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Where does the OSX RAID utility store the RAID configuration?

If I have 5 HDDS. A single BOOT drive which is used to create the RAID with OSX RAID utility. I create using the 4 other drives, 2 mirror sets each of 2 drives and then stripe the 2 mirror sets.


Linked questions:


  1. Where does OSX RAID utility store the RAID configuration?
  2. If the BOOT drive fails is the RAID configuration lost?
  3. Can you export and backup the RAID configuration?

Mac Pro, macOS 10.15

Posted on Sep 13, 2021 7:47 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Sep 13, 2021 8:39 AM


RAID-ness is stored on the drive, in a custom Driver. If you were to remove four drives in a Disk Utility RAID, scramble them, and install then in a different Mac in random order, they would still be a RAID array.


RAID Utility only works with the Apple RAID card, not with Disk Utility ("ordinary") RAID.


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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Sep 13, 2021 8:39 AM in response to Jack981_MAC


RAID-ness is stored on the drive, in a custom Driver. If you were to remove four drives in a Disk Utility RAID, scramble them, and install then in a different Mac in random order, they would still be a RAID array.


RAID Utility only works with the Apple RAID card, not with Disk Utility ("ordinary") RAID.


Sep 13, 2021 2:28 PM in response to Grant Bennet-Alder

Hi Grant,


Sorry I think I confused things here I meant RAID assistant rather than utility.


I can use the RAID assistant within Disk Utility without the Apple RAID card. I can create 2 mirror sets from 4 HDDs then create a stripe set with these 2 mirror sets. Same questions as above with this corrected scenario description.


I will test installing these 4 HDDS (configured as a RAID 10 set) into another Mac Pro to see if the RAID configuration is maintained. I'll let you know the result. I am not hopeful but not adverse to a bit of trial and error / suck it and see.


Thanks for the reply.

Sep 23, 2021 10:50 PM in response to Jack981_MAC

Hi Grant,


I finally got around to testing this. You are spot on with your information/advice. Took my 4 HDDs that i had set up as 2 mirror sets striped together and put them into another Mac Pro with a different boot that had not had RAID set up through it. The RAID configuration of the drives was immediately detected and operated seamlessly. Thanks again for your advice.


Cheers

Mark

Where does the OSX RAID utility store the RAID configuration?

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