Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2020 14:18 Post subject: USB hard drive no longer sleeps on newer versions
Hi,
I have a WRT1200AC. I've been using v38142 for about a year and everything has been great, but I felt it was time to try a newer version to take advantage of any improvements to DD-WRT.
I have a Seagate 8TB (STGY8000400) external hard drive connected to the USB and set up as a NAS. I have set its power settings (via Seagate's Dashboard app) to go to sleep after 1 hour of inactivity, because I rarely use the NAS and would rather not have the drive spinning for days without use. This works absolutely fine on v38142.
Unfortunately, after updating to v40559, I noticed the drive no longer sleeps when it's inactive. I tried v41954 as well, and it doesn't sleep with that version either. I've returned to v38142 and it again sleeps after an hour of inactivity like normal.
I can only assume a change at some point since v38142 is causing continual/periodic activity on the hard drive that is preventing it from sleeping, or some lower level driver issue.
It would be great if this could be investigated and hopefully fixed! I will have to stick with v38142 indefinitely otherwise.
Thanks, I've already tried the newer builds on the forum:
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I tried v41954 as well, and it doesn't sleep with that version either.
I will try r41986, but I'm doubting it will have made any difference since r41954.
Do the developers read these threads? Or is there somewhere else to report this as a bug apart the forums?
Edit: I could reply to the release thread if that's the appropriate place for bug reporting?
If you think it's really a problem with the firmware and not a missing command or manufacturer hard drive utility setting etc then you can open a ticket on the SVN. Scroll up and click the Bugtracker link.
Thanks for the advice. My concern actually isn't energy usage, but lifespan of the drive. I rarely use the drive (once or twice a week at most) so it's pointless to keep it spinning when it's not being used for 95% of the time. It also isn't a NAS drive, so it's not rated for 24/7 use.
Also, if I'm being really picky, I can hear the drive spinning when the room's quiet (it's in an open cabinet beneath the TV, and it bugs me!).
I'd rather just have it correctly spin-down when not in use. If I can't get a solution to this, I might look into a proper NAS or even making a basic one with a Raspberry Pi (that has USB 3.0, providing its speed will match that the router can provide). Or just never update DD-WRT! But I'd rather be able to update.
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I've tried registering on the bugtracker, but clicking 'Create account' isn't working. It loads for a good 5 minutes (on Chrome, Firefox and IE. On Opera I get 'ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE'), then gives me an empty error message box with a CAPTCHA request. Completing the CAPTCHA request just puts me in an endless loop
I tried keeping the 'optional' fields empty in case it's the same deal as registering here on the forum, but still no luck.
Is it a 7200RPM drive? If so it's the wrong drive for the task. I agree with d0ug about everything including spin up/down and thermal changes; these do much more physical wear than leaving it up and running.
If in fact, it is not spinning down at or after an hour of idle time, then there may be an issue. I personally think it is your Seagate app conflicting with DD-WRT. Let the router firmware do it's deed and don't introduce a third-party to the problem, i.e. your Seagate dashboard app. It is conflicting with the router firmware, more than likely. _________________ "Life is but a fleeting moment, a vapor that vanishes quickly; All is vanity"
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It's an unpleasant situation when you want to try a more advanced product, but the equipment refuses to function properly. Something similar happened to a good friend of mine. After installing the v41954 update, the drive stopped hibernating. But the non-stop mode nearly caused the loss of all data from the disk during a power surge. My friend even had to contact SalvageData for https://www.salvagedata.com/. Now he also went back to version 38142 to not risk any more personal data from the hard drive. But I know that he is looking for a way out of this situation, but so far, to no avail.