RAID question

[Jeroen A.Geurtsen]

I have a DL360G2 with 2 disks in a mirror set disk 0 and disk 1. I need to do a upgrade of this system but I want to make sure I can go back. Is it possible that I remove disk 1, booting the system from only 1 disk. Upgrade the system, see if it works, and put back in the disk and let the raid sync again ?
In case of an failure of the upgrade, I can do the reverse thing, by booting from the removed disk with the original OS and the sync again.

Has anyone any experiences with this ?

Thanks.

[JohnWRuffo · Accepted solution]

Yes. You can do that. Just be sure to let the mirror rebuild process complete (the drive lights stop the "heartbeat" flashing) before inserting the new disk. This can take several minutes to finish depending on the size of the disk.

I guess you are going to add a "larger" drive to the server and intend to build a new logical in the new space?

G'luck

[Uwe Zessin]

The SmartArray controllers do not really support cloning of disk arrays.

I _hope_ for you that it works when you have to go back. What you are trying to do in this case is what I call 'drive roaming with a reduced disk array'. That is non-supported operation.

Remember to put the disk into the very same slot where you pulled it from. And make a BACKUP anyway before you start.

It might stop working in case you have created a second disk array on the same controller, so please, please have a 'plan B' ready.

One of my colleagues managed to kill a disk array by replacing a disk with another one in power-off state. Apparently there was conflicting metadata on the new disk. Luckily I had taken a disk image...

[Serviceguard for Linux]

While it may not be supported, it does seem to work well in my experience. Just BE SURE to boot the system with the source drive and the other slot empty. Wait for the SmartArray firmware to recognize a "failed" drive in the EMPTY slot. Then select F2 which should call for an autorebuild after the "to" drive is inserted.