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If my server goes down, how can i access the data on the SAS drives?

I don't have another server to plug them into, and even then connecting the drive to a different controller (while keeping the data) is not a certain thing.

Yes, we have a full backup solution with snapshots, offsite replicas etc., still the backup could be up to 15 minutes behind and in some cases i would need the backup server (which could be down) running to access the data from the backup sets anyway.

Being able to restore from the production drives, or at least access the data on them for recently changed files etc. would be a major advantage, if i could only get to the data.

Other then buying a raid controller and plugging it into a workstation (in which case i still may not be able to connect the drive while leaving the data intact as this is a raid controller, not a simple HBA), what are my options?

Does something like a simple (non raid) PCIe HBA card that just lets you plug in an SAS drive exist? or better yet some sort of external enclosure? I can't find either on google.

Thanks

mdpc
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Make it useful Keep it simple
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3 Answers3

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I don't have another server to plug them into, and even then connecting the drive to a different controller (while keeping the data) is not a certain thing.

Other then buying a RAID controller and plugging it into a workstation (in which case I still may not be able to connect the drive while leaving the data intact as this is a RAID controller, not a simple HBA), what are my options?

In most cases you can just get an identical or similar RAID card, plug in the drives and access the data. This will just work, and this is something you can test. And if you are concerned about 15 minute delays then make sure you have such a card as a spare.

Does something like a simple (non raid) PCIe HBA card that just lets you plug in an SAS drive exist? or better yet some sort of external enclosure? I can't find either on google.

Yes, ofcourse that exist. They are often the same pysical cards as SAS RAID cards, but with a different firmware.


Did you consider keeping a copy of all the data on the network. Sort of a RAID 1 (mirror) where one part of the RAID is a local drive(s) and one part is on the network?

Hennes
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  • You can't do a RAID set where some of the drives are network-mounted. Sounds like you're thinking about a distributed filesystem like Isilon or Gluster. In which case : easy or cheap, pick one. – mfinni Dec 26 '12 at 12:22
  • Aye. Isilon or Gluster. Or windows DFS (if you can get the replication time set to instantenious...not sure if that is possible). Regardless of the implementation: Somewhere off the main server and in an instantly accessibly format. – Hennes Dec 26 '12 at 12:32
  • No, DFS would not be suitable for what he thinks his needs are. – mfinni Dec 26 '12 at 13:55
  • If the SAS drives are in a RAID set, they only solution is to use the same RAID card down to model and firmware version. Even then you may end up going to recovery specialists. You won't be able to read individual drives from a set, it's all or nothing (putting aside redundancy.) – Jeter-work Aug 26 '16 at 00:30
  • That depends on your RAID card(s). In the past I have transplanted drives from a 3ware RAID card to a newer model after the old card failed and backups were >1 month old. It can be done in some cases. I did call 3ware first though to ask which models were compatible. – Hennes Aug 26 '16 at 08:34
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    You CAN actually have a RAID between an iSCSI LUN and a local disk. It's just not the best solution out there. Regarding Gluster, it's extremely easy to implement and not a bad recommendation in this case. – Spooler Sep 25 '16 at 01:50
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You assume that your server being down is not due to the SAS drives (highest probability of failure). I have found the simply moving a drive from one system to another is not necessarily successful for a variety of reasons. In fact, one of the drives might be corrupt itself causing the server to die.

You already have backups in place, so you seem to be covered there. The max of 15 minutes back on your backups seems very aggressive to me. If this is true, I'm surprised that you are worrying so. This MAX 15 minutes of data loss seems quite low in comparison to the rest of the sites I have been familiar with over my experience base.

Perhaps the question you really want to ask is that aside from using backups, what alternatives are there towards speeding up a recovery of data in the event of failure. Also, perhaps you should elaborate on why you need something better than 15 minutes data loss. Desireability, I understand, but be aware of the fact that as you strive to the up-to-the-minute recovery, the larger the costs become.

Also, you are much more familiar with your site and its requirements than any of us on the internet....thus the information you are likely to obtain may not be applicable to your situation. I.E. outside users will likely be unable to design something like this that meets you needs through a question like this.

mdpc
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  • thanks. i guess since you did not mention an HBA or enclosure, you haven't seen any. it just irks me that the best and fastest to restore data set is sitting right there (on the production drive which is a raid1 in answer to your drive failure point) but i can't get to it... i could live with my backup data. thanks for the spelling correction. – Make it useful Keep it simple Dec 26 '12 at 07:19
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Ok, i have been in the same situation. Had a SAS drive on iPerc600 controller in my Dell poweredge T410 server. My motherboard failed and I needed to get back my data and software licenses. I simply pulled of the controller card and SAS hard drive from dell T410 server and installed it in other Dell workstation T7500. (yes it is different model). i removed ALL OTHER DRIVES AND enabled SAS controller in bios. Powered on...it initialized the on board controller, did n't found anything as there was no HDD there. Then, it detected the iPerc controller, the Hard Drive and booted all-right except some drivers. I was able to copy ALL my data to another SATA drive. HOPE IT HELPS.

Ranhot
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