QNAP NAS TS-251D Raid-1 disks nonstop activity

Discussion about hard drive spin down (standby) feature of NAS.
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asadulhuq
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QNAP NAS TS-251D Raid-1 disks nonstop activity

Post by asadulhuq »

The NAS Raid-1 disks LEDs show nonstop flashing activity (every 5 secs or so). Please note this happens even there is no real disk access (at least no reason). Also no syncing activity nor such things should occur. Now how to stop this unnecessary disk activity? Thanks.
dosborne
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Re: QNAP NAS TS-251D Raid-1 disks nonstop activity

Post by dosborne »

There are probably over a hundred posts on this topic. "Search" is your friend :)

Without information on your configuration it would be hard to provide specifics. But you should at least provide some basic information:
What model NAS do you have?
What firmware are you running?
What apps do you have installed?
What model SSD and HDD do you have installed and in what configuration?
How much RAM does your NAS have?

But, it is next to impossible (unless you put the O/S on SSD) to remove all disk activity. There are many internal services that run. Drives (assuming you are using NAS-rated drives) and designed to run 24/7 and actually work better / last longer if you don't have them power up / down continuously.
QNAP TS-563-16G 5x10TB Seagate Ironwolf HDD Raid-5 NIC: 2x1GB 1x10GbE
QNAP TS-231P-US 2x18TB Seagate Exos HDD Raid-1
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aKiuNAPuser
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Re: QNAP NAS TS-251D Raid-1 disks nonstop activity

Post by aKiuNAPuser »

Most likely it's just logging from any or all of the services of QNAP
There was a time when my NAS was silent and only used ~1W when idle
Now its constantly writing things to my drives which keeps them spinning and that in turn makes my fan spin fast which in total amounts to a constant use of 30W which is 30x more than it should

because of desperation I have finally contacted support and sent them my logs so they can finally fix this issue
I am 99% sure that this is a problem caused by QNAP software since I actually disabled all apps and services that I could disable and it still writes to the same file every 5 seconds
ecm4u
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Re: QNAP NAS TS-251D Raid-1 disks nonstop activity

Post by ecm4u »

@aKiuNAPuser Whas support of any help?
I bought a new TS-233 for home and am also failing to get the 2 disks (WD Red - WD30EFRX-68EUZN0) to sleep in the raid1 array. After many attempts, I now even think that this is not possible with the latest QTS 5.0.1 running lots of maria dbs and app in a minimal setup which are not designed to limit write access to specific devices / directories.

What I have tried so far:
  • Removed any App
  • Disabled swap
  • Rebuild the md9 and md13 raid exclusively to use a partition of an external SSD
  • Identify all write processes to the cachedev1 using the QNAP script standby_debug.sh.
  1. stopped running mariadb for medialibrary

    Code: Select all

    /etc/init.d/mariadb.sh stop
    . Funfact: medialibrary isn't even installed!
  2. stopped notification center, which is also running a mariadb

    Code: Select all

    /etc/init.d/nc.sh force-stop
  3. stopped QuLog Center, which is also running a mariadb

    Code: Select all

    /etc/init.d/qulog.sh force-stop
  4. moved samba db/lock files to external ssd

    Code: Select all

    /sbin/setcfg "Samba" "tdb_path" /share/external/ssd1/samba
  5. moved Entware to usb

    Code: Select all

    /sbin/getcfg Entware Install_Path -f /etc/config/qpkg.conf
The script standby_debug.sh now does not report any file activity but when I force sleep by runnging

Code: Select all

hdparm -y /dev/sda /dev/sdb
the disks still wake up after 2-3 minutes.

I'm afraid the current QTS 5.0.1 can't even be run with a 2-bay Raid-1 in such a way that the disks go to sleep. Does anyone else know any advice or if this could even work? It's funny to advertise the device with 1W in sleep mode, when it can never enter this state ...
andre85
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Re: QNAP NAS TS-251D Raid-1 disks nonstop activity

Post by andre85 »

@ecm4u
Did you get any further?
I've literally disabled everything except for the 8080 port.
Followed your steps as guidance.

Now the standby_debug.sh throws 3 lines at me every time:
Last file modification: Mon Nov 21 17:04:27 2022 /mnt/HDA_ROOT/.logs/kmsg
Last file modification: Mon Nov 21 17:03:05 2022 /mnt/HDA_ROOT/.config
Last file modification: Mon Nov 21 17:03:05 2022 /mnt/HDA_ROOT/.config/ihm_status.conf

Everything else I was able to eliminate.
But the HDD is still constanly doing something and won't go into standby. It's odd that it's only showing those 3 lines though, because I can hear the HDD doing stuff like every 2-3 seconds.

Running blkdevMonitor shows that md9_raid1 and jbd2 are doing something. Also sometimes "kworker" is show.

I'm so annoyed... Especially these days when my power costs have increased by 300% I'd really like to have standby working :)
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dolbyman
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Re: QNAP NAS TS-251D Raid-1 disks nonstop activity

Post by dolbyman »

QNAP needs to write logs, the OS is on the disks

Only way to silence the NAS is to switch to SSD and kick the OS off all other disks (not really feasible with a 2 disk unit)

viewtopic.php?t=130788
andre85
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Re: QNAP NAS TS-251D Raid-1 disks nonstop activity

Post by andre85 »

Is there any way to write those logs to a usb pen drive or something like this?
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dolbyman
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Re: QNAP NAS TS-251D Raid-1 disks nonstop activity

Post by dolbyman »

It's just how these systems are setup, if you want a system with complete control, you might want to check for something other than "NAS in a box".

Changing any of that config might kill your system on updates or reboots
aKiuNAPuser
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Re: QNAP NAS TS-251D Raid-1 disks nonstop activity

Post by aKiuNAPuser »

@dolbyman really? I only see you post that this behaviour is normal, it is not, it is a blatent lie which you keep spreading everywhere on these forums
I did not have this issue for 2 years until it started, so have others.
apparently it didn't need to log before?
this has happened because of a patch QNAP released and this has been confirmed many times on this forum by the sheer numbers of reports by other users

@ecm4u QNAP support is of no help since the only thing they do is ask you to test and send logs and you do not get any feedback back
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OneCD
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Re: QNAP NAS TS-251D Raid-1 disks nonstop activity

Post by OneCD »

aKiuNAPuser wrote: Sat Jan 28, 2023 4:31 am @dolbyman really? I only see you post that this behaviour is normal, it is not, it is a blatent lie which you keep spreading everywhere on these forums
No, @dolbyman is correct. Anyone can confirm this for themselves by examining the QTS system partitions layout, and the modification datetimes of files in those partitions (and in the tmpfs block devices)... if they are able. ;)

If they're unable to check this, then they should probably keep their opinions to themselves, instead of presenting them as facts.

Calling this a lie without offering verifiable proof is very Trumpesque of you, and (of-course) doesn't make you right.
aKiuNAPuser wrote: Sat Jan 28, 2023 4:31 am this has happened because of a patch QNAP released and this has been confirmed many times on this forum by the sheer numbers of reports by other users
Can you please point to this "patch"? When exactly was it released? What does it do? What has your analysis of this patch revealed? Do you posses the relevant technical skills to analyse this patch? If not, why do you think you're qualified to blame said patch? :roll:

Your tinfoil hat is blocking all the wrong frequencies. Might be time to upgrade it?

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PeterT1959
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Re: QNAP NAS TS-251D Raid-1 disks nonstop activity

Post by PeterT1959 »

I think by patch he means a firmware release....

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aKiuNAPuser
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Re: QNAP NAS TS-251D Raid-1 disks nonstop activity

Post by aKiuNAPuser »

OneCD wrote: Sat Jan 28, 2023 8:24 am No, @dolbyman is correct. Anyone can confirm this for themselves by examining the QTS system partitions layout, and the modification datetimes of files in those partitions (and in the tmpfs block devices)... if they are able. ;)
it is indeed writing logs, excessively, which it wasn't doing in the first year after I bought it
this is my personal experience, and a power consumption meter which now shows a higher consumption than before because the HDD used to go to into Standby and now it doesn't anymore
if it is now supposed to be writing these excessive logs, then it is a change which fails by design
you are free to think this is a good thing, but in my opinion a decrease of lifetime of a HDD is not a good thing and for my own HDD for sure it isn't
OneCD wrote: Sat Jan 28, 2023 8:24 am Can you please point to this "patch"? When exactly was it released? What does it do? What has your analysis of this patch revealed? Do you posses the relevant technical skills to analyse this patch? If not, why do you think you're qualified to blame said patch? :roll:
I have not gone through the effort to do this analysis on my own to see which patch it was exactly which caused this problem for me, there is no point in doing this as I have a rough estimation of when I started noticing this issue occurring, I am unable to downgrade to that version anyway and other people on this same forum have already pointed toward the patch causing the issue, for this feel free to use the search function if you are really that interested in the version number

I could tell you about my technical background, but I have no intention of providing you with evidence to support this claim for reasons I will not disclose on a public forum

what is funny about your reply, is that you ask for evidence from my end for my claims, while dolbyman hasn't provided any evidence for his claims either and your "evidence" is an argument by authority, which is used by many fallacious debaters, hence why I will discontinue this discussion with you
I am not here to convince you or others of my or others experiences, I am just here to share them
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dolbyman
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Re: QNAP NAS TS-251D Raid-1 disks nonstop activity

Post by dolbyman »

I see your technical superior prior experience has never led you down the path of simply checking the md raid layout of your NAS

Code: Select all

cat /proc/mdstat
Guess what? All sorts of writes are going to md9 and md13 ..and now the shocker, check what drives are member of mentioned md devices...yes, ALL of them

Enough evidence ?
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OneCD
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Re: QNAP NAS TS-251D Raid-1 disks nonstop activity

Post by OneCD »

aKiuNAPuser wrote: Tue Feb 21, 2023 1:37 am it is indeed writing logs, excessively, which it wasn't doing in the first year after I bought it
Actively-developed software isn't static. It changes. Its behaviour changes. The effect it has on its environment changes. Features you like will be removed and replaced with something worse. This is quite normal.
aKiuNAPuser wrote: Tue Feb 21, 2023 1:37 am this is my personal experience, and a power consumption meter which now shows a higher consumption than before because the HDD used to go to into Standby and now it doesn't anymore
I could have told you that without needing to check a power meter. :roll:
aKiuNAPuser wrote: Tue Feb 21, 2023 1:37 am if it is now supposed to be writing these excessive logs, then it is a change which fails by design
If the logs are necessary to help QNAP diagnose issues, then this isn't a failure.
aKiuNAPuser wrote: Tue Feb 21, 2023 1:37 am you are free to think this is a good thing, but in my opinion a decrease of lifetime of a HDD is not a good thing and for my own HDD for sure it isn't
My opinion is the repeated startup of spinning platters reduces the life of a drive. I've had several drives spinning almost constantly for around 10 years, and I only recently had the first one fail.
aKiuNAPuser wrote: Tue Feb 21, 2023 1:37 am I have not gone through the effort to do this analysis on my own to see which patch it was exactly which caused this problem for me ...
Yes, I knew that.
aKiuNAPuser wrote: Tue Feb 21, 2023 1:37 am I could tell you about my technical background, but I have no intention of providing you with evidence to support this claim for reasons I will not disclose on a public forum
Eh? :'

Well, I guess that's better than having you make something up.
aKiuNAPuser wrote: Tue Feb 21, 2023 1:37 am what is funny about your reply, is that you ask for evidence from my end for my claims ...
If you're going to call someone as a liar, then you should provide more evidence for your argument than they did. If you can't do this, then you have zero credibility.
aKiuNAPuser wrote: Tue Feb 21, 2023 1:37 am ... while dolbyman hasn't provided any evidence for his claims either ...
@dolbyman's claim is easily supported by the simple fact so-many people are unable to get HDD standby working. What more is required?
aKiuNAPuser wrote: Tue Feb 21, 2023 1:37 am ... and your "evidence" is an argument by authority, which is used by many fallacious debaters ..
Please point to the exact phrase I used that demonstrates an "argument from authority". I understand supporting your claims with evidence is a foreign-concept to you, but please try it.
aKiuNAPuser wrote: Tue Feb 21, 2023 1:37 am .. hence why I will discontinue this discussion with you
I am not here to convince you or others of my or others experiences, I am just here to share them
I see. You picked a fight, and now you want to run away.

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