Re: Adding a disk to a RAID array

So you are trying to expand an existing array. Lots of older controllers had no way to expand an existing array. Those that did claim to do so failed under many conditions. Very recent controllers are much improved, but that's not a description of DPT.

You are more trusting than I am. Candidly, even if I had the manual in hand I wouldn't try to expand a RAID array on a production box unless I could test it out first on the EXACT same hardware in a test environment. 

Have you considered, and does the controller BIOS support, just adding a non RAID drive to the controller and using it all by itself in a non RAID fashion? Even that is risky because you don't know what the controllers BIOS will do with it. I had one controller (can't remember which, but it was IDE) step on the array at boot up. No chance to take evasive action.

If you are running SCSI drives, does that also mean you have a second controller for a tape drive? Not a second channel, but a whole new controller that's already in the same box. How about spinning that drive up on the separate controller.

As you can see, I'm trying to do anything but touch the array because what the books say will work many times don't.

Bill Gradwohl
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www.ycc.com