How Do I Move to a RAID 1+0 Setup?

[Sneezer]

I have two 3TB hard drives in RAID 1 in an external setup. They act as storage for a media server.

I'd like to get 4-6 more ~3TB HDDs to increase my storage while also making sure that I don't lose anything if a drive fails. I'm fine with a one-drive-failure redundancy but when I've looked into this before, it's been suggested that I shouldn't try RAID 5.

The question is, what process do I use to setup 4-6 more drives, transfer my data to that setup, then integrate my old drives into the new setup?

I basically want to continue to use my old drives in a RAID setup with the new drives while not losing my data and creating a RAID system where at least one drive can fail without any immediate loss of data.

Can you find the unicorn for me?

 

[kanewolf]

You may not be able to do so directly. That enclosure has a built-in controller. Any new RAID controller will probably have to start from scratch.

 

[Sneezer]

You may not be able to do so directly. That enclosure has a built-in controller. Any new RAID controller will probably have to start from scratch.

So let's say I setup 4 brand new drives in a RAID 10 configuration. Then I move the data from the external to the new RAID 10 setup. Can I then somehow add the two old drives to the new RAID 10 setup (after formatting them)?

 

[kanewolf]

It will depend on the RAID controller you choose. You need to read user's manuals to ensure that the one you choose has that feature.

 

[VincentP]

RAID 1+0 is called RAID 10. It is made up of two striped arrays (RAID 1), and the data is mirrored between the two arrays (RAID 0).
If you want include the old drives in the new array, you need to move the data off to some other location first (not the new drives).
The enclosure you have linked is for only two drives, and supports RAID 0 or 1 (not RAID 10).
Using RAID 10 means losing half your storage space anyway, so I think you would be better with RAID 5, plus even larger enclosures generally don't support RAID 10.
You'll need to look for an enclosure that supports enough drives and the RAID level you want to use.

 

[VincentP]

You may not be able to do so directly. That enclosure has a built-in controller. Any new RAID controller will probably have to start from scratch.

So let's say I setup 4 brand new drives in a RAID 10 configuration. Then I move the data from the external to the new RAID 10 setup. Can I then somehow add the two old drives to the new RAID 10 setup (after formatting them)?

No, you can't add drives to the array after it is created.
The exception is JBOD, which isn't really a RAID standard and offers no data redundancy.

 

[Sneezer]

Thanks, all. I think I know what I need to do now. Much appreciated.

 

[saint_craig]

I have two 3TB hard drives in RAID 1 in an external setup. They act as storage for a media server.

I'd like to get 4-6 more ~3TB HDDs to increase my storage while also making sure that I don't lose anything if a drive fails. I'm fine with a one-drive-failure redundancy but when I've looked into this before, it's been suggested that I shouldn't try RAID 5.

The question is, what process do I use to setup 4-6 more drives, transfer my data to that setup, then integrate my old drives into the new setup?

I basically want to continue to use my old drives in a RAID setup with the new drives while not losing my data and creating a RAID system where at least one drive can fail without any immediate loss of data.

Can you find the unicorn for me?

The long and short is maybe.

Everything really depends on your raid controller, and what functionality it exposes. It also depends on how you configured your raid's

Raid 10, is not the same as Raid 0+1, even though both are essentially striped mirrors, or mirrored stripesets.

So lets look at this, if you took a mirrored set of drives, (Raid 1) and a second set of mirrored drives and then subsequently striped them adding two more disks is well going to be nigh impossible without rebuilding the array.

Why, you ask because you have striped a mirrorset. you cannot extend the mirrorset because well that is two disks. (not three in a mirror)

On the other hand (and assuming your controller supports this.) if you made a stripe set (Raid 0) and then mirrored it (0+1 config.) you could easily break the mirror add in the disks, attach one to each of the two disk stripes and transform it to a 3 disk stripe set and then re-mirror. All it would take is time...

Now here's the rub... most mobo and or add in cheap cards (RR922 and the ilk) may support raid 10 (really 1+0), or 0+1 or both, but might not advertise it as such, hell most IT pros don't even usually understand the difference let alone marketing tools. So you wouldn't know until you try it.

Then there is the cards or Smart array controllers, they figure out all the nonsense for you. You built the array 1+0 and need to add disk, they will transform the array config under the covers to 0+1 and add the disk seamlessly.

So to answer your question can it be done, yes with the right hardware.

Now for my question... who's hardware do you have (Well for the raid controllers at-least.)

Since you are coming from a raid 1 set up you my be able to add in the other disk and transform your array to a raid 0, then build another raid 0 array and mirror them. (0+1) but to preserve your existing data without backing up somewhere.... well you're not going to be able to do 1+0, but then again why would you want to 0+1 is more flexible especially with dumb controllers.

 

[USAFRet]

Now for my question... who's hardware do you have (Well for the raid controllers at-least.)

I would hope, that now 2+ years later, the OP is still not struggling with this situation.

Timestamps exist for a reason.