PCGalOfCal
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How do I configure this Dell SAS 5 raid card???
Help, please. I have a Dell PowerEdge 840 with a SAS 5 v6.12.02.00 raid card. I need to swap out both the existing hard drives which larger ones. I removed one of the existing drives and mirrored it to a new 2 TB drive. I then put the new mirrored 2 TB drive in the server as drive 0 and a second 2TB drive, with nothing on it, as drive 1. I booting to the only SAS configuration utility I could find (Ctrl + C) and to my "horror" the only option was to create an "integrated" mirror set BUT it states everything will be deleted! Can't this stupid card simply rebuild the mirror set??? Tell me this card isn't a total POS? Any suggestions? Thank You.
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You need to create images which you can restore, not mirrors.
ASKER
Can I mirror the old drive 0 to the new drive 0 (from another computer) and mirror the old drive 1 to a the new drive 1 and then put both the new drives in the server. Will that work???
No, you need to make an image like I told you, then restore that image to the new array. The restore tool, particularly that of Paragon, will allow you to resize the image when you restore it so it can take up the rest of the array's space, if that is what you need.
ASKER
I don't like that answer, lol. But ok! I'm going to do it now. Thanks.
ASKER
Yikes. That software is $600. I'll replace the RAID card with one that can do what I need. However, I left the old drive 0 in, replaced the old drive 1 with a newer larger one and it gave me the option to sync. If it works, then I will swap out the second old drive and replace it with a second new one and again let it sync. If that works I will then have what I need. What a pain in the ass though. Geeze! I'll post if it works or not. Thanks for you help.
That isn't the fault of the RAID card. It is what you want to do. Apart from that you can keep on using the software later as a good backup tool. Or you can try the PartedMagic LiveCD and CloneZilla (but use the imaging, not the cloning option). If it sees the drives as an array and not as single drives it'll be able to what is needed.
ASKER
I have to think it is the fault of the RAID card. I've used other RAID cards that let me set up RAID 1 anytime anywhere without having to "first" configure the array and THEN install an OS. Why does this card not allow you to create the array after the OS is installed? To me, that is not very friendly software or hardware or whatever it's considered. Am I wrong? This is a Dell SAS 5/iR card. Is it a cheap one? I don't know.
All good hardware RAID cards need you to first configure the array, then install the OS. The cheap fake RAID controllers may be different and not need that. But the good cards do.
ASKER
OH, good to know.
ASKER
Thanks for all your input. I think I'm going to create the array and re-install.
ASKER
I don't totally understand how to do that. But, I just installed Acronis Disk Director 11 which I happen to have. It looks like it can create mirrors. Do you know if that is true? Could I use Disk Director to maintain a mirror set???