Raid 5

[PC Craze]

Hi guys can anyone help me with raid 5. I have a server with 6 hard drive. It is set to two raid 5. First three hard drive with raid 5 and second three hard drive with another raid 5. One raid 5 has OS on it and second raid 5 has file and folders. I am running out of space on second raid 5 (one with files and folder). I am trying to take these three hard drive and replace with bigger one. I am not comfortable to do without asking someone that has done before.
My question, when i change the hard drives do i have to do anything to set the raid 5 or it automatically takes it?
Please let me know if this doesn't make sense. I know sometime it is hard to explain what one is thinking.

Thanks

 

[floppybootstomp]

You will need to configure the new RAID 5 setup as the hard disks will be different model numbers and different sizes.

You will have to go into the RAID setup when booting the server (there willl be a prompt at POST, look for it or look in the manual, the commands vary a lot between motherboards) where you will be able to select your new disks and configure them for a RAID setup.

Presumably you'll want to transfer the data from the existing setup to the new one, have you considered how you're going to do this yet?

 

[PC Craze]

Thanks for the reply. You mean to say backing up all the data from current hard drives? Well we do everyday backup to our tapes. That part i am not much worried about.

 

[floppybootstomp]

Thanks for the reply. You mean to say backing up all the data from current hard drives? Well we do everyday backup to our tapes. That part i am not much worried about.

Just looking out for you

Good luck

 

[PC Craze]

Thanks i might be coming back at this post again so don't think you are done with me. Anyway I will post anything i find out

 

[PC Craze]

I didn’t want this post to not have a conclusion, so I thought I would put something in.
Just to let you guys know that we ended up purchasing a new server. I know I am sorry to disappoint the entire viewer searching for a solution to similar problem.
We decided to go with new server because this server was getting old and SCSI hard drive is expensive anyway.

 

[psd99]

RAID 5?

Bloody hell!

I am still stuck on RAID 0 and RAID 1.

 

[WinkingPig]

I used RAID 5 for around 5 minutes earlier this month.

It's a complete pain for replacing disks and so forth, so we just dumped it and went straight up to RAID 10.

Best advice I can give if you got a new server.

Just the performance dip on RAID 5 if a drive fails is ridiculous, you lose around 80% disk performance from the array while a disk rebuilds, which could take hours upon hours.

 

[Me__2001]

my mate has a server that we built and he used RAID 5 for a while then changed to RAID 6, i think shortly after 2 of his drives died and it took 2 or 3 days to rebuild the array!!

 

[psd99]

damn that is a long time!!!