I have 4 1 TB HDs configured in a RAID 5 configuration in a Mac Pro. I just had one drive fail. I have replaced the drive and need to know if I need to format it using Disk Utility or will the RAID card automatically rebuild the drive or do I need to use raid utility and manually start a process. This is the first time that I have had to replace a drive. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Mike
Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.6.7)
Yes you can make sure it is formatted then go into raid admin and from the top menu "RAID" select "make spare"
The rebuild process will start and take about a day or 2.
Yes you can make sure it is formatted then go into raid admin and from the top menu "RAID" select "make spare"
The rebuild process will start and take about a day or 2.
Thanks so much,
I used Disk Utility to format the drive first and then followed your suggestion. It has finished the rebuild and worked like a champ.
Hello there,
I am reviving this post because I have the exact same configuration as the owner of this thread, that is a MAC PRO with the 4 internal HD (1Tb) in a RAID5 configuration.
I was wondering if it was still necessary to use an external (extra) disk to backup the system (with time machine) or if this RAID configuration is really robust and minimizes the risk of data loss close to zero?
Any expert opinion would be appreciated.
Many thanks in advance 😉
Hi
If an accident was to happen: eg: accidental deletion, dual drive failure, fire, water damage etc - regardless of what RAID configuration you had it won't prevent any data loss resulting from that accident. If you regard your data being absolutely necessary for the running of your business you should implement an effective backup strategy. At the very least a backup that can be taken offsite and be restored from if the worst was to happen.
Don't assume that everything is 100% safe. A RAID is not a backup. There is always a chance (albeit a slim one) it may fail.
Basically ask yourself one question. What value do I place on my data? Once you have the answer plan and budget everything else accordingly.
HTH?
Tony
Yes indeed,
this confirms my first "gut feeling" about RAID. Still I judge it more reliable than an "ordinary" set of single disks but, of course, nothing replaces a "real" backup.
The options you suggest are very relevant in my opinion.
Many thanks for your reply Antonio 😉
Reliability isn't the only issue here.
Imagine the scenario where someone breaks into your house/office and steals your MacPro.
The RAID is still functioning 100% with all the data intact. That doesn't help you any, though. You've still lost all your data.
Or maybe you have a kid in the house, or a clumsy coworker who inadvertently deletes some critical files because you left the desktop open. Again, your RAID is running 100% perfectly, but you still lost your data.
You need a backup.
External drives are cheap Possibly the cheapest form of insurance around.
You are perfectly right Camelot!
I was still exchanging messages yesterday on another forum of photographers (which I'm a big fan as well) and the poor guy was precisely robbed in his house: all computers AND external drives were gone ... together with 15 years of photos: terrible thing 😮
This loss cannot be replaced at all.
So it even means that you should keep your backups in a safe or in another house/location for example. But then will you really make the effort to bring it back and do the update ... Whatever. Anyway, we have to live with the consequences of our decisions but indeed let's try to be the most careful possible.
Thanks again.
RAID 5 Disk Failure
