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August 1st, 2024 09:50
expanding raid1
PowerEdge R6525
The OS raid 1 using BOSS-S2 controller is running out of space, 240GB.
What is the best option to expand the OS drive compacity without rebuilding or loosing data?
I understand the most straight forward option should be replace the two 240GB SSDs with larger ones? And should follow the below steps? but BOSS-S2 doesn't support consistancy check and put drives offline action. Could I hot swap them with 480GB,2E,IT06,M.2 sticks?
- Put in a larger drive.
- Have it rebuild the array on the new drive.
- Put in the second new drive.
- Have it rebuild the array on that drive.
- Then expand raid volume.
- Then resize the partition in windows.
Dell mentioned the server has a backplane, so can consider 2x 960GB SATA SSD 2.5” Drives as alternative option. I am not sure what do they mean. Can I use them without rebuilding the server?
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Dell-Martin S
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October 23rd, 2024 13:18
Hi,
Here’s how you can approach this:
Install the SSDs: Physically install the two 2TB SATA SSDs into the available slots on the backplane.
Configure RAID: During the RAID controller configuration (using the PERC BIOS or management utility), you can create a new RAID 1 array using the two SSDs. This will allow you to use them as a bootable volume for your OS.
Keep Existing RAID 10: Your current RAID 10 configuration will remain intact, as the PERC H745 controller can manage multiple RAID arrays simultaneously. The RAID 1 array for the OS and the RAID 10 array for data will coexist without issues.
Boot Order: Ensure that the boot order in the system’s BIOS/UEFI is set to prioritize the newly created RAID 1 array for booting the OS.
Remove BOSS-S2 Card: Since you will be using the PERC H745 for both the OS and data storage, you can remove or ignore the BOSS-S2 card, as it is not needed in this setup.
Additional Considerations:
Backup Data: Before making any changes, ensure that all important data is backed up, especially if you are modifying existing RAID configurations.
Firmware and Drivers: Ensure that the firmware for the PERC H745 controller and the SSDs are up to date for optimal performance and compatibility.
Operating System Installation: When installing the OS, make sure to select the RAID 1 array as the target for the installation.
By following these steps, you should be able to successfully configure your system as needed.
DELL-Chris H
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August 1st, 2024 14:12
LinXK,
Unfortunately there wouldn't be a way of doing it without rebuilding, the reason is that unlike the Perc controller the BOSS S2 doesn't support Virtual Disk expansion, as seen on page 7 here. So the supported method would be to backup the data, delete the VD, remove the old drives, install the larger replacement drives, recreate the VD, install the OS, then restore from backup.
Let me know if this helps.
LinXK
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October 22nd, 2024 16:19
Hi Chris,
Your answer is very helpful. It seems the BOSS-S2 card only support 240GB and 480GB. Unfortunately 480GB is still not enough for us.
Currently we have 4 disks as RAID10 on the backplane controller PERC H745. We still have 4 disks slots on the backplane available.
My question is:
Is it possible to have 2 x 2TB SATA SSD 2.5” Drives as RAID1 as OS to boot together with the exisiting RAID10 (data drive) on the same controller PERC H745? So I can just remove/ignore the BOSS-S2 card?
Thanks
DELL-Chris H
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October 22nd, 2024 16:38
LinXK,
That should be fine, as the BOSS controller would be needed if you were wanting to boot to the Nvme drives.
Hope this helps.
LinXK
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October 23rd, 2024 07:49
Hi DELL-Chris H,
Do you have any instructions for this? What exact settings I should use?
Thanks