Mirror on Compaq DL380 on Windows 2000 PRO

[spalislam]

I need to mirror HDD on already installed Windows 2000 Professional on Compaq Proliant DL380. It is a hot-swappable Scsi Ultra-3, but it is unvisible through Win2K. And since Win2K is already installed on 1st HDD, I can't remove it or play with Array Controller software.

Please if anyone has any suggestions shoot them out, cause they might help.

 

[byteya]

You should be able to boot the Smartstart Cd & select Array Configuration Utility. Then migrate to a RAID 1 setup using the second drive.
*J*

 

[spalislam]

Thanks, *j*.

I have already set it up. Through SmartStart and its Array Conf. Utility. However, now I have another questions. I want to test its reliability. Does mirror actually work?

2 HDD are mirrored. All reading/writting is done on both of the simultaneously. This means it should work. However, if I remove one of the drives from the server, and try to boot without it, server can't boot. NO bootable disk.

If drive was to fail while server is on, what would happen. Would server continue working? If it does, what happens if it is restarted without second drive...CAN'T BOOT. Does it mean that I always have to have extra drive available for rebuilding a mirror?

Any suggestions appreciated.

sp

 

[byteya]

If one drive of a mirror fails, the system should continue running as normal, but I always have a spare or 2 on hand to immediately swap out the bad drive. I haven't rebooted a server with a bad drive before, but I thought it should work. I'm sure it gives you a warning error about the drive missing, but still should boot.

To test your RAID, just pull a drive when the server is running. A cool way of justifing the cost of the additional parts to your boss
*J*

 

[sdandersonjr]

Its my understanding that you must start out with fresh HDs and set them up with the RAID settings previous to installing the OS. Some controllers support migrating from one RAID level to another but IMHO I think you have start with RAID first....

Hope this helps.

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