vista 64 raid question

[moe]

I get this in the log ---  D: is a raid 0 dual channel, c: sata  c: defrag ok  any ideas? 

HDtool did not reconize the raid on install.  I rebooted then it dectected the raid, also ran the defrag again after reboot.  log is attached.

10:38:45 Analyzing volume 'D:\'
10:38:45 Processing 'D:\*'
10:38:45 Opening volume '\\?\Volume{fc35b421-668e-11dd-bf29-00508db22c2d}' at mountpoint 'D:'
10:38:45 Input mask: D:\*
10:38:46 Phase 1: Analyze
10:38:46 This is an NTFS disk.
10:38:48 Phase 2: Defragment
10:40:27 ERROR: could not get volume bitmap: [21] The device is not ready.
10:40:27 ERROR: could not get volume bitmap: [21] The device is not ready.
10:40:27 Phase 3: Fixup
10:40:27 ERROR: could not get volume bitmap: [21] The device is not ready.
10:40:27 ERROR: could not get volume bitmap: [21] The device is not read

[jeroen]

Are you using the latest version of the drivers of your RAID controller? The error message "could not get volume bitmap" comes from the FSCTL_GET_VOLUME_BITMAP Microsoft defragmentation API call. JkDefrag only executes this call when it is looking for an empty gap on disk. I have never seen this message combined with "The device is not ready" message. Maybe the disks are running too hot?

[moe]

Not sure if they are running to hot?  This raid has been running 4-6 months and have not had any issues with programs on the drive, so far.  Do have quite a few fans in my case 2-120, 2-pw supply fans, video fan, cpu fan, everything with temp sensors on it is on the cool side.  I do have room for one more 120mm to blow on my drives, do not have a temp sensor on them?

Are you using the latest version of the drivers of your RAID controller? The error message "could not get volume bitmap" comes from the FSCTL_GET_VOLUME_BITMAP Microsoft defragmentation API call. JkDefrag only executes this call when it is looking for an empty gap on disk. I have never seen this message combined with "The device is not ready" message. Maybe the disks are running too hot?

[jeroen]

Not sure if they are running to hot?

Harddisks have internal temperature sensors that can be read with S.M.A.R.T. aware software. For example the HdTune utility that you used to measure the speed of your disks in another thread, will show the temperature of your disks (perhaps not of RAID configured harddisks, because those may be hidden behind the controller). Anything up to about 50 degrees celcius is ok. From your logfile I see that the messages occur after running for a while, that's why I thought it might be the temperature. A fan specially for the harddisks is a good idea and a good investment, cooler harddisks will live longer.

[Harald]

cooler harddisks will live longer.

Actually, this may not necessarily be true. Quoting from a Google study (http://research.google.com/archive/disk_failures.pdf):

"One of our key findings has been the lack of a consistent pattern of higher failure rates for higher temperature drives or for those drives at higher utilization levels. Such correlations have been repeatedly highlighted by previous studies, but we are unable to confirm them by observing our population. Although our data do not allow us to conclude that there is no such correlation, it provides strong evidence to suggest that other effects may be more prominent in affecting disk drive reliability in the context of a professionally managed data center deployment."

[moe]

Checked and cannot see any health info on the raid drives.  I will invest in a drive fan, case has a 120mm socket to blow directly over drives.  There is a 120mm in the front blowing into the drive, but the case allows for another fan to blow at a right angle to them. 

Will also check to make sure software for the controller is up to date.

[jeroen]

for higher temperature drives

I think the study refers to drives that get warmer by themselves as compared to drives that stay cooler, given the same circumstances. They were designed to run at a higher temperature, so I would expect the failure pattern to be designed to be the same. Also, the study is an analysis of a large population of disks used normally. It was not a laboratory test that focused on determining the circumstances that affect the lifespan of harddisks.

[ABasketOfPups]

I tend to believe the Google study, that drives aren't as affected by heat as has been rumored over the years.  But having more fans in the case to improve airflow helps the whole box, including the CPU and the video card, so it's still worth putting some effort into cooling.

[moe]

can someone look at the attachment - still do not know why the defrag is not defraging the raid0

All drivers are up to date.  defrag works the same right after boot up or after several hours running.

[jeroen]

Could you please run JkDefrag with the "-d 5" parameter? And only for disk "d:". This will write more information to the logfile and perhaps it will help me explain the problem. I don't think I will need the entire logfile, only a section around the first couple of error messages and the beginning and the end of the logfile.

[Light768]

i just want to share my ideas to this JkDefrag .,
JkDefrag is a free open source disk defragmenting utility for Windows. It is the first free software defragmenting project of its kind.This also a computer program.,

[jeroen]

i just want to share my ideas to this JkDefrag .,

Feel free to do so! I have stopped development on JkDefrag and am busy with it's successor, called "MyDefrag" (see http://www.mydefrag.com). MyDefrag is not open source, but has a very flexible scripting language so it's much easier to customize.