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The Graveyard - Products No Longer Supported => D-Link Storage => DNS-321 => Topic started by: DavidLPeng on March 05, 2009, 11:02:03 PM

Title: How to change from single drives to RAID
Post by: DavidLPeng on March 05, 2009, 11:02:03 PM

I have two 1TB hard drives one is half-full with files. Both are inserted into DNS-321 but how do I change the configuration to RAID 1 and keeping my files without having to move it out of DNS-321?

Title: Re: How to change from single drives to RAID
Post by: mig on March 06, 2009, 09:56:15 AM

1) backup your data (in case something goes wrong)
2) use the web GUI to setup the disks as RAID1

you're done :)

if something goes wrong :(
3) restore your data from the backup

Title: Re: How to change from single drives to RAID
Post by: DavidLPeng on March 06, 2009, 01:40:04 PM

when changing from single disks into RAID 1, doesn't the UI tells us that it will reformat the hard disks?? Therefore, the data MUST be moved out of those two drives. so, I'm wondering if anyone has a solution which I do not have to move the data out of it.

Can I borrow someone's HDD?  ;D

Title: Re: How to change from single drives to RAID
Post by: mig on March 06, 2009, 03:16:32 PM

Quote from: DavidLPeng on March 06, 2009, 01:40:04 PM

so, I'm wondering if anyone has a solution which I do not have to move the data out of it.

Some users have reported successful single disk to RAID1 conversion without loss of data,
other users have reported total loss of data.  Which experience are you going to have?  No
one knows for sure.

Without a backup you are taking a risk, regardless of whatever anyone tells you.
With a backup, it really doesn't matter how you complete step 2 (from post above)
you can always get your data back.

So the questions you need to answer...
"How much is your data worth to you?" (more than the cost of a backup?)
"How painful would it be to loose all your data?"

Title: Re: How to change from single drives to RAID
Post by: DavidLPeng on March 06, 2009, 03:27:38 PM

Ordering a new HDD...  :-[ I don't want to loose the data...

Title: Re: How to change from single drives to RAID
Post by: mig on March 06, 2009, 03:32:37 PM

Quote from: DavidLPeng on March 06, 2009, 03:27:38 PM

Ordering a new HDD...  :-[ I don't want to loose the data...

IMHO, that is a very prudent use of resources. :)

Title: Re: How to change from single drives to RAID
Post by: ECF on March 10, 2009, 12:01:56 PM

I take it you don't have very much space on your PC. You can remove the empty drive from the DNS-321 and insert it into your PC and remove the partition. Then place it back into your DNS-321 and restart the unit and log in. It will now prompt you to format the new drive and provide a check box if you would like to set it up as RAID1 with the existing drive and data. This function should not format the existing drives data by design. However I would recommend backing up your data or at least what is important from the storage.

Note: If you were to just go and tell the DNS-321 to create a RAID1 Volume in the UI it would format both drives into RAID1.