How can I add a second hard drive to mirror the first one in RAID?

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I have a HP ProLiant Gen8 MicroServer with a Hardware RAID Controller. The model is Dynamic Smart Array B120i/ZM.

I currently have a single hard drive mounted. I would like to add a second identical hard drive (same model and size) and mirror it with the first drive.

So, in fact, I want to go from No RAID to RAID-1. Is that possible? Can the controller do that? How should I proceed?

By the way, I am running Windows 7 but am unsure if this has anything to do with the OS, because the controller is in fact doing the RAID logic and the OS is seeing the array as a "single disk".

user286640

Posted 2015-10-27T11:29:06.320

Reputation:

Answers

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You will end up having to re-install Windows, as when you create a RAID Array, it wipes out the content of the disks you are making RAID.

After backing up data you need, when you restart you should go into BIOS Settings. Looks like for your RAID controller you have to press to enter the HP Array Config Utility.

This Video Should help

Basically, you set the drive modes to RAID in BIOS. Then restart and you will enter a config utility to setup the type of raid and other settings. Restart again, and re-install Windows.

Not familiar with this RAID controller, so you might need to get the RAID drivers onto a USB drive so Windows can find the RAID Array to install to.

Hope that helps.

N. Greene

Posted 2015-10-27T11:29:06.320

Reputation: 585

So you mean the hardware raid controller is not able to mirror the existing disk to a new one? – None – 2015-10-27T16:04:04.160

1@SQLPolice: Some hardware RAID controllers are able to create a mirror from an existing drive, but it depends on which RAID controller. If yours is capable of it, it should say so in the manual. – qasdfdsaq – 2015-10-27T16:41:41.833

Asked: 2015-10-27T11:29:06.320

Viewed: 722 times

Active: 2015-10-27T15:35:44.743