Repair/Upgrading Lacie Bigger Disk 1TB to 2TB format delays

[kkruse]

I have several versions of these LaCie Bigger Disks 1TB Drives. This particular case is marked w/ a model number of 300875 and has the triple interface(FW400/FW800/USB2). After several months of full operational (ab)use, one of the disks in this external drive died. I have replaced all the drives with 4x500GB drives and am attempting to upgrade it.

That being said, We are now making them into 2TB drives with these upgrades. There is a controller board inside with an Oxford Semiconductor chipset on it marked with the OXFW912 controller.

After this upgrade, we can actually see the full 2TB of storage according to various checks. Checked in disk management, knoppix cd (fdisk and kernel logs) and all looks good.

So how i have the issue that, full formatting the drive in windows 2k ntfs you get to 50% (The 1TB marker) in about 1-2 hours. After words, the remaining takes very much longer. I forget the exact details but it will be at least a day until the remainder completes. Because of this I have the concern that anything writing to that region of space will take just as long so you can see the reason for concern here. These drives eventually, if successful, will likely be storage for SQL databases we use as detactable storage instead of slow tapes or other slower forms of removable media.

What Im trying to find out from others here is if anyone has hacked these types of hard drives and done something similar and what their results are.

I have already attempted to update the firmware with the latest one lacie has on their site.

As far as oxford semiconductor chip goes, thats my hunch that theres something in there limiting this operation from happening. I dont see any disk errors, just NO explainable reason for the over 1TB slow down and presume that this is a firmware bug. As far as I can tell reading whats available via the web, the chipset isnt limited to 1TB. I think that these drives Western Digital 500GB disks should not matter.

I have also looked high and low for an official oxford firmware update (non-lacie) to see if this is just a limitation in a firmware version thats out of date.

So if anyone has any other resources to poke around for my little project, please pipe in.

After I finish this format I will post the exact model number of the disks I used as they closed back up in the casing while the format write operation is completing.

I will also post my results.

KK

[rchadwick]

Silly questions....

Have you tested each individual drive with MHDD?

Have you tried formatting under Knoppix?

Have you tried making 2 1TB partitions? Is the second one slow?

Have you asked Oxford for the latest firmware, and about the slowdown? (http://www.oxsemi.com/forms/inquiry.php)

[kkruse]

Silly questions....

Have you tested each individual drive with MHDD?

No, Just found that program just before your reply. =p

Have you tried formatting under Knoppix?

Not exactly, I run linux full time on my workstation and I had similar results in ubuntu with mkfs.ext2 and mkfs.ntfs.

Have you tried making 2 1TB partitions? Is the second one slow?

Yes, we do have issues with the second half of the 2tb in this fashion too.

Have you asked Oxford for the latest firmware, and about the slowdown? (http://www.oxsemi.com/forms/inquiry.php)

No I have not, but that brings the point up that the lacie tool blinding updates the drive. Even if you have previously updated. This tells me theres no version check before it does anything. Anyways Ill try to contact them, perhaps they will be helpful.