RAID 1 drive moving to no-RAID

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tom Del Rosso
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Tom Del Rosso

A question for future reference please...

I have a 4 year old AMI MegaRAID controller, and a spare SCSI controller
(with the same type of connector) which is sitting on a shelf. I'm
wondering what I can do with that spare SCSI card.

If the MegaRAID controller dies and I would rather not wait for the
replacement, one drive from a RAID-1 array should work temporarily with the
SCSI card, right?

Thanks.
 
Tom said:
A question for future reference please...

I have a 4 year old AMI MegaRAID controller, and a spare SCSI controller
(with the same type of connector) which is sitting on a shelf. I'm
wondering what I can do with that spare SCSI card.

If the MegaRAID controller dies and I would rather not wait for the
replacement, one drive from a RAID-1 array should work temporarily with the
SCSI card, right?
Click to expand...

I don't think so, but why don't you try while the AMI is still kicking?
My guess is that you will be able to re-use the drive (same SCSI
connector, right?) but loosing access to the data. Not a biggy if you
have a backup copy...
 
Iago said:
I don't think so, but why don't you try while the AMI is still kicking?
My guess is that you will be able to re-use the drive (same SCSI
connector, right?) but loosing access to the data. Not a biggy if you
have a backup copy...
Click to expand...

Thanks.

About losing the data, do you mean it won't pick up the data because I
would be going from RAID to non-RAID? I haven't installed and moved enough
SCSI drives to be sure about their compatibility. What if I replaced it
with a new AMI RAID controller, or a new brand of RAID controller? If you
replace a non-RAID SCSI card with another non-RAID SCSI card, does it
normally pick up the data ok?

About the interface, the drives have no power connectors. I have seen SCSI
drives with power connectors and some without. What types of SCSI
interface get power from the data cable? The RAID backplane has a separate
power supply connection, so I realize it doesn't come from the controller
card in any case.
 
About losing the data, do you mean it won't pick up the data becaus

would be going from RAID to non-RAID? I haven't installed and move
enoug
SCSI drives to be sure about their compatibility. What if I replace
i
with a new AMI RAID controller, or a new brand of RAID controller? I
yo
replace a non-RAID SCSI card with another non-RAID SCSI card, does i
normally pick up the data ok

I don't believe data loss is an issue. But, I must admitt I a
confused. Are you using SCSI drives or IDE? Neither are compatabl
with the other. You mention one IDE controller and one SCSI. You
drives determine what controller card you use. Perhaps I've read i
wrong

If you swap out your IDE RAID card with another, your data will stil
be there. The cards are controller cards first, RAID 2nd. All ID
controller cards work the same, with the same protocols. Ditto wit
SCSI. One supports RAID while the other doesn't is the onl
difference. RAID or not, the hard drives still have the data

Hope this help
 
dannysdailys said:
I don't believe data loss is an issue. But, I must admitt I am
confused. Are you using SCSI drives or IDE? Neither are compatable
with the other. You mention one IDE controller and one SCSI. Your
drives determine what controller card you use. Perhaps I've read it
wrong.
Click to expand...

Only SCSI, one RAID and one not. I didn't say IDE.

If you swap out your IDE RAID card with another, your data will still
be there. The cards are controller cards first, RAID 2nd. All IDE
controller cards work the same, with the same protocols. Ditto with
SCSI. One supports RAID while the other doesn't is the only
difference. RAID or not, the hard drives still have the data.
Click to expand...

Ok that's as I thought. What I was unsure of is whether RAID-1 drives can
be moved to a regular SCSI card if the SCSI RAID card fails.
 
Tom said:
Thanks.

About losing the data, do you mean it won't pick up the data because I
would be going from RAID to non-RAID?
Click to expand...

Sorry, I misspoke. Moving the drive from RAID1 to non RAID should work
(no data loss) but moving back the drive the RAID controller could try
to rebuild the LU.
 
Iago said:
Sorry, I misspoke. Moving the drive from RAID1 to non RAID should work
(no data loss) but moving back the drive the RAID controller could try
to rebuild the LU.
Click to expand...

Isn't it possible to force a RAID controller to rebuild from the drive
being replaced?
 
Tom Del Rosso said:
Isn't it possible to force a RAID controller to rebuild from the drive
being replaced?
Click to expand...

Why would one ever want to rebuild from a bad drive?
 
Folkert Rienstra said:
Why would one ever want to rebuild from a bad drive?
Click to expand...

I have a spare SCSI card, and several RAID 1 arrays. I wanted to know in
advance if I could use the spare card in an emergency. If a RAID card
failed I asked if I could use the SCSI card with a single drive from a RAID
1 array. Then I would get a new RAID card and rebuild the array from the
drive taken out of the array earlier, because it would have been used alone
for a day or two.
 
Tom Del Rosso said:
I have a spare SCSI card, and several RAID 1 arrays. I wanted to know in
advance if I could use the spare card in an emergency. If a RAID card
failed I asked if I could use the SCSI card with a single drive from a RAID
1 array.
Click to expand...

Yes, I can read, thank you.
Then I would get a new RAID card and rebuild the array from the drive taken
out of the array earlier, because it would have been used alone for a day or two.
Click to expand...

Sure. And now for my question? (That's the question that the card
maker will ask himself in deciding whether to make that a feature).
 
Folkert Rienstra said:
Yes, I can read, thank you.
Click to expand...

You're welcome. People do sometimes miss the start of threads you know.

day or two.

Sure. And now for my question? (That's the question that the card
maker will ask himself in deciding whether to make that a feature).
Click to expand...

So forgive me for not detecting that your question was supposed to be an
answer.

If your question needs an answer, then maybe (maybe, because this is
dependent an a real answer for my question, isn't it) it would be because a
RAID controller should have the ability to build a RAID 1 array from any
starting drive.
 
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