Advice needed - Raid 1+0 Expansion

[d3vnul]

Hello,
I'm seeking some advice and a possible estimate time needed to expand a raid 1+0 array for the following scenario:

Server details :
DL380 G6
P410i with 512MB and BBWC

Current setup:
4x300GB 10K SAS RAID1+0 with 1x300 SPARE -> and recently installed 3 more new drives

Planning setup:
Remove the Spare from the above array and expand the array to a total of 8x300GB 10K SAS RAID1+0

So it's an expansion from 4 drives to 8 drives. Also planning to do the expansion using the latest HP ACU Offline CD , so there will be no activity on the server during the expansion process.

Did anyone did a similar expansion that could give me some estimates so i can do my planning ?

Any hints/help will be really appreciated , thank you !

P.S. This thread has been moved from Servers > Planning to ProLiant Servers  - Hp Forum Moderator

[gregersenj]

I don't know how long it take.

But why don't you do it on-line?

The risk is the same.

Beside, the expansion is performed by the SA not the ACU. The ACU is just a GUI interface, for issuing the commands.

BR

/jag

[d3vnul]

Thanks for the reply , in order to skip the risk i just created a second raid1+0 array.
I was still curious on a ETA for that kind of expansion.

I decided to go for a second array for the following reasons ( correct me if I'm wrong ):
- If a disk would fail from a 8disk raid1+0 array the rebuild time would be longer than a 4disk array
- If two disks from a raid1 mirror (from the 8disk raid1+0 array ) would fail -> everything is dead so i was thinking that the reliability would be higher with 2 arrays

[gregersenj · Accepted solution]

RAID 1+0 is stripped mirror sets.

4 disks = 2 stripped mirror sets.

8 disks = 4 stripped mirror sets.

The rebuild time is the same, pretty much.

If both disks in a mirror set fail, the entire RAID is down.

BR
/jag