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H2ONaCl
Asked: 2017-02-12 20:51:32 +0800 CST

Change to a different model of RAID controller: SAS 6/iR to PERC 5/i

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I've been running a PowerEdge 1950 Generation III with the Dell SAS 6/iR and a RAID 1 array of two SATA SSDs. Since that RAID controller has no battery I wanted to upgrade to the Dell PERC 5/i which does have a battery. I intend to continue to run a RAID 1 array on the PERC 5/i.

I have a backup of the data (but not of the whole disk: Linux + data).

Is it possible to change the RAID controller and have it working immediately afterwards or will the change in the RAID controller result in...

possibility number 1... a dead array but no loss of data meaning I can just switch back to the original controller and no harm was done, or

possibility number 2... loss of data, or

possibility number 3....other problems?

raid1 dell-perc

1 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    RAID controllers store the RAID configuration on the controller itself and the disks also. When disks with an existing RAID configuration are connected to a different RAID controller, the controller uses the configuration on the disks to "rebuild" its own. So, for you, it should be as simple as swapping the controllers and letting the new controller pick up the configuration from the disks.

    Regardless, for any operation like this, I would strongly recommend getting at least an image backup / shadow copy before proceeding.

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