[SOLVED] Change RAID controller without fubaring RAID 1 array?

[Squids4daddy]

I have an old Marvell pci-e RAID controller supporting a RAID 1 array. This has been janky since a lizard got in the case and ruined a port and Darwin awarded himself in the process.

The system is fantastically laggy as if the array had degraded. But the controller is not showing the array as degraded. But it is acting EXACTLY like a degraded array. So I suspect it is the controller going out.

two questions:

1. Would you suspect I am diagnosing the problem incorrectly?
2. Can I simply replace the controller with a different brand/model (old is no longer available) and boot it up? Or will this fubar the array and put me into the always risky and stroke inducing process of restoring from a Macrium image?

 

[RealBeast]

It is a pretty good guess that the problem is the old Marvell controller, I've never found them to be very stable.

IMO it is unlikely that you can just replace the controller and actually have it work.
You may be able to just rebuild it with attaching one of the drives and rebuilding onto the other but I would not assume that without having a backup for insurance.
I would back up the current data using something like Macrium or Acronis True Image and then rebuild the array on a new controller.

Even with brand name PCIe controllers (LSI, Adaptec, etc.) you cannot assume that a swap to a different model will work without checking with their support information.

 

[Squids4daddy]

I was afeared that would be the answer. Thanks.

 

[fzabkar]

Can you access the SMART data for each drive? You might need a tool such as smartmontools or GSmartControl in order to see the drives behind a RAID controller.

 

[popatim]

I would suggest backing up just the data, not an image or clone of the drives, to an external. A new controller might not like the original format of the raid1 drives and then not be able to read them.