Moving from no RAID to RAID 5

[Guest_imported]

I recently inherited a Proliant 1200 which has 2 9.1GB hard drives in no array configuration. Now we need to move this server up to RAID5. I've got the spare 9.1GB hard drive. Any recommendations on the best way to do this?

Am I looking at a backup and restore, or can I somehow take the two existing hard drives with their data and "make them into an array"?

 

[KarveR]

You shouldn't have any problem going to RAID 1 with the existing data, just boot from the smartstart CD and set up your raid controller.
HOWEVER I have not done this with RAID 5 so don't cry at me if you break it trying.

Remember, a restore is alot easier *AFTER* a backup.

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Party on, dudes!

 

[jkallen]

The Smart Controllers (if you're talking about h/w RAID) use a different format than the plain SCSI controllers do and they are not compatible. If you hook your existing drives up to the controller and boot SmartStart, it will think the drives are unconfigured and when you setup a new array - it will erase all your data.

Bottom line is you do have to backup and restore. There are extremely complex ways of accomplishing it without doing this, but it would require many more drives and more time than it would take to just do it.

Sorry and good luck