Replacement HDD for RAID-10 in T300 server ...

[mrdom]

Hi everybody: I thought we had a faulty HDD in our four-disk system, so I ordered a replacement. Since then, I rebuilt the array, and the error seems to have cleared (for now). The three drives in the server are Seagate Barracuda drives, but the drive that was sent to me is a Toshiba drive. They're the same size (500gb), but I question if a different drive will work in the array. I did try to insert the new drive when I removed the old one, and it did nothing. No lights, no anything. Do I have to replace with the same make/model drive, or should this Toshiba work?

Thanks for the help!

 

[wmin3]

This depends on how good your RAID controller is. Even slightest variation in performance of your disks can throw your raid in dropped state. This should not be a problem if the new drive is better quality, alas not the other way around; new drive can also slow down all other disks.

On the other hand, different brand disk can negate the design and manufacturing flaws that may exist in certain models, hence improve chances of survival if all disk decide to die from same failure.

I hope this is useful.

 

[technome]

95% of the time, as long as the formmated capacity is exactly the same or greater, drives of different manufacture or make should work (if the drive is new retail). If the drive is used, recalibrated, reconditioned, remanufactured etc, do not count on it. Raid controllers are very picky, many drives sent back to manufacturers are drives which have failed in an array, have been tested, and are sent back out.
Possible, you were just unlucky to get a DOA.

"Even slightest variation in performance of your disks can throw your raid in dropped state" Statement not based on fact or knowledge, and is not correct.

........................................
Chernobyl disaster..a must see pictorial

http://www.kiddofspeed.com/default.htm

"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons."
Popular Mechanics, 1949

 

[rclarke250]

Did you just stick the drive in? Or did you actually go into the raid manager and remove the "bad" drive from the array, and then nominate the new drive to be added to the array? Because most of the time, unless you actually go into the management software, and tell the raid adapter what you want to do with the drive, it will ignore that drive.

 

[mrdom]

Hi everybody ... it did end up being a bad drive. Attempted to rebuild the array, and it failed ... same drive was the culprit. When I pulled the old drive and inserted the new one, I wasn't sure why it didn't start rebuilding again. I waited a couple hours, reinserted it again and it immediately began rebuilding. Everything seems to be OK now. No errors reported on the array or the controller. Thanks everybody for your help!