Re: [Fwd: Re: [cobalt-users] THE GRINDING DRIVE PROBLEM]

[Will DeHaan <will@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Well that certainly seems to be a failed drive and not due to obvious
extreme duty as I had suspected.  Different Cobalt configurations use
different brand and model hard drives.  If you know the common brand or
model of failed disks I can help identify a configuration that ships
with a different brand and/or model disk.  

I'll pass your high failure report on to those responsible for component
selection and manufacturing.


	-- Will

Jeremy Anthony Kinsey wrote:
> 
> Will DeHaan said:
> 
> >As sent to cobalt-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >
> >Please respond promptly to the list only so that I may assist you this
> >morning.
> 
> no problem.
> >
> >
> >Jeremy,
> >
> >Interesting problem, but it's presented to the list a little
> >simplistically.  Most hard drives make a high pitched screaming noise,
> >yes, much like attending an Indy race, when they are failing.
> 
> With over 60 colo servers on our network we have learned over the years
> what a failing drive will do.  We have also seen/heard the same exact
> noise from a RaQ when it is dyeing..
> >
> >I don't know what you mean by "grinding" however.  A server that does
> >not have enough memory will start swapping, the hard drive will start
> >chugging away, server performance will decrease rapidly, and if not
> >fixed in a few weeks or months time the hard drive will fail.  As
> >expected.  Get an OS restore CD, buy any brand hard drive, add it to a
> >server that does not have enough memory, and watch the drive fail as
> >expected.
> 
> What I mean by "Grinding" is that this is the description that Cobalt
> gave us when referring to this problem.  Cobalt told us of a "Grinding
> Drive Problem" (I quote it, because this is how it was stated by Cobalt).
> 
> 
> We have an OS restore CD and have used it on several occasions.. I would
> like to try your experiment, but I do not have time for that.  The memory
> issue has me a bit confused.. This box has 80MB of RAM.
> >
> >Jeremy, could you telnet to a RaQ that is making this grinding noise and
> >type the following, then send output back to this list?
> >
> >cat /etc/build
> >cat /proc/meminfo
> >w
> >df
> 
> [admin admin]$ df
> Filesystem         1024-blocks  Used Available Capacity Mounted on
> /dev/hda1             495682  250305   245377     50%   /
> /dev/hda3             198275   15915   182360      8%   /var
> /dev/hda4            3249383 1632845  1616538     50%   /home
> 
> [admin admin]$ cat /etc/build
> build 2.561 for a 2800R in English
> 
> [admin admin]$ cat /proc/meminfo
>         total:    used:    free:  shared: buffers:  cached:
> Mem:  81465344 71847936  9617408 390254592  1691648 25587712
> Swap: 133885952  3452928 130433024
> MemTotal:     79556 kB
> MemFree:       9392 kB
> MemShared:   381108 kB
> Buffers:       1652 kB
> Cached:       24988 kB
> SwapTotal:   130748 kB
> SwapFree:    127376 kB
> 
> >
> >Please be patient as I don't think the problems you're experiencing are
> >common problems to other Cobalt users.
> 
> That's why I am asking.. Are we just an isolated incident?  I don't think
> so, especially since Cobalt told us directly that this "Grinding Drive"
> was an issue, mainly in the Qube.
> >
> >You will make the nice technical support guys take offense by implying
> >that they haven't been honest with you when no doubt they haven't been
> >able to obtain a reasonable set of symptoms about your problem(s).  Why
> >do you double quote "The Grinding Drive Problem"?  A search of
> >cobalt-users from its inception does not turn up this phrase so I don't
> >see how you could expect other Cobalt users to be familiar with this
> >problem.
> >
> 
> I am not trying to be offensive to anyone, nor am I implying anything.  I
> have merely repeated a statement made to me by Cobalt, about a "Grinding
> Drive" problem occurring in the Qube, and the RaQ1.  I am not saying
> there is a lack of honesty, perhaps more of a lack of communication.  The
> problem does exist however, and we have confirmed it on several
> occasions. Surely there must be a record of our past RMA's and Spare in
> the Air shipments?  Each time we have noted the "Grinding Drive" problem.
>  The reason the Cobalt-Users list archive does not turn this up, is
> number one we have not posted on this issue more than twice, and two, the
> list is moderated.  Not all of our posts make it through.
> 
> Again, I am not being offensive, nor am I implying anything.  Service has
> always been great, the units have serviced our customers well, and
> getting the replacements has been nothing but timely ever time!  We just
> need to know that the "Grinding Drive" problem is being looked into, and
> that we are not the only ones?  If the "memory" issue is the problem, I
> will be the first to admit it.
> 
> Regards,
> Jeremy Anthony Kinsey
> VP Network Operations
> 
> http://list.cobalt.com/mailman/listinfo/cobalt-users