DW Blackjack RACK 2U - Ubuntu 20.04 LTS System Recovery

DW Technical Bulletin

To: DW® Customers

Date: April 2023

Re: DW Blackjack RACK 2U Recovery

DW Blackjack RACK 2U – Ubuntu 20.04 LTS System Default Instructions

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Affected Model Numbers: DW-BJRR2UxxTLX, DW-BJRR2PxxTLX, DW-BJRR2XxxTLX, DW-BJRR2YxxTLX

Operating System: Ubuntu Linux 20.04 TLS

Release Date: April 12, 2023

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DW Blackjack RACK System Recovery Guide

In the rare event that the embedded Ubuntu 20.04 LTS operating system of a DW Blackjack RACK 2U has become corrupted, infected with a computer virus, or is otherwise not operating as it should, system administrators can attempt to use recovery options to restore the system to a working condition.

This document will outline how to restore a malfunctioning DW Blackjack RACK 2U unit by using:

Option 1: Ubuntu GNU GRUB Embedded Recovery Method – the Blackjack unit’s operating system is not operating normally and must be reset and restored.
Option 2: Ubuntu System USB Key Recovery Method – the Blackjack unit’s operating system will not load properly, and the embedded recovery tool is not accessible. An external resource (USB) must be used to recover the system.

**NOTE: Data will be deleted during the formatted process. DW Blackjack units use separate drive partitions to preserve DW Spectrum Media archives but if you are using a custom-built server or have altered the default save location of the DW Spectrum Media, it is recommended to back up the media archives. For more information on manually backing up server archives, you can refer to the article “DW Spectrum – Best Practices for Preserving Data for Server Migration”.

Part 1: Running the Ubuntu 20.04 Recovery

Option 1: Ubuntu GNU GRUB Embedded Recovery Method

The DW Blackjack RACK 2U includes a built-in recovery tool that can be used to restore the computer’s operating system and default applications. Follow the directions below to use the embedded recovery on a server with Ubuntu 20.04 LTS.

Start the Ubuntu 20.04 Recovery Environment

To boot the DW Blackjack RACK 2U into the Ubuntu Recovery Environment:

Restart the system. When the Ubuntu GNU GRUB menu displays, use the arrow keys to select “Recovery” then tap the ENTER key.

The system will begin to prepare the recovery process. When prompted, press the Enter key to begin the system recovery.

A warning message will display that existing data within the storage partition hosting the operating system will be overwritten. The DW Spectrum Media archives are hosted in a separate partition from the system.

Press the Y key to accept and proceed with the recovery.

The recovery program will begin to run. This process may take between 3~5 minutes. Allow the process to run. The system will reboot once the process has been completed.

After completing the recovery, reboot the system and confirm that the OS partitions have been recovered correctly.

When prompted to enter a user login for Ubuntu, the DW Blackjack default login is:

Default User: dwuser
Default Password: Dw5pectrum

Option 2: Ubuntu System USB Key Recovery Method

If the DW Blackjack RACK 2U’s embedded recovery is not accessible, a USB key containing the Ubuntu 20.04 operating system disaster recovery may be used to recover the system. You can contact DW Support for a USB recovery drive if needed.

Setting the Boot Order

The USB Recovery Key uses an automated script to run recovery options when restoring a system. Perform the following steps to prep the Blackjack for USB recovery:

Insert the USB Recovery Key into USB 2.0 port, located in the rear panel of the DW Blackjack RACK 2U then power on the system.

If the unit is already ON, please reboot the machine.

As the system is powering ON, tap the F11 key on the keyboard to access the Boot Manager, then select “One-shot UEFI Boot Menu”.

Select your USB drive from among the UEFI Boot Options.

The Clonezilla GNU GRUB menu will appear.

Use the keyboard to select the first option from the list, “clonezilla live with img DWblackjack_Ubu_20.04_LTS_v1.01_Deployment”.

The program will ask for confirmation to overwrite the listed disk. Enter “Y” (YES) with the keyboard to confirm that the correct hard disk and partition(s) are selected.

The program will then ask for you to confirm again. Enter “Y” (YES) again.

Allow the Clonezilla script to run and for the installer to complete the process.

This process can take between 5 ~ 10 minutes to complete. You can track the progress in the Partclone progress window.

Once the process has completed, the program will run a check to test the restored OS partition and then will reboot the system.

Allow the system to reboot. You may remove the USB Recovery Key once the system has booted to the desktop login screen.

There are some follow-up steps that must be completed to finish the recovery process. Please refer to “Part 2: Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Setup” below to complete this process.

Part 2: Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Setup

2.1 System Configuration

After running the USB disaster recovery program on the DW Blackjack RACK 2U for Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, some setup may still be needed.

Click through the System Configuration wizard and select your preferred Language, Keyboard layout, and Time Zone.

Configure the user credentials for the system however you would like. However, the defaults are as follows:

Your name: SERVICE-TAG
Your computer’s name: SERVICE-TAG-desktop
Pick a username: dwuser
Choose a password: Dw5pectrum
Confirm your password: Dw5pectrum

**NOTE: Replace the “SERVICE-TAG” placeholders in the information above with the Dell Service Tag ID of your system, located on the pullout tab.

Click the Continue button and allow the System Configuration wizard to finish and apply the setup changes.

The system will restart after completing the configuration changes.

2.2 Storage Disk Initialization

After recovering the system, depending on the original issues that prompted the system recovery to begin with, you may want to initialize/format the local storage.

**NOTE: Initializing/formatting a storage disk will completely remove stored data on the specified storage disks, which may be necessary if data is corrupted within the media storage and preventing DW Spectrum from operating as needed. If you are unsure if you must format a storage disk, you can contact DW Support.

To initialize a storage disk:

Open the Terminal application (CTRL+SHIFT+T) and STOP the media server with the following command.

sudo service digitalwatchdog-mediaserver stop

The sudo password is: “Dw5pectrum”

Open the Apps menu and search for the “Disks” application.

DW Blackjack units separate the operating system and DW Spectrum Media storage on separate disks.

Select the additional storage that hosts the DW Spectrum Media data.

If the disk is not formatted or if you want to reformat/initialize the disk:

1. Click the STOP button for the volume and enter the administrator password that was set for the system in the previous section.

1. Click the three dots at the top of the menu and select “Format Disk”.

Configure the following settings:

Erase: Don’t overwrite existing data (Quick)
Partitioning: Compatible with modern systems and hard disks (GPT)

Click the Format button and enter the administrator password again to confirm.

After formatting the disk, you must create a partition for the DW Spectrum Media storage.
1. Click the ‘+’ icon and set the partition size to the maximum drive size.

1. When setting the partition settings, configure the following:
Volume Name: home1
- This is important so that the DW Spectrum software can write to the storage properly.
Type: Internal disk for use with Linux systems only (ext4)