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Server has Smart Array E200 RAID controller with 8x 146GB SAS 10k drives:

I have two logical drives. First set is RAID5 with 3 drives and second set RAID5 with 5 drives.

Is there a way to merge these two sets into one? I don't mind loosing data on the 5 drives so I can just delete that set and attempt to add the drives to the first set.

The main reason for this is that for some reason I can't run all 8 drives and have two RAID5 arrays. One of the logical drives always fails with one drive. It is either the 3 and 4 drives or 2 and 5 drives. It almost seems like the controller does not support 2 RAID5 arrays.

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The E200 is an entry-level controller. There are some limitations in its base configuration, so you should be mindful of those.

The quickspecs for the controller are listed here: http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/12460_na/12460_na.html

Does your unit have a Battery-Backed Write Cache (BBWC) module? That is an necessary component if you wish to use some of the expanded features. Also, how large are the disks you're trying to work with? There is a 2TB limit on individual logical drives...

And finally, firmware level is key here. Here's a link to the drivers and firmware updates for that controller model. Often times, the firmware updates include new or improved functionality. It's worth a try.

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  • I do have battery attached to the controller and I have had the RAID5 functioning fine so I guess I have BBWC. Is there a way to find out from windows interface?
    – MatBanik
    Apr 27, 2011 at 17:43
  • Okay, so you have BBWC, which means RAID5 can work, as well as online expansion and such. Answer the other question: How large are the disks you're working with?
    – ewwhite
    Apr 27, 2011 at 17:49
  • I noted the size of the disks in the question above but they are 146GB. My firmware was 1.66 and now I after upgrade it is 1.86 and the rebuild of the logical drive resumed right after the reboot. So I'll see if it will fail again after an hour.
    – MatBanik
    Apr 27, 2011 at 17:58
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No, you can destroy one array, add its disks to the other array, extend the logical drive, partition and OS drive then restore the extra data back on but the disk controllers don't care about the file system on their disks, just the arrays and logical disks presented to the BIOS.

Oh and they do support dual R5 arrays, not a clever way of using that controller but they do fully support that.

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