RAID array expansion on Intel ICHxR chipsets

MrCrispy

2[H]4U
Joined
May 14, 2007
Messages
3,961
Does anyone know if Intel will ever support online RAID expansion. I can't find any info on ICH9R on Intel's site as its not been updated in a while.

According to this - http://www.intel.com/support/chipsets/imsm/sb/cs-022321.htm,
"The Intel® Matrix Storage Manager does not support array expansion."

Intel software does seem to support RAID migration from RAID 0/1 to RAID 5, bu that is less important to me as I plan to start out with 3x500gb and add more later. In this situation, would I have to copy all the data to an external backup and recreate the array? I don't want the added expense of a hardware RAID controller because Matrix RAID does seem to offer some benefits with very low cpu overhead.
 
I doubt they'll support expansion on ICH9R
IMO, RAID expansion is sloppy anyway, when I build arrays they stay in the configuration they were built in, if something changes they are rebuilt from scratch.

It sounds as though you don't plan to have any kind of backup, you should not rely on raid as a backup plan. you should always have an external active backup plan
 
You can find such info from the Help in Intel's driver version 7.5.0.1017, which has been officially released recently to support ICH9R.

Volume Conversion Options

A volume conversion does not require re-installation of the operating system. All applications and data remain intact. Note that you must be logged on as an administrator to modify a RAID or recovery volume.

Convert a RAID 0, 1, or 10 Volume to a RAID 5 Volume

The following RAID configurations are possible (refer to Table 1 of this help file to determine which RAID levels are supported by your system):

2-drive RAID 1 to a 3, 4, 5, or 6-drive RAID 5
2-drive RAID 0 to a 3 or 4-drive RAID 5
3-drive RAID 0 to a 4, 5, or 6-drive RAID 5
4-drive RAID 10 to a 4, 5, or 6-drive RAID 5

Follow the steps below to migrate from an existing RAID 0, 1, or 10 volume to a RAID 5.

Make sure that there are at least 3 SATA hard drives connected to the system.
Start Windows* and open the Intel® Matrix Storage Console.
Select 'Advanced Mode' from the 'View' menu.
Right-click on the volume you want to convert and select 'Modify Volume'.
The 'Modify RAID Volume Wizard' will launch.
Follow the instructions throughout the wizard. The migration will begin once the wizard is completed.
To view the migration status, right-click on the volume name in the device pane and select 'Show Migration Progress'. A tray icon message will pop up when the migration is complete and the volume's 'Status' will display 'Normal in the information pane.

Some crazy conversions might be possible -- e.g. break a 3-drive RAID 5 down to a degraded pair, use the extracted drive and another to create a new RAID 0 pair; copy the data from the degraded to the new RAID 0; drop the RAID 5; expand the RAID 0 pair to a bigger RAID 5. I've never done this, and if you do it and it works, you're (a) crazy (b) lucky.

"RAID alone is not a backup". You should not do any such operations without a backup. If you had a good backup, this would be a non-problem.
 
Back
Top