Re: Adding a disk to a RAID array

Bill,

Yeah, that is what I was hoping for.  I wish I was lucky enough to be able to have the funds to have another system that I could test the process out on.  However, being a state funded institution most funds go to medical research and education and I get what's left over and have to do the best I can with that.  Unfortunately the data partition is what I need raided
the most.  Research data and faculty teaching information is contained there.  I have people who freak out big time when there is a network problem and can't access the box - they are banging at my door wanting to make sure that their data hasn't been lost.  Looks like I am going to have to take a whole new look at the process of what I need to do.  I may even plan
upgrading to RH8 and upgrading the RAID controller card to one recommended by Adaptec to replace the one I have as well as replacing the drives with larger ones even though I have 4 matched drives already and hope I can get the funds.  Like I need all of this headache with all I am being required to do now in order to get all of my systems compliant with Federal and
State regulations like HIPAA etc.  I am going to have to lock myself in my office to plan out the next couple of months just to keep current with the have to do's.

Elizabeth Martin

Bill Gradwohl wrote:

> 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
> [email protected]
> (817) 224-9400 x211
> www.ycc.com
>
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