2

I've got failed RAID 5EE array (on a server running Windows Server 2003).

After controller initialization it saysarrays have missing required members and cannot be configured. Adaptec Storage Manager shows all drives in optimal state but array is failed:

enter image description here

The only enabled option is "Delete array". Are there any ways to bring it online, or, if i'll delete it, shall i be able to recreate it without data loss?

Improve this question
3
  • I forget how exactly, but you have to make the other drive a spare of the array, then it will automatically be allocated into the array and rebuild. (I'm assuming slot 4 should be in the array, right?)
    – Chris S
    Jul 5, 2011 at 19:07
  • i thought so, but it didn't worked - since the controller doesn't recognize it as a valid array, i guess. Slot 4 was in array some time ago :)
    – Sergei Ousynin
    Jul 5, 2011 at 19:16
  • Verify all drives are in the correct slots. If they get switched the array will not initialize.
    – murisonc
    Jul 5, 2011 at 19:38

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
3

Although kind of late:

You have a Raid 5EE with 1.819 TB. To reach that size with those harddisk sizes you need 6 HDDs with 465GB (n-2) and you cannot think of the Hotspare as a Hotspare like in Raid 5. The Hotspare is used in the array to enhance the performance. So in Raid 5EE when one drive fails the array is essentially degraded until it has finished compression, where it starts relocating data to the reserved space on the intact drives. If you loose another drive while the array is being compressed the array fails instantly as it is not possible to finish compression. That's the only way how you can have a Raid 5EE with 2 drives missing and the array being failed instead of just degraded.

Of couse, sadly this means your data is gone if you don't have another backup.

Improve this answer
1
  • So, that means the original configuration was already degraded (with five drives in RAID-5EE). I doubt i'll find the man who did it, but thanks!
    – Sergei Ousynin
    Mar 23, 2012 at 7:09

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .