapid Storage Technology (Intel® RST) User Interface (Intel® RST Windows software).

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello fredw

We are checking this thread and we would like to know if you need further assistance. Please do not hesitate to contact us back if you have additional inquiries.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[fredw]

@AndrewG_Intel , thanks for the check-in. Still waiting for delivery of new SATA III cables.

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello fredw

Sure, you are welcome. We will wait for you to provide any feedback once you are able to test the new cables.

For any other inquiries, please don't hesitate to contact us back.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello fredw

We are reviewing the thread and we would like to know if you were able to receive and test with the new SATA III cables. If you need further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us back.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[fredw]

@AndrewG_Intel, the SATA cables arrived, and I installed them last week. I then created a new RAID volume, selecting RAID 1, and included the two new drives in the volume. In the creation dialog, the write-cache buffer option was disabled, and the initialize volume option was already checked. After the volume was created, the initialization began. And it stalled around 37%. By stalled, I mean the progress indicator did not change after several hours, though no error condition was apparent. After rebooting, and re-opening the Intel Optane & Storage Mgmt. application, the initialization appeared to pick up where it left off, proceeding to some other arbitrary point, e.g. 43%, 58%, 74%, and so on, before another reboot was necessary. After several such reboots, the process eventually reached 100% without marking either of the disks as failed, and the volume status was 'Normal'.

Windows disk management successfully initialized the volume using GPT, and did a  (quick) format. So, now I'll wait to see how long it stays 'Normal'.

Thanks for your assistance and the information from earlier posts (SSU). I'll use those tools should something go wrong later.

Recall, my original question was whether there was a drive compatibility list available, or a spec. reference of which to be aware when shopping for a drive. I gather there is not, and therefore I have to assume that Intel also assumes that the Intel RST Raid ought to work with most any drive. Unfortunately, I don't think WD is on the same page. The last WD technical support (web chat) eventually did say that the WD Black HDDs were not suitable for RAID, and that I should look to their NAS products if I wanted a RAID solution. So, of course, considering the source, can't put any stock in that statement, and all that remains is the FUD.

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello fredw

Thank you for your response.

We understand that after installing the new cables and a series of reboots, finally, the process reached 100% and the volume status was 'Normal'. The time RAID may take to complete varies depending upon the RAID size.

It is worth mentioning that Intel® doesn't offer a Drive compatibility list for RAID/Intel RST. This is since Intel RST is a platform and the compatibility is based on the Chipset model of the computer.

For inquiries regarding compatibility between RAID and drives, the recommendation is to check with the Computer Manufacturer for proper information.

For any other inquiries, please don't hesitate to contact us back.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[AndrewG_Intel]

Hello fredw

We have not heard back from you so we will proceed to close this thread now. If you need any additional information, please submit a new question as this thread will no longer be monitored. It has been a pleasure to assist you.

Best regards,

Andrew G.

Intel Customer Support Technician