ML370/DL380 G1 Smart Array Drive Upgrade Questions

[orty]

I have 6 servers: a mix of DL380s and ML370s, all G1, all with the same integrated Smart Array controllers. All of them have RAID arrays of some sort. My questions are thus:

1) Currently, one of the servers use Ultra2, 7200RPM 18GB drives. I have some Ultra3, 18GB 10000 drives that I'd like to upgrade them to. It's a two-disk RAID1. What's the easiest way to upgrade those drives without taking down the server? They're both Windows 2000 servers. Can I just hot swap one drive, let the thing fully rebuild, and then do the other?

2) I have a server with some 4 Ultra3 18GBs in a RAID 5 array that I'd like to increase the capacity of the RAID array (and am out of hot swap slots). I have a supplier that has the 36GB and 72GB Ultra3s really cheap. What'd be the recommended way to increase array size with as little downtime as possible (it's a CentOS 5 server).

3) I have a 2 disk RAID1 array I'd like to increase capacity on the logical drive (which has a couple partitions). Can I throw in another disk and expand the array? What would happen to the paritition sizes?

4) Lastly, has anybody gotten any sort of management software running on a GUI in CentOS (a RedHat Enterprise derivative)? The server runs fine, was just looking for a GUI like I have in Windows to manage arrays.

I think that's it. Anybody in Central Oregon want an old Proliant 800 and/or 1600 for parts?

[Mark Matthews]

Hi Jake,

1. Yes you can hot swap one at a time, let it rebuild in between. But you say the servers are G1, this means you will not see much increase in performance as the U3 drives will ramp down to U2 speeds

2. Unknown re the CentOS but you can do this starting the same way as answer no 1.
Then either increase the size of the original logical drive within the array, or create new logical drives in the new space.

3. You need an even number of disks for RAID1, 3 would not work. You'd need to put 2 more in, then same as last part of answer no 2

4. Sorry I have no experience of Linux / Unix at all, but you must be able to get ACU for Linux surely?

Thanks
Mark...