RAID 5 Failure

[CAM]

Our SIMS/FMS server suffered a disk failure over the Easter break and rebuilt itself silently. It's all backed up thankfully but the third disk is starting to show errors again. The event log just says HP Smart Array 102: A disk has entered an error state.

 

To my knowledge the other three disks are fine, but if that third one is suffering errors I want to get rid of it before it causes problems or, being an old server, one of the other disks die and we get service interruption. SLT want to get rid of the server but I reckon I can squeeze enough life out of it before we have to upgrade to Server 2008.

 

Am I able to just rip the third disk out to see what disk to buy or is there a way to find out without disk removal?

 

(I know I know, documentation. But this thing is old, we haven't got any! And the Device Manager just says it's a HP Smart Array under disk drives).

[CHR1S]

RAID bios will give you serial numbers usually

[sukh]

Hi

 

Use HP array config utiltiy on the server to get serial. Or you HP systems management.

 

This should be installed on the server, find under the start munu>All programs.

 

If you pull out disk, and no hot spare avaliable, you will lose your RAID.

 

 

Sukh

[CAM]

Thanks guys, got the hard disk model. Also turns out there is a fourth disk sitting in there. Best get the new spare replaced.