/dev/sda2 alignment is offset by 3584 bytes

[jcconnell]

I just received my GoFlex Home 2TB this afternoon. I had Alarm installed in about 30 minutes after following the guide.

After continuing to use it a bit, I notice I'm getting warnings when I try to format sda2:
$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', '/dev/sda2 alignment is offset by 3584 bytes.
This may result in very poor performance, (re)-partitioning suggested.
warning: 400 blocks unused.
')

Should I be concerned about this? If so, how can I correct it? Considering this little guy is not the most powerful thing, I'd like to do as much as possible to make things easier on it.

[jcconnell]

After more reading, I'm still trying to decide what to do next.

I'm considering installing ALARM onto a USB drive, reformatting the SATA drive and seeing if that addresses my issue. I would follow the commands listed by moonman here: viewtopic.php?f=18&t=4508&start=50#p25052

Good idea?

Additionally, I've read some about advanced formatting. Here is the output of fdisk -l:
$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', 'Disk /dev/sda: 2000.4 GB, 2000398934016 bytes, 3907029168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x00000000

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 63 39086144 19543041 83 Linux
Partition 1 does not start on physical sector boundary.
/dev/sda2 39086145 3907024064 1933968960 83 Linux
Partition 2 does not start on physical sector boundary.
')

I'm under the impression that I'm receiving these errors because sda1 starts on block 63, which is not divisible by 8.

Any help here would be greatly appreciated.

[jcconnell]

The 2TB version of the GoFlex Home I received contains an Advanced Format drive, model number: ST2000DM001. Much more information is available at the following link, including ways to resolve the error I listed above, https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Advanced_Format

Fdisk defaulted to starting my drive at 63, which is not divisible by 8. This technique is sometimes used by manufacturer's to make the drive more compatible with Windows XP.

I opted to install ALARM to a USB drive and use it to boot the GFH. Once I was able to SSH in, I reformatted the drive using fdisk. I started it with the -c and -u parameters.
$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', 'fdisk -c -u /dev/sdb')

This method, as listed in the Wiki, is not recommended. Supposedly, Fdisk versions >= 2.15 automatically support Advanded Format drives, though this was not the case in my experience. Formatting the drive using fdisk with the above parameters automatically began the drive on 2048. 2048 is the most ideal number, though 64 or any number divisible by 8 would also work.

Here is the new output of fdisk -l:
$this->bbcode_second_pass_code('', '[root@alarm ~]# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 16.1 GB, 16137584128 bytes, 31518719 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x4feeb646

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 2048 31518718 15758335+ 83 Linux

Disk /dev/sdb: 2000.4 GB, 2000398934016 bytes, 3907029168 sectors
Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes
Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 4096 bytes
I/O size (minimum/optimal): 4096 bytes / 4096 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xa3a5f69c

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 2048 3907029167 1953513560 83 Linux
')

I'm still running ALARM from the USB drive at the moment and I'll likely continue to do so. Only three issues remain:
1. When both the USB drive and the SATA drive are plugged in, the device will not boot. Removing the SATA drive, waiting for the device to boot and later reconnecting the SATA drive works fine. How can I specify that the USB be the first boot device?
2. I'd like the SATA drive to idle when it's not in use. I've tried hdparm, but like others have mentioned, it spins back up quickly even though my OS is on the thumb. How can I fix this?
3. Lastly, I'm under the impression that ALARM should have installed to the NAND when following the initial install procedure. Removing both the SATA and USB drives, the device will not boot (no DHCP, no SSH, blinking LED). Is this normal?