My Qnap 451 is making a clunk everyfew seconds

[stevek0077]

Hi. I have

QNAP TS-451
installed 4.1.2 build 0126
Access QNAP via windows 7 and Fedora (Linux)
English
2 HDD
HDD WD red WDC WD40EFRX-68WT0n0 (SATA)
HDD 4TB
RAID 10
Services enabled, Wins (For windows file serving) and Samba for Connection to linux
External devices, None
NAS connection speed is 100MB / MTU 1500

I hope someone can help....

So, on to the "problem", every few seconds there is a soft clunk coming from the NAS, I am assuming its one of the drives and at the same time (but not in time with it) with the LAN led (orange) showing access, ie it dims. Also both the HDD leds flash a number of times, but not consistently the same number of times.

Is this an indication of a HDD failure, nothing is indicated in the logs or the health of the drives via SMART monitoring. I read that SMART cannot show all impending failures.

These drives are new, ie less than one month old.

How to proceed, what can I check ? Perhaps there are more log areas that I need to look at ?
Any advice gratefully received.

Regards

Steve K

[pwilson]

Hi. I have

QNAP TS-451
installed 4.1.2 build 0126
Access QNAP via windows 7 and Fedora (Linux)
English
2 HDD
HDD WD red WDC WD40EFRX-68WT0n0 (SATA)
HDD 4TB
RAID 10
Services enabled, Wins (For windows file serving) and Samba for Connection to linux
External devices, None
NAS connection speed is 100MB / MTU 1500

I hope someone can help....

So, on to the "problem", every few seconds there is a soft clunk coming from the NAS, I am assuming its one of the drives and at the same time (but not in time with it) with the LAN led (orange) showing access, ie it dims. Also both the HDD leds flash a number of times, but not consistently the same number of times.

Is this an indication of a HDD failure, nothing is indicated in the logs or the health of the drives via SMART monitoring. I read that SMART cannot show all impending failures.

These drives are new, ie less than one month old.

How to proceed, what can I check ? Perhaps there are more log areas that I need to look at ?
Any advice gratefully received.

Regards

Steve K

The "Clunk" sound is probably the drives "unparking" due to network traffic for your WINS server. As long as you have WINS enabled your drives will not spindown properly. Why are you using WINS in the first place? If your DNS Server is working correctly in your Router, you don't need WINS at all. (Windows has preferred DNS over WINS since approximately Vista).

[stevek0077]

Hi Patrick.

Thanks for the reply, I probably mis-used the wins term, What I was taking about was the windows file sharing protocol SMB, Sorry for the confusion. I'm A Linux user that HAS to use windows to be able to use Photoshop (I am a photographer and an ex Unix sysadmin), However, the clunk is happening even though my windows machine is off. ie its only the Linux box that is on presently. Does that change things ??

[pwilson]

Hi Patrick.

Thanks for the reply, I probably mis-used the wins term, What I was taking about was the windows file sharing protocol SMB, Sorry for the confusion. I'm A Linux user that HAS to use windows to be able to use Photoshop (I am a photographer and an ex Unix sysadmin), However, the clunk is happening even though my windows machine is off. ie its only the Linux box that is on presently. Does that change things ??

Nope. Not if WINS or "Local Master Browser" are enabled on the NAS. You shouldn't need either of these options enabled anyway. There is nothing wrong with having Samba itself running. Simply don't enable the "WINS" or "Local Master Browser" options.



What does "Photoshop" do that GIMP doesn't? (I can't imagine running Windows just to support Adobe products).

[stevek0077]

Wins was never enabled here, but checked that its off... as is local Browser, its also off.

Customers expect me to be running Adobe products, and more to the point I don't just use Photoshop, I use Illustrator and In-design (for album design (weddings)) and these are the only products that outside printers etc will recognise.

Anyway, I still have the clunk, and the flashing HDD leds. Does the forum allow video to be uploaded. ??

[pwilson]

Wins was never enabled here, but checked that its off... as is local Browser, its also off.

Customers expect me to be running Adobe products, and more to the point I don't just use Photoshop, I use Illustrator and In-design (for album design (weddings)) and these are the only products that outside printers etc will recognise.

Anyway, I still have the clunk, and the flashing HDD leds. Does the forum allow video to be uploaded. ??

No. You can however upload your Video to "Youtube", and then provide the Youtube link within your message.

Like this:
[youtube=awkUKNHX5Sw]QNAP NAS problem[/youtube]

[stevek0077]

ok here is a short youtube vid. I know its on its side, its not the way that its operating
It repeats the sequence, even when there isn't any data being written to it...

http://youtu.be/Ffo1M10uzis

[pwilson]

ok here is a short youtube vid. I know its on its side, its not the way that its operating
It repeats the sequence, even when there isn't any data being written to it...

http://youtu.be/Ffo1M10uzis

Not very helpful:

[stevek0077]

oops please try again - not uploaded to youtube before

[pwilson]

oops please try again - not uploaded to youtube before

Yes it shows up now:
[youtube=Ffo1M10uzis]QnapLeds[/youtube]

I don't understand what the issue is. Those sound like normal noises to me. Perhaps someone else will provide a different answer for you.

[stevek0077]

Hi Patrick,

My concern was/is that its a noise that I don't associate to a HDD when its in a PC, not something that I have heard before, but if its normal operation of QNAP nas, then that's ok..

As it now holds all of my images, I am a little twitchy new noises that I'm not comfortable with.

Thanks for your help.

[pwilson]

Hi Patrick,

My concern was/is that its a noise that I don't associate to a HDD when its in a PC, not something that I have heard before, but if its normal operation of QNAP nas, then that's ok..

As it now holds all of my images, I am a little twitchy new noises that I'm not comfortable with.

Thanks for your help.

I am an ex-marksman, so my hearing is not "normal". Perhaps someone else will provide a different answer.

[P5bdkw]

I've watched the video and twice the green LED's went solid, just before a chunk happened.
IMHO it's definitely the hard drives.

[stevek0077]

The QNAP is set to run up before I am in a position to switch on the Linux box, and its making clunk noises on its own, would the heads be seeking while just sitting there ?

For the noise that could be the fan, I could stick something in the way of the blades, ie NOT my finger, but the end of a zip-tie and see if the "Clunk" goes away.....

Done that - No change, so the only other moving parts are the HDD's.

So, Do I try to break the mirror of the Raid and see if it is one of the HDD's. How hard can that be. Make believe that I am going to change a HDD and take one out of service, and remove it completely from the case.

Will report back on that.....

[Nees]

Check your smart values. Especially LLC (Load Cycle Count) I do hear the "clunk" you speak of during the normal sound and recognize if from when I had the issue due to a software issue.
Write that value down and then check again 30 minutes later and see if they have gone up.

If they have gone up a lot, you will need to check this: http://support.wdc.com/product/download ... 01&lang=en

There is a know issue with the RED drives in earlier batches.