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How to move a working RAID-1 array from spare server to production server?
Hi all.
We have 2 identical Dell PowerEdge R420's (4 x 3.5" drive bays), one is live, and the other is a spare sitting on a desk in my office.
Each server was shipped with 3 x 500GB SATA 3.5" drives.
Slot 0 + 1 are configured as RAID-1 and slot 2 is a hot spare.
On the spare server I have removed the hot spare from slot 2 and built another RAID-1 disk pair in slots 2 + 3.
The RAID-1 is initialized OK and everything looks fine in the RAID BIOS under Virtual Disk Management.
I have created a large ext4 partition on the new RAID-1 array and copied some test data to check the partition can be mounted OK. This is all working fine and the machine boots up and shuts down OK.
So basically I have prepared a RAID-1 disk pair on the spare server, ready to place into the production machine the next time I power it down.
Can anyone tell me how I go about removing the new working RAID-1 array from the spare server, and adding it into the production server please?
Having initialized the RAID-1 disk array on the spare server, all I want to do is to be able to place this new array into slots 2 +3 on the production server, and then restart the machine with as little down time as possible.
Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated.
TIA
Keith
DELL-Chris H
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May 14th, 2015 09:00
Sputnik-1,
You have covered most of the bases. The only thing I would suggest, prior to the move, would be to ensure that BOTH the controllers are current and matching firmware versions. This is to ensure there isn't any communication issues, or differences between the controllers. After they are updated, then power down the server, add the drives to the new server, then power back on. The array should be accessible.
Let me know how it goes.