Extend/Expand an existing RAID 1 logical drive

[alzoo]

Hi everyone

just curious if this is possible or not, I assume I will proably have to rebuild from scratch.

I had a two drive 146Gb in a RAID 1 config on a BL460c, I have swapped out the drives one by one with two 300Gb drives.

The raid config utility sees the extra space however I can't expand it in the exisiting logical drive, I can only add a new logival drive.

anyone know if this is possible or not?  there is no cache or battery on the raid controller which is an option to buy, however before buying it, I want to know my options.

Many thanks

[PGTRI · Accepted solution]

hi,

Extend/Expand is possible only with cache + battery.

Thanks

regards,

[alzoo]

Thanks for the quick reply.

I have this part 462969-B21 (or more precisely 460499-001) however I assume it's miche the cache part of the ensemble to make it work.

is that correct?

thanks again

[PGTRI]

hi,

That's a battery for P410 controller. What's your server generation ?

And it is a BBWC one.

Thanks

regards,

[alzoo]

Hi again

it's a BL460c G7  P/N:603259-B21 with a Smart Array P410i  & no cache module present

So I need both?

Ta

[PGTRI]

hi,

yep, you need both (BBWC).

regards,

[alzoo]

Ok

to confirm, I need to buy this to complete the kit.

HP 256MB P-series Cache Upgrade 

http://h30094.www3.hp.com/product/sku/3966557/mfg_partno/462968-B21

Ta again

[BK_HPE]

Hello @alzoo

Yes, you will need the HP 256MB P-series Cache Upgrade (462968-B21) .  According to page 23 of the HP ProLiant BL460c Generation 7 (G7) Server Blade QuickSpecs , that states that the Smart Array battery option kit is required to enable battery-backed write cache (BBWC).

If you would like any more information on your server options please let me and I will be happy to assist.

[Bill_Miller]

I have the exact same problem, but my server is an ML350 G6 with the embedded P410i controller. What do I need to do in order to be able to extend the logical drive? The physical drive write cache is currently disabled but I have redundant power supplies and a very stable power environment. I ran a diagnostic report and there are no batteries present, but it looks like there are 3 battery slots available. Do I need to purchase a battery pack in order to be able to extend the logical drive? If so, can someone please provide the part number and the cost?

Thanks in advance.

[PGTRI]

hi,

You need the battery.

Please check the cache module. There are 2 types of cache: BBWC and FBWC.

If you have a BBWC, you need to order 462976-001.

If it is a FBWC, the correct spare is 587324-001.

Please check the prize on the web.

Thanks

[Bill_Miller]

Hey, I really appreciate all the help and the quick responses on this forum. I'm not usually this dense, but I've tried looking everywhere I can find and I can't figure out which cache module I need. The last response said to check the cache module, but I'm not sure there is an existing cache module. How can I determine this so I know whether I need the BBWC or the FBWC on the P410i embedded controller in my server (ML350 G6)? I suppose I could just order both modules, but I don't want to waste time and money on something I don't need and potentially can't use.

Just in case it matters, my current configuration is the first 2 drives are configured in a RAID 1 (mirrored) array; the remaining 6 drives are configured in a RAID 5 array with a hot spare.

Again, thanks in advance for any help or advice you can provide.

[PGTRI]

hi,

Please create an ADU report and attach it here.

thanks

[Bill_Miller]

I just ran the ADU report today. It's attached. Thanks again for all your help with this. It's very much appreciated.

[PGTRI]

hi,

You have 256 MB cache. That means , it's the BBWC one.

thanks,

[Bill_Miller]

OK, thanks very much. So since I have the BBWC, I need to order part # 462976-001 and install it when it arrives. At that point, I should be able to extend/expand the existing RAID 1 logical drive, correct? Also, if I decide down the road to change out the drives in the other (RAID 5) array, which obviously I would do 1 at a time until they were all changed, I should be able to extend/expand the size of that array as well, wouldn't I?

[my3cents]

Hi, i have the same situation with HP DL360 G6. I got the 512 mb cache memory and battery but when i plug in the cache and battery, i get a  "non system disk or disk error" system will automatically reboot in 5 seconds" cycle. I got multiple cache and battery but they all result in the same error. I'm not sure what i'm doing wrong. Is there any settings i need to configured first before installing the cache and memory  or what? i'm lost and really appreciate any help. I spoke with a few HP support with no answers. One said it's not possible, i need to rebuild the raid. thanks.

[kcam001]

I have a similar issue where the previous IT guy before me upgraded the 2 120gb SSD's on our proliant ML310e server to 2 250gb SSD's however whats happening is that when the space gets extended it doesn't fill the whole of the drive and i'm left with 126gb still left unaccounted for. Its been setup as a RAID 1 configuration and the embedded B120i mini-SAS controller on the server is what has them at the moment. I've purchased a raid card as suggested in the solution, I think its a P410 raid card also mini-SAS with 512MB cache with battery and am going to try installing it on friday and I do have backups if things go cluster f****. I need to know though will the disks and data be easily seen by the controller after its configured to boot from it or do I have to do a complete rebuild from scratch. I'm a bit of a newbie at this and just want to make sure I dont have to start formatting and deleting partitions on disks