Repeated System Failure

[dhamon]

I built a NAS a long time ago and it ran for years without issue (probably why I am still a neophyte with the system). More recently I built a new one and have had repeated issues arise. Most recently I've had an issue where after my NAS has been left on for a period of time (time frame varies), I will suddenly lose the ability to access my files or pull up Plex.

When I access the GUI through my browser it will not connect and if I switch my monitor to the NAS itself it says "No configured interfaces were found. Try to do it manually."

I can restart the NAS (sometimes it takes several tries) and it will eventually reconnect and everything work for a bit but until it fails again. If I log onto the GUI after restarting, the far left column of options (including 'reboot') never loads, it just shows a spinning loading circle.

When I restared last time, it never loaded and froze on the lines:

Code:

Starting proftpd.
Can't load /usr/local/etc/smb4.conf - run testparm to debug it
Unable to open /var/db/samba4/private/secrets.tdb: [Errno 2] No such file or directory

Logs: (I can add more, just not sure what would be helpful)
- "9) Shell" and type "ifconfig" provides a list of 3 responses, all looking similar to:

Code:

epair1a: flags=8943<UP,BROADCAST,RUNNING,PROMISC,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST> metric 0 mtu 1500
	  options=8<VLAN_MTU>
	  ether 02:ff:60:00:05:0a
	  nd6 options=1<PERFORMNUD>
	  media: Ethernet 10GBase-T (10Gbase-T <full-duplex>)
	  Status: active

- Alert

Code:

CRITICAL: Sept. 29, 2017, 5:56 p.m. - The volume NAS-Home (ZFS) state is ONLINE: One or more devices has experienced an unrecoverable error. An attempt was made to correct the error. Applications are unaffected.

System Information:
Build: FreeNAS-9.10.1-U4 (ec9a7d3)
Platform: AMD Athlon(tm) II X2 260 Processor
Memory: 16098MB
Motherboard: MSI 760GMA-P34 (FX) AM3+ AMD 760G SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX AMD

 

[MrToddsFriends]

When I access the GUI through my browser it will not connect and if I switch my monitor to the NAS itself it says "No configured interfaces were found. Try to do it manually."
[...]
Motherboard: MSI 760GMA-P34 (FX)

The MSI 760GMA-P34 (FX) has a RTL8111E onboard NIC.
https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...responding-after-reboot-network-config.34848/

 

[dhamon]

The MSI 760GMA-P34 (FX) has a RTL8111E onboard NIC.
https://forums.freenas.org/index.ph...responding-after-reboot-network-config.34848/

I logged on today (see 'alert' that I added to original post) and I have been able to access all my files and Plex without any trouble, and the "No configured interfaces were found. Try to do it manually." message was gone and replaced with the default IP address.

Would the onboard NIC relate to the trouble I've been having?

 

[Jailer]

Would the onboard NIC relate to the trouble I've been having?

Any time Realtek is involved the answer is yes.

 

[SweetAndLow]

Realtek nics are terrible on FreeBSD. You also have some disk failures or something happening that caused that alert.

 

[MrToddsFriends]

Would the onboard NIC relate to the trouble I've been having?

Obviously yes. As SweetAndLow wrote there are disk failures, too. These might be caused by the onboard SATA ports (or, respectively the FreeBSD drivers for them) and not by the disks themselves. So it might be wiser not to add an Intel NIC to your setup (which would be the standard approach to Realtec NICs) but to replace the motherboard entirely.

 

[dhamon]

Like I mentioned before, when I built a FreeNAS system way back, it ran seamlessly 24/7 for several years. This time around I am having issues every couple months. Sometimes I have to tinker, but most of the time it resolves itself after a couple restarts... until some other issue pops up.

Is there a way to narrow down the problem (I can't find any logs that indicate problems over time) so I can be more precise in what I replace? I am moving in a month and will be away from my family for a period of time. I'd like to fix this and build the system so we can access/share files over the internet and play off our minecraft server together. However, I want the system running smoothly first.

If it matters, I have always, from day one, had problems rebooting. Sometimes I have to reboot several times for it to get all the way to starting up FreeNAS without freezing.

 

[MrToddsFriends]

I am moving in a month and will be away from my family for a period of time. I'd like to fix this and build the system so we can access/share files over the internet and play off our minecraft server together. However, I want the system running smoothly first.

Hard to say for your setup. Many vital components on the MSI 760GMA-P34 don't have a good reputation for usage with FreeNAS/FreeBSD:

- SATA ports by ASMEDIA 1061
- SATA ports by AMD SB710
- Realtek PCI-E GbLAN controller RTL8111E

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/760GMA-P34-FX/Specification

Definitely replace the Realtek by an Intel NIC and be prepared to replace the ASMEDIA 1061 and AMD SB710 SATA ports as well. As your time is limited be prepared to replace the whole motherboard (including CPU and RAM modules if you can't find a proper replacement for the board as such). Another approach would be to use something else but FreeNAS, maybe a Linux based solution with better support for your hardware (especially if you don't care about the benefits of ZFS).

 

[dhamon]

Another approach would be to use something else but FreeNAS, maybe a Linux based solution with better support for your hardware (especially if you don't care about the benefits of ZFS).

I wouldn't object to an alternate system, but my technical knowledge of Linux systems is limited, if that hasn't been obvious. I am generally familiar with ZFS, but am not personally invested in it in any way. FreeNAS was my first custom NAS system and I like the setup and interface (particularly when it ran smoothly for several years with no problems); however, if there is another system that will allow me to easily host Minecraft and Terraria worlds, share files between Windows computers over the internet, and host Plex, I'm open to giving it a shot.

If I opt to replace my existing motherboard without changing too many other components, is there a reasonably priced one anyone would recommend right now?

Thank you so much for everyone's support!

 

[MrToddsFriends]

however, if there is another system that will allow me to easily host Minecraft and Terraria worlds, share files between Windows computers over the internet, and host Plex, I'm open to giving it a shot.

A possible alternative would be openmediavault. I'm not sure about support for your hardware and software capabilities. Best would be if you read the docs and ask your questions in their forums.

If I opt to replace my existing motherboard without changing too many other components, is there a reasonably priced one anyone would recommend right now?

The Hardware Recommendation Guide lists Intel boards supporting ECC RAM only, so buying another CPU and RAM would be a consequence following a motherboard advice from this guide. Another alternative would be a HP Proliant ML 10 system as mentioned here (and in many other threads as well).

 

[MrToddsFriends]

One of the forums moderators has had success running a AMD 760G / AMD SB710 based system years ago:
https://forums.freenas.org/index.php?threads/new-system-hardware-setup-works.14263/

The cheapest thing you could try out would be to use an Intel NIC and to avoid the ASMEDIA 1061 based onboard SATA connectors in your current setup (if you have the time to make experiments).