Remove drive from array

[gitbox]

Is there an easy way to remove a drive from my UnRaid array. I want to make sure all the data on it is moved to other drives and the sharing is preserved. What is the best way to do this? 

 

Thanks!

[JonathanM]

Depends on your skill level. Tell us a bit more about your computer experience and what you are comfortable doing.

 

To directly answer your question, no there isn't an easy way to do it, if you are looking to just push a button.

[gitbox]

I added a drive to my array that it turns out cannot be stuffed into the case. I really don't need the extra space so I want to remove it. My skill level with Windows and Macs are pretty high, but I admit I am not an advanced Linux user. Following instructions is no problem for me even if they are complex.

 

[itimpi]

Is there any data on the drive you need to keep?   If so first copy it to another location.

 

Once that has been done you can go to Tools->New Config and select the option to retain the current assignments;  After that go the Main tab and remove the drive.   You can now start the array to rebuild parity from the remaking drives.

[gitbox]

Sorry for the delayed response. I kinda forgot about it for a while...

 

Yes, there is data on that drive. How do I copy just the data on that drive to the others? Can it be done through a web interface?

 

Thanks.

[Gragorg]

Read the section on shrink the array.  The clear the drive method works great and maintains parity during the whole process.  To copy the existing data off I recommend you install Unbalance from the App store.

https://wiki.unraid.net/Shrink_array

Edited August 8, 2019 by Gragorg

[Gragorg]

Worth mentioning SPACEINVADER ONE has a great video on Youtube which covers unbalance if you are not familiar with it.  The video is titled "Must Have unRAID Plugins - Part 3 Disk Utility Plugins"

 

Quote

 

 

[gitbox]

Thanks! I used unbalance to off load the drive and removed it according to the shrink array instructions. Seems to have worked just fine.

 

Now I have one drive that is 99% full with the rest about 3/4 full. Is there a way to redistribute the files so that all are evenly filled? I have five 2 TB drives.

 

Thanks again.

[miicar]

On 8/10/2019 at 11:23 AM, gitbox said:

Is there a way to redistribute the files so that all are evenly filled

unbalance...be careful with that app tho...tmk it hasn't been updated since unraid added multiple cache pools, and it DOES NOT support that part.  i had lost some files trying to move from the cache to the array...personally, since that frantic recovery i had to do, i don't trust it any more.