Netserver LH4 and NetRAID configuration change

[Bob Dehn]

I have two arrays configured and need to remove the second array(one is on channel 0 and the other on channel 1)(I need to increase the size of the array). The system is running Linux so I can not use any of the Windows or Netware utils. How do I delete the second array on the controller without losing the data on the first array.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Bob Dehn

[Tina Karasch · Accepted solution]

Dear Bob,

for you situation, there's only one possabillity.....

Make a complete system backup and verify !
Use Obdr SW and HW if poss - so the restore is quickest ....

Then erase the netraid configuration via the ctrl-m option of the raid controller - there clear the configuration, then reconfigure the new configuration and then restore the backup.

The reason for doing it like this is --> that normally people only increase the number of array's - not decrease - so the option is not std. to the controller or management sw.
Yet due demand....this option is now .... sadly avaliable, but to the mickeysoft users only .... and then only for the last created array.

[Bob Dehn]

Thanks for the direction. Not quite what I was hoping for ;O).

Bob Dehn

[Greg Carlson]

Bob,

There is a better solution. As long as you have the navigator CD for the netserver. You can delete the last logical drive. Then use the free disks to add capacity. I can give you more indepth step by step details if you haven't already done your restore.

p.s.. If you would have posted this in the Netserver category, I would have been able to help you sooner!

Ciao,
Greg

[Bob Dehn]

Greg -

Is it possible to do this without the Navigator CD (I don't have one...)?

Thanks.

Bob

[Greg Carlson]

Bob,

Since you are running linux, netraid assistant is not available to add capacity and you can't do that in the netraid bios ctrl-M. Netraid assistant is available for all other OS if you boot off the netserver navigator. You could probably pick one up cheap on e-bay or pmount.com

You could also do the prep work for removing the second logical drive by booting into ctrl-M, documenting your Logical Drive that you want to keep, and then recreate that array without initializing it.

If your LD 0 is on Ch 0
ID 0 a0-0
ID 1 a0-1
ID 2 a0-2 ect then recreate that array the same as before. The critical details is to keep the ID number the same, the stripe size the same and the total logical drive size the same as the previous config. Then leave the other hdds that you want to move into the new array as READY and then once you have netraid assist, then you can choose all of the READY hdds and add capacity. You could also try an emulator to run netraid assist in linux, but this would be highly risky and I wouldn't recommend it. Neither would HP.

I would look at grabbing the M.02 or M.04 cd from ebay. http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dll?cgiurl=http%3A%2F%2Fcgi.ebay.com%2Fws%2F&krd=1&from=R8&MfcISAPICommand=GetResult&ht=1&SortProperty=MetaEndSort&query=netserver+navigator

They would both have the latest bios and fw for the LH4 as that is an old server..

HTH,
Greg