Smart Array P420i - Logical Drive fault tolerance rebuild

[banshee]

Greetings all.

My first post to ask for some assistance. On one of our servers, HPE Smart Storage is reporting that "the array controller is rebuikding 8 TB SATA HDD at Port1." Active Task is "Logical Drive 2 is rebuilding fault tolerance data. Progress: 86.71%." We've not swapped any of the pphysical drives.

Now I know that it can take a long time for this to complete but is it normal for the progress to have changed from 86.28% to 86.71% in three days? In the past when we've swapped a physical drive and the array rebuilding is usually completed in around 2 or 3 days. Is it possible it's the drive we need to replace as it's taking this long? Next question, I assume drive shouldn't be replaced whilst it's rebuilding the fault tolerance data? Any asistance would be great. Thanks in advance.

[banshee]

Just an update, the progress is now reporting 84.17%, so it's actually gone in reverse?

[TVVJ]

Hello,

It is recommended to run the Array Diagnostics Report to check for any defective components in the storage sub-system.

As mentioned by you, generally it is not recommended to replace hard drives while the array is being re-built to avoid data loss.

If the replacement hard drive were to be replaced, then it may not be an issue as the rebuild will continue as it is the focal point of rebuild process.

If another drive were to be removed, and the RAID level does not tolerate another disk failure then the data on the array is lost.

Hence, before performing any activity, it is recommended to have full backup of data as long as the array is accessible.

Regards,

[banshee · Accepted solution]

So, managed to replace failing drive and the logical drives are now rebuilding, at a reasonalble rate now. Thanks for your response.

[Sunitha_Mod]

Hello @banshee,

That's perfect! 

We are glad to know you were able to find the solution and we appreciate you for keeping us updated. 

[PDP-Fan]

You say you haven't removed a disk from that system, so the question is why does it rebuild?

I imagine the following scenario. The disk that is rebuilding right now did disappear for unknown reasons. Then it came up again and the system treats it as a new disk...

I would replace that drive because it seems it is failing. That's most likely the reason why the rebuild is so slow. Did you check the Smart Array controller for additional errors? Is the cache and battery OK?
You may also check the IML log in the iLO. If there was something wrong with your disk, there should be information about it.