Hard drive swaps!

[aw1458]

can you move hard drive from another server and keep the exsisting data on that drive? 

[Joe L.]

can you move hard drive from another server and keep the existing data on that drive? 

If you are referring  to a drive from another unRAID server, yes. 

Or, if the drive has a single reiserfs file-system partition starting on sector 63 and extending to the end of the physical disk, yes, otherwise, no.

 

Drives with other file-systems will be considered by unRAID as un-formatted if you assign them to the array.

 

Joe L.

[aw1458]

thank you Joe, and yes it is from another unraid server. do I just pull out the drives and place it into the other server and run parity? 

[Joe L.]

thank you Joe, and yes it is from another unraid server. do I just pull out the drives and place it into the other server and run parity? 

 

You will need to set a new configuration.  If you simply assign the drive and "Start" the array it will be cleared, even if from a second unRAID array.

 

To do this,

1. Stop the array

2. Assign the new drive, return to the main page, but DO NOT start the Array. (not yet anyway)

3A If you are running a version of unRAID prior to 4.5.4, you will need to press the button labeled as "Restore" (after first checking the checkbox under it)  The button is very poorly labeled, it is actually a "Delete Disk Configuration and Invalidate Parity" button.  Effectively, it forces a new configuration when you next start the array.

3B If you are running 4.5.4 (the latest as of this post) you will need instead to log in either on the system console or via telnet and type:

initconfig

as the "Refresh" button has been removed from the display.  The new initconfig command does exactly what the old button did.

 

You may then "refresh" your browser window, all the drives will appear as new (blue), and when you then "Start" the array, parity will be computed on the entire set of drives.  You will not be protected from a disk failure until parity is initially calculated on the new configuration of disks.

 

Joe L.