Adding SATA hard disk to T440

Hi,

to add the new 4 TB SATA HDD to your Dell PowerEdge T440 server, you have two primary options:

Option 1: Add to the Existing RAID-1 Array

• Pros: Simplifies management by keeping all storage under a single virtual disk.
• Cons:
  • RAID-1 (mirroring) requires an even number of disks. Adding a single disk to RAID-1 is not possible unless you convert to RAID-5 or RAID-10.
  • If you want to keep RAID-1, you would need to add another 4 TB disk to mirror the new one.

Steps to Add to RAID-1 (if feasible):

1. Bring the Disk Online:

   • Enter the RAID controller (e.g., PERC) configuration utility (usually accessed during boot via Ctrl+R).
   • Locate the new disk (currently in "Ready" state) and mark it as "Online."

2. Convert RAID-1 to RAID-5 or RAID-10 (if you want to use the new disk in the same array):

   • Backup data first, as this process may require reconfiguring the array.
   • Add the new disk to the array and reconfigure as RAID-5 (for parity) or RAID-10 (for striping and mirroring).

Option 2: Create a New Virtual Disk

• Pros:
  • Keeps the existing RAID-1 intact for critical data.
  • The new disk can be used independently for additional storage (e.g., as a separate volume for backups or non-critical data).
• Cons: Requires managing two separate virtual disks.

Steps to Create a New Virtual Disk:

1. Bring the Disk Online:

   • Enter the RAID controller configuration utility.
   • Locate the new disk and mark it as "Online."

2. Create a New Virtual Disk:

   • Select the new disk and choose to create a new virtual disk.
   • Configure the disk as:
     • RAID-0 (if you want maximum capacity and performance, but no redundancy).
     • RAID-1 (if you plan to add another disk later for mirroring).

Important please do a Backup before tying any of these steps.