Replace Disks in DL380

[Lior_5]

Hi,

I have DL380G2 with 6x 36Gb HD's in Raid 0+1.
I want to replace the disks to 72Gb.
What is the best way to do it?

[Martin Breidenbach]

Backup data
Remove 36 GB drives
Insert 72 GB drives
Reconfigure RAID
Install OS
Restore data

You can replace a failed (or removed) 36 GB drive with a 72 GB drive and then let the array rebuild. But this will give you no additional space; the 72 GB 'replacement drive' will act as a 36 GB drive. Then you could replace the next drive. But in the end you might get an array of 6*72 GB drives where only the half of the space can be used - I've never tried that.

Maybe somebody else here has ?

[Gert Luyten]

Lior and Martin,

Backup/restore surely always works but is time consuming and you have to re-install the server = outage. The nice thing of a Smart Array controller is the automatic rebuild feature that Martin already discussed.

What you can do:
1) backup all data
2) replace (online) each 36GB with a 72GB one by one making sure that after each replacment, the Array(s) are rebuilded. You can check this with ACU. Usually, rebuild times are 3-6GB per hour.
3) at the end of the day (might be more), you'll end up with +100GB of free disk space that you use to create another drive with.

Rgds, Gert.

[Martin Breidenbach]

Gert,

did you actually try this procedure ? As I already wrote I think it *might* work but I've never tried it and I want to be sure.

I agree that replacing one drive at a time will keep the data alive. But I want to be sure that after rebuilding the last replaced drive the additional space can be used.

[Colin_29]

Yes it works, but you do of course need an array controller with write cache. You get a second logical drive.