JamesMuir

Thanks for your advice, and I don't plan to use the disks in the cache pool, I've got an SSD arriving tomorrow as well for that. And I need to set up storage this weekend because I've run out, so I need something set up quickly before I'm back at uni.

Okay thanks for your help, I'll refrain from adding data to the drives and just set up the docks on the cache but add the drives so the array will start and then reformat everything later.

So provided the USB connection does't get dropped I can just shuck them later, connect them via sata and all my data will still be there and the parity drive will work. I only plan to run it like that for 2 weeks because I won't have time to preclear the drives via USB before I head back to uni.

I mean preclear before adding them to an array via USB and then add them to the array whilst still connected via USB, so I can start transferring data onto the drives before I'm back home and can shuck them. Will the data still be usable if they are in the array via USB before I then shuck them and connect them via sata. Sorry.

The problem I have is the WD elements drives I plan to shuck will arrive on Sunday to my home address where the server will be but I go back to uni halls on the Monday morning in time for a 1am lecture. I want to preclear the drives before I shuck them. Can I add them to the array whilst there still in the enclosure before I shuck them when I'm next home for the weekend without losing any data on them. Thanks, James