Topic: Software RAID 1

[Paul F]

Can anyone please tell me what will happen with default SME5.6 with respect to a drive failure?

a) If either drive fails, will there be anything other than a log entry?

b) When a replacement drive is added, will it rebuild automagically?

c) If I create an image of the first drive and try to restore it what would happen?


Thanks!

[Paul]

a) If you set up software raid1 and 1 drive fails then the other drive continues to operate.  To be notified by email you can install "RAID1 Monitor" from Darrell May's site, I know for a fact it works quite well.

http://mirror.contribs.org/smeserver/contribs/dmay/mitel/contrib/raidmonitor/

b) No, please refer to raid-recovery-howto in the above link.

c) I don't know.

[Kelvin]

Hi Paul F,

>b) When a replacement drive is added, will it rebuild automagically?

No. Use a hardware controller (even relatively cheap ones works quite well - not the real low end ones, these requires you to use the BIOS of the controllers to rebuild but you don't need to know any Linux commands, etc.). Some of the Mirroring controllers (even relatively inexpensive ones) support hotswap and auto rebuild as well.

>c) If I create an image of the first drive and try to restore it what would happen?

I think (needs confirmation) that software raid drives are not byte for byte 100% identical between the two. In any case, I don't think just ghosting the drives will work.

Kelvin

[Paul T.C.Fung]

Hi, Paul, this is another Paul F.

As the other Paul here had told you the answer, you may need the process to rebuild the Raid system.

I guess this URL may help :

http://www.e-smith.org/docs/howto/RAID-recovery-howto.html

Best Regards,

Paul T.C.Fung

[Paul]

I am also another Paul F.

Wow, that makes 3 Paul F.'s, this could get real confusing!!