First, use mdadm, not the obsolete raidtools! You could create 3 arrays, each with 1 disk missing, then add/remove the extra disk where needed. Your system and filesystems would be up and running during the add and remove, and all other times, if you want. The disks should be partitioned. Partition type FD (RAID autodetect). If you have data on these drives that you want to keep, please explain. To create the arrays: mdadm -C /dev/md0 -l1 -n2 /dev/hda1 missing mdadm -C /dev/md1 -l1 -n2 /dev/hdc1 missing mdadm -C /dev/md2 -l1 -n2 /dev/hde1 missing Create your ext3 filesystems on /dev/md0 md1 and md2. To add the extra disk: mdadm /dev/md0 -a /dev/hdg1 A re-sync or re-build will start. But your filesystem is still usable. To remove the extra disk: First fail it: mdadm /dev/md0 -f /dev/hdg1 Then remove it. mdadm /dev/md0 -r /dev/hdg1 Now you can add it to another array. Just be sure to not fail a disk if the other disk in the array has failed! Or, game over! Guy -----Original Message----- From: linux-raid-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:linux-raid-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Mitchell Laks Sent: Monday, January 10, 2005 2:03 AM To: linux-raid@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: convert degraded raid1 drive to ext3 format Hi, Only a newbie could ask this question. Guess what, I really am! I have 4 hard drives on my ssytem to store data. currently i use raid5. I am seriously considering using raid1 instead of raid5. But I only need raid1 while data is being initially collected on the server. So I would like to use raid1 (with ext3 format) initially and then convert to standard ext3 drives.if this is possible. i have 4 drives /dev/hda, /dev/hdc, /dev/hde, /dev/hdg What I would like to do is use stage 1) /hda and /hdg as a raid initially and leave /dev/hdc, /dev/hde alone then use stage 2) /hdc and /hdg as a raid and use "/hda as if it were a ext3 drive" then use stage 3) /hde and /hdg as a raid and use "/hda and /hdc as if there were ext3 drives" Now i see easily that I can run at stage3) /dev/md0 -- /hda alone in degraded mode /dev/md1 ---- /hdc alone in degraded mode /dev/md2 --- /hde and /hdg together. if i do raidsetfaulty to /dev/hdg and raidhotremove /dev/hdg each time and add it to the new /dev/md1 and /dev/md2 as I need them. But i would prefer REAL ext3 drives instead of degraded /dev/md0 and /dev/md1 (i think???). In place of /dev/md0 and /dev/md1. So my question is: I s it possible to "convert a degraded raid1 consisting of a single hard drive over to a standard ext3 format drive (ie /dev/md0 is only one drive so can it become ext3) ?" without doing something like rsync of the data on /dev/md0 to a fresh drive "the new /dev/hda" ??? Thanks, Mitchell Laks - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-raid" in the body of a message to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html - To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-raid" in the body of a message to majordomo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx More majordomo info at http://vger.kernel.org/majordomo-info.html
